The NBA throws us a curveball tonight with only one game going on in the entire Association. They couldn't even be bothered to make it a good one! Sure, Luka gets some prime-time love, but the Pistons will be without Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey has missed the last three games.
The injury news on Ivey could quite possibly be the most interesting thing about this slate. Luka is the chalk captain/MVP, but we have to get really creative if we want to put him in that spot. We'll give you a couple of options for different builds here.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 12/1/22. Remember to monitor the NBA injury report as the slate can completely change before lineup lock at 7:00 pm EST. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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DraftKings and FanDuel Captain/MVP - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Luka Doncic, DAL ($21,600 DK; $17,000 FD)
Luka is averaging 63.1 DraftKings points per game. You double that up and on an average night he nets you 126 points. If you fade Luka from this spot, you had better hit every other spot right. The one thing that might work in favor of a Luka fade is the potential for a blowout in this game. If Dallas gets up big, Luka might only hit the high-90's at 2x points. That said, he has only played under 35 minutes once in 19 games. Good luck!
Killian Hayes, DET ($11,400 DK; $13,000 FD)
If Jaden Ivey plays, I think I would rate him above Hayes. However, if Ivey is out, Hayes is the one guy I would consider in Luka's spot. Over three games with both Cade and Ivey out, Hayes has 110.5 fantasy points. That's good for an average of about 37 per game. Double that and you have 74 fantasy points and $10k left in your wallet on DraftKings. On FD, it's hard to fade Luka for just the $4k price difference.
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DraftKings and FanDuel Utility Plays - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Isaiah Stewart, DET ($6,800 DK; $11,000 FD)
Marvin Bagley is pyrite here. His numbers (and price) are inflated thanks to Stewart's toe injury that cost him two weeks. Stewart played 26 minutes to Bagley's 23 against the Knicks and was far more effective. There didn't seem to be any lingering effects of his toe injury on Tuesday, so his minutes should only increase...especially if he continues to be more effective than Bagley.
Spencer Dinwiddie, DAL ($7,400 DK; $11,500 FD)
Dinwiddie averaged 17.5 points per game in 13 November games. A couple of those were with Luka on the sidelines, but you don't get that kinds of numbers unless there is some kind of consistency. Dinwiddie was only under double figures twice with only one floor game all month. He provides a stable floor with decent upside, which is exactly what we are looking for in showdowns.
Others to consider: Christian Wood, DAL ($8,000 DK; $12,500 FD)
DraftKings and FanDuel Value Plays - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Dorian Finney-Smith, DAL ($4,800 DK; $10,500 FD)
DFS is always active on the defensive end of the court, which gives him a solid floor. However, he has scored in double figures three times in the last four games. This won't happen often, but it does give DFS sneaky double-double upside at a very low price. He is far more affordable on DK, which helps those of us who are going to run Luka at captain. He plays a ton of minutes, and his defensive prowess makes it hard for him to bust.
Jalen Duren, DET ($4,200 DK; $7,500 FD)
Detroit is committed to giving the rookie decent minutes off the bench. He is still inconsistent, but his 12 points against the Knicks in a blowout loss was nice to see. Duren picks up a lot of rebounds, but he chucks in a few blocks and steals as well. Even if he's not scoring, he is a solid DFS asset. Duren is more of a GPP play at this point, but his upside is hard to ignore at this price.
Others to consider: Alec Burks, DET ($5,800 DK; $10,000 FD); Hamidou Diallo, DET ($3,000 DK; $8,000 FD)
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