The Playbook had a strong night on Saturday as guys such as Derrick Favors, Tony Wroten, and Jimmy Butler all had big nights. However, John Wall's mediocre night kept me from winning a lot of money, but cashing in all double/triple ups and most GPP's is still a very successful night. Russell Westbrook will continue his amazing season vs the Mavericks tonight, so he should be in all lineups on Fanduel, but is more of a GPP play on DraftKings.
Combining Lillard with Westbrook is a great idea on Fanduel. Also, Cory Joseph is a great play because his price is still relatively low and he's getting the start with Tony Parker out. Wesley Matthews is the best option at shooting guard based on his price and the Knicks lack of defense vs guards. There isn't a lot to like with the rest of shooting guard position, especially with James Harden huge price tag. Don't mind using Carmelo Anthony (as long as he plays) on Fanduel because his price isn't crazy high like it is on DK. Wilson Chandler is the best play at small forward based on his cheap price tag and high fantasy point potential.
The power forward position is filled with decent options as Serge Ibaka and Kenneth Faried are safe plays that could explode for big games. The center position is filled with value plays.
Here is the Daily Fantasy Basketball Playbook for December 28th:
Point Guards
| Player | Team | DraftKings | Fanduel | Comments |
| Russell Westbrook | Thunder | 11,900 | 11,800 | Mavericks are brutal vs PG's. No Durant = HUGE FPs for R.W. |
| Damian Lillard | Blazers | 9,900 | 9,300 | Better FD play. PG's destroy the Knicks. |
| Isaiah Thomas | Kings | 5,900 | 5,600 | Averaging 22/2/6/1.5 steals in 2 games vs LAL this season |
| Cory Joseph | Spurs | 5,000 | 5,200 | Will easily exceed value with Parker out |
| Rajon Rondo | Celtics | 7,900 | 8,400 | Good value on DK |
Shooting Guards
| Player | Team | DraftKings | Fanduel | Comments |
| Wesley Matthews | Blazers | 5,900 | 5,500 | Blazers will need his scoring. Great value as well |
| Manu Ginobili | Spurs | 5,000 | 6,000 | Better play on DK b/c of low price tag |
| Lou Williams | Raptors | 4,500 | 4,900 | Boom/bust play, exploded for 26 points vs Denver earlier this season |
| Anthony Morrow | Thunder | 3,600 | 3,800 | Solid punt play that has 21+ FP in each of the past 2 games |
Small Forwards
| Player | Team | DraftKings | Fanduel | Comments |
| Wilson Chandler | Nuggets | 6,000 | 5,600 | Playing heavy minutes and 30 FP is basically a lock |
| James Johnson | Raptors | 4,500 | 4,500 | Great value play as long as he starts |
| Carmelo Anthony | Knicks | 10,500 | 9,400 | Solid price on FD. |
Power Forwards
| Player | Team | DraftKings | Fanduel | Comments |
| Serge Ibaka | Thunder | 6,800 | 7,100 | Great matchup and has 30+ FP in 3 straight games. Safe play |
| Kenneth Faried | Nuggets | 6,200 | 5,600 | Better value play on FD. Manimal goes on these crazy streaks |
| Ed Davis | Lakers | 4,600 | 5,100 | Exceeded value in 3 straight games. |
| Marcus Morris | Suns | 4,100 | 4,100 | GPP play. Averaging 26 FP in 2 games vs the Lakers in '14 |
| Charlie Villanueva | Dallas | 3,000 | 3,800 | Superb punt play. Should see an increase in minutes with Chandler out |
Centers
| Player | Team | DraftKings | Fanduel | Comments |
| Jonas Valanciunas | Raptors | 6,300 | 6,200 | Had 18/12/4 blocks vs DEN earlier this season |
| Alex Len | Suns | 4,800 | 4,200 | Great value play on FD. Starting and minutes are increasing |
| Cole Aldrich | Knicks | 4,800 | 4,100 | You feeling lucky, punk? Steven Adams is a safer play |
| Dwight Howard | Rockets | 9,000 | 9,500 | GPP contrarian Play |
Player News
Kristaps Porzingis (illness) said after Wednesday’s Game 2 loss to the Knicks that his current stamina issues may be related to the problem that sidelined him for eight games late in the regular season.
After an illness limited him to 13 first-half minutes in Boston’s series-opening defeat on Monday, Porzingis came off the bench in Game 2. Unfortunately, he could only give the Celtics 14 minutes. Following the game, Porzingis said his current problem may be related to the upper respiratory ailment that sidelined him for eight games late in the regular season. “Probably, probably,” Porzingis said. “I’ve had like ups and downs throughout until this point. Just now, had a big crash. Now, my energy, my everything, hasn’t been good, but who cares? Have to move forward and it will get better from this point.” While Boston’s shot selection was the focus following its two home defeats, Porzingis’ limited availability has also been a factor. He’ll hope to return to full health in time for Game 3 on Saturday afternoon.
Nikola Jokic finished with 17 points (6-of-16 FGs), eight rebounds, six assists, one steal, one block, two three-pointers and six turnovers in Game 2 against the Thunder on Wednesday.
This was Jokic’s worst performance of the postseason, and it came to an end in the third quarter. He fouled out with 1:17 left in the third, which brought his night to a close after he played 32 minutes. OKC was up 41 points when Jokic fouled out, so his night may have been close to over anyway. Jokic dominated Game 1, and the Thunder adjusted. Denver will need other players to step up if they want to have a chance of winning this series, but Jokic will also need to be better than he was in this game.
Michael Porter Jr. struggled on Wednesday and finished with just eight points (2-of-10 FGs), five rebounds, one steal and two three-pointers in Game 2 against the Thunder.
MPJ was slightly better in the second half, as all eight of his points came in the third quarter. However, the game was already out of hand at that point after a terrible first half for both Porter Jr. and the Nuggets. MPJ shot 1-of-8 in Game 1, and they’ll need him to be much better moving forward. The series will now shift back to Denver, and MPJ will look to get back on track during the two home games before the series heads back to Oklahoma City.
Russell Westbrook provided a boost off the bench with 19 points (5-of-11 FGs, 8-of-10 FTs), one rebound, five assists and one three-pointer in a 149-106 loss to the Thunder in Game 2 on Wednesday.
Despite an ugly first half for Denver, Westbrook was productive and entered the break with 15 points. He didn’t add much in the second half, though he sat the entire fourth quarter, still it was enough to lead the Nuggets in scoring. Russ has been awesome over Denver’s last five games, and his continued success will be key to the Nuggets winning this series. Though this game was ugly, they still have homecourt advantage in this series. They’ll look to keep it in Game 3 on Friday.
Chet Holmgren recorded a double-double on Wednesday with 15 points (3-of-8 FGs, 7-of-7 FTs), 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals, two blocks and two three-pointers in Game 2 against the Nuggets.
After struggling in Game 1, Holmgren bounced back and recorded the fourth postseason triple-double of his career, with three of those coming this season. Aside from Game 3 against Memphis, Holmgren has swatted at least two shots in every game during these playoffs, which was a trend that continued in this game despite him only playing 26 minutes. Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein (14/8/5/1/1) will look to continue to limit Nikola Jokic (17 points) in Game 3 on Friday.
Jalen Williams bounced back on Wednesday with 17 points (6-of-11 FGs), four rebounds, seven assists and two blocks in Game 2 against the Nuggets.
Williams was criticized for his poor performance in the Thunder’s Game 1 loss, but he responded well in OKC’s blowout victory. He was on pace for a bigger night, but he only played 26 minutes and sat the entire fourth quarter due to the lopsided score. He shot the ball much better after shooting 5-of-20 in Game 1, and he’ll need that success to carry over into Game 3 in Denver on Friday.