NBA DFS Picks, Projections, Lineups, Injuries & More Today: Saturday Playbook

Happy Saturday! We have a six-game NBA DFS main slate on DraftKings and FanDuel to kick off the weekend. In what is becoming a fairly rare occurrence, both sites are aligned in their size and game selection for their respective slates. 

Superstars Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic headline the day, but we have plenty of other options to discuss. Let's get into the news, notes, top plays, and more of the main slate!

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 6th

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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.

UPDATE 4:54 PM ET

• Daniel Theis ruled OUT (no fantasy impact)
• Maxi Kleber downgraded to QUESTIONABLE
• Alex Sarr downgraded to QUESTIONABLE
• Desmond Bane downgraded to QUESTIONABLE

UPDATE 5:58 PM ET

• Alex Sarr - OUT
  • Bagley an excellent value option. Even better if he starts again.
• Patrick Baldwin downgraded to QUESTIONABLE
• Maxi Kleber - OUT
• Davion Mitchell, Kelly Olynyk, and Jakob Poeltl are AVAILABLE
• Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Cameron Payne are GTD
• Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, and Christian Braun are GTD

UPDATE 6:18 PM ET

• Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon are OUT, Christian Braun is AVAILABLE
  • Nikola Jokic goes from best play on the slate to perhaps best play of the season
  • Russell Westbrook is now the top salary saver on the slate

UPDATE 6:41 PM ET

• Ryan Dunn - OUT
  • Royce O'Neale is now a stronger value option
• Pelle Larsson - OUT
• Ausar Thompson - OUT

NBA Injuries, News & Updates Today, 12/6

• Aaron Gordon - Q
• Jamal Murray - Q
• Dario Saric - Q
• Malcolm Brogdon - OUT
• Kyshawn George - OUT
• Corey Kispert - OUT
• Kyle Kuzma - OUT
• Naji Marshall - OUT
• Jaden Hardy - D
• Jakob Poeltl - Q
• Kelly Olynyk - Q
• Davion Mitchell - Q
• Ausar Thompson - Q
• Jalen Brunson - Q
• Karl-Anthony Towns - Q
• Cameron Payne - Q
• Luke Kennard - OUT
• Marcus Smart - Q (intends to play)
• Kevin Durant - OUT
• Jusuf Nurkic - OUT
• Ryan Dunn - Q
• Pelle Larsson - Q

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.

Denver Nuggets vs. Washington Wizards

• Total: 233.5
• Spread: DEN -13.5

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. New Orleans Pelicans

• Total: 222.5
• Spread: OKC -8

Dallas Mavericks vs. Toronto Raptors

• Total: 236
• Spread: TOR -8.5

Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks

• Total: 224.5
• Spread: NYK -8.5

Phoenix Suns vs. Miami Heat

• Total: 223
• Spread: MIA -6

Memphis Grizzlies vs. Boston Celtics

• Total: 239
• Spread: BOS -7

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

• Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jayson Tatum, Karl-Anthony Towns (if active)

Mid

• Jalen Brunson (if active), Bam Adebayo, Kristaps Porzingis, Jimmy Butler, Michael Porter, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Russell Westbrook 

Value

• Carlton Carrington, Marvin Bagley, Marcus Smart (DK), Luguentz Dort (FD), Miles McBride, Duncan Robinson, Haywood Highsmith 

Stacks

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