NBA DFS Picks, Projections, Lineups, Injuries & More Today: Monday Playbook
Published: Dec 16, 2024
Happy Monday, December 16th, FAmily. We have a six-game NBA DFS main slate on tap today and then only one game over the next two days, so make sure you're playing (responsibly) tonight before we're longing for basketball over the next two days! It's a very fun slate with some big-time games to target, two with 237 implied points or more, and three that look pretty ugly overall. The biggest news we're awaiting at this point is LaMelo Ball and Zach LaVine's questionable tags.
Before actually diving into the meat and potatoes, welcome to the NBA DFS season. If this is your first time reading our column on NBA DFS picks, I just want to welcome you and give you a few tips and tricks on what you should be looking for each night.
- News outlets: reliable sources that give us injury news & starting lineups
- Pace of play: who's playing fast vs. who's playing slow. Which teams get a pace-up spot (more possessions) vs. pace-down (fewer possessions)
- Usage rates: is a percentage of how many plays that player is being used in
- NBA DFS Projections
- Lineup Generator
- NBA Ownership
NBA DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook Today, December 16th
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Pre-Lock Update
This section will be used for anything that changes from the morning until right up to roster lock.
Injury updates, players we’re higher on than we were in the morning and so much more.
6:20 pm ET
- Zach LaVine is OUT.
- Nikola Vucevic leads team in FP/min at 1.34 (GPP leverage)
- Lonzo Ball sees a 7% USG increase, 1.26 FP/min (small sample)
- Josh Giddey & Coby White are both really good mid-tier plays. White has a 27% USG, 1.06 FP/min, Giddey 24.7% USG, 1.29 FP/min
- Interested to see what CHI does with 5th starter. Not a lot of Patrick Williams interest unless the limit is gone + starting.
- Matas Buzelis would be a great value if starting.
6:50 pm ET
- Ausar Thompson is starting for Tobias Harris (out) tonight. He's very popular. I think there's a case to pivot to someone like Matas Buzelis in GPPs.
- Simone Fontecchio removed from player pool/core plays.
NBA Injuries, News & Updates Today, 12/16
- LaMelo Ball - IN
- Joel Embiid - OUT
- Scottie Barnes - OUT
- Nikola Vucevic - IN
- Evan Mobley - IN
- Zach LaVine - OUT
- Jamal Murray - PROB
- Tobias Harris - OUT
- Jordan Clarkson - PROB
- Christian Braun - QUEST
- Ziaire Williams - OUT
- Max Strus - OUT
- Kevin Huerter - OUT
- Caleb Martin - OUT
- Lonzo Ball - IN
- Nikola Jovic - OUT
- Keegan Murray - QUEST
NBA DFS Slate & Game Overviews
With the NBA season just kicking off we don't have data yet for teams regarding pace of play and defensive matchups. In the section below, I’m listing the most notable things we need to look at in Las Vegas, including notable O/U and spreads.
Chicago Bulls vs. Toronto Raptors
- Total: 240
- Spread: CHI -1.5
- Bulls are 2nd in pace, Raptors are 11th in pace
- Bulls are 26th in DRtg, Raptors are 23rd in DRtg
Denver Nuggets vs. Sacramento Kings
- Total: 237
- Spread: SAC -1.5
- Nuggets are 4th in pace, Kings are 18th in pace
- Nuggets are 15th in DRtg, Kings are 14th in DRtg
Utah Jazz vs. Los Angeles Clippers
- Total: 223
- Spread: LAC -8.5
- Jazz are 13th in pace, Clippers are 21st in pace
- Jazz are 30th in DRtg, Clippers are 7th in DRtg
Miami Heat vs. Detroit Pistons
- Total: 219.5
- Spread: MIA -4.5
- Heat are 27th in pace, Pistons are 23rd in pace
- Heat are 10th in DRtg, Pistons are 18th in DRtg
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Charlotte Hornets
- Total: 217
- Spread: PHI -3
- 76ers are 29th in pace, Hornets are 25th in pace
- 76ers are in 12th in DRtg, Hornets are 20th in DRtg
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Brooklyn Nets
- Total: 216
- Spread: CLE -10
- Cavaliers are 8th in pace, Nets are 30th in pace
- Cavaliers are 9th in DRtg, Nets are 27th in DRtg
NBA DFS Core Player Pool & Lineup Picks
Here are the core players I’m looking at for my NBA DFS picks tonight. You can see the full analysis of tonight’s NBA DFS projections and player pool below or skip ahead to building the best lineups possible by locking these into the aforementioned lineup generator now.
High
Mid
- Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, Jakob Poeltl, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Norman Powell, Gradey Dick, Coby White, Josh Giddey, Nikola Vucevic (GPPs)
Value
- Andre Drummond, Aaron Gordon, Jonathan Mogbo, Malik Beasley (GPPs), Kevin Porter, Matas Buzelis, Dru Smith, Lonzo Ball (GPPs)
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