DFS NBA Full Court Press: FanDuel & DraftKings Main Slate - Dec. 21st, 2021

Main Slate Breakdown for NBA DFS 12/21:

Welcome to another year of the DFS Army NBA Full Court Press! Members had a ton of success using the Full Court Press along with various articles and tools that DFS Army provides last season, so we are glad to be back with another year of the all-inclusive article. You have to start your research somewhere, and oftentimes going game by game and breaking down every matchup and its key players is the first step in our process. My name is Mike aka @MadnessDFS on Twitter, make sure to give me a follow as I’ll occasionally make updates to the advice in the article. But, you’ll mostly find me in our VIP coaching forums where I provide detailed lineup maneuvers and answer all lineup questions. With that said, let’s get it started!

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Indiana Pacers @ Miami Heat

Vegas Total: NA

Vegas Spread: NA

We’ll get this slate started with the Pacers, the price tag is up on Domantas Sabonis here on DraftKings but he’s still at $9k on FanDuel. He’s averaging 43.8 DraftKings points per game in two games against the Heat this season, but this is obviously a different Heat team right now. I like him a lot more on FanDuel. Malcolm Brogdon is averaging 36.5 DraftKings points per game in those two games as well. I have no issue with him in any format either. Caris LeVert is coming off a big game last time out and has played at least 37 minutes in three of his last four games which are huge for his production. Myles Turner has actually been pretty consistent as of late with at least 30 FanDuel points in seven of his last eight games and should do what he wants against Dedmon down low here. Then you can round the Pacers out with Chris Duarte who is coming off a good game as well, he’s more of a GPP guy for me due to the volatility he brings to the table. From Miami, they’ll still be without Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler while Tyler Herro comes in as questionable and has been out for about a week now. I’m going to operate under the assumption that Herro is out but be sure to keep an eye on the Breaking News Feed for updates surrounding his status. With these three off the court this season, Kyle Lowry has a 23.9% usage rate and just under 1.05 fantasy points per minute and would be a guy I like in a great matchup. The same can be said for Gabe Vincent who has been in great form as of late and is a guy that is not afraid to shoot the ball which is nice to see. Dewayne Dedmon will be more of a GPP guy for me here, but the upside is obviously there for him. Then you can round the Heat out with Duncan Robinson and Max Strus in tournaments, Strus has looked pretty good as of late and seeing big minutes, but would likely be more in play with Herro out.

*** The below is assuming Tyler Herro is OUT ***

5-star play: Domantas Sabonis (FanDuel), Kyle Lowry, Gabe Vincent

4-star play: Domantas Sabonis (DraftKings), Malcolm Brogdon, Caris LeVert, Myles Turner, Dewayne Dedmon

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Myles Turner, Chris Duarte, Duncan Robinson, Max Strus

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Detroit Pistons @ New York Knicks

Vegas Total: 207.0

Vegas Spread: Nyk -9.5

Starting with the Pistons, Jerami Grant will continue to miss time for the Pistons which is going to open up minutes and opportunities in the frontcourt. The only issue with the Pistons is no one person really benefits from Grant being out. Trey Lyles has seen solid minutes over his last handful of games, but something tells me we won’t be struggling for value if the past two weeks are any evidence. I never love going to Saddiq Bey but he has suddenly found a little consistency and has at least 35 DraftKings points in three straight games. Cade Cunningham will be a guy I have an interest in for sure on this slate. With Grant and Olynyk off the court this season he has a 28.1% usage rate and 1.13 fantasy points per minute and gets a fine matchup here. That being said, the price tag on DraftKings is tough to stomach. Grant being out has locked in Isaiah Stewart’s minutes even more as well and looks like a solid mid-range big man option on this slate. You can make a tournament case for Hamidou Diallo, and maybe even Trey Lyles but only the deepest of tournaments with them. From the Knicks, we will need some news on this team as Derrick Rose, RJ Barrett, and Quentin Grimes come in as questionable. Keep an eye on the Breaking News Feed for updates on this team but I’m going to hone in on the pieces that we “know” are active tonight. Julius Randle hasn’t been in the greatest form as of late relative to his price tag, but I do like the matchup for him against a weak Pistons defense. Alec Burks bounced back nicely last time out and I would think the minutes will be huge for him regardless of who is active in this Knicks frontcourt. I’m not sure what they’ll do with Kemba Walker here, he rejoined the rotation last time out and played 37 minutes with half the team missing they needed his minutes. I would think if Barrett, Rose, and Grimes are back he would head back to the bench, but we’ll need to watch this one closely. Evan Fournier had a big night last time out as well, he would be a guy that I would want as many pieces out as possible, he’s not exactly the most efficient DFS guy. Lastly, Mitchell Robinson is always worth a flyer in tournaments for me, but know the volatility that comes with him.

5-star play: None

4-star play: Saddiq Bey, Cade Cunningham, Isaiah Stewart, Julius Randle, Alec Burks

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Hamidou Diallo, Trey Lyles, Evan Fournier, Kemba Walker, Mitchell Robinson

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Portland Trailblazers @ New Orleans Pelicans

Vegas Total: 219.0

Vegas Spread: Por -1.0

Starting with the Blazers, Damian Lillard comes into this one as questionable so we’ll want to watch the Breaking News Feed for updates on him. That said, assuming he plays, he’s been in great form as of late and has a 33.0% usage rate and 1.23 fantasy points per minute with CJ McCollum off the court this season. Jusuf Nurkic is a tough cookie to get right lately, I’ll consider him more of a tournament guy since we know the upside is there but he’s been all over the place. Norman Powell has been in great form with at least 30 DraftKings points in four straight games and a guy I like in all formats. The rest of this team would be just MME guys for me, but I do think you can make a case for Larry Nance Jr. and Nassir Little in all formats due to the minutes increase they’ve seen as of late. From the Pelicans, Brandon Ingram has been in great form as well with at least 50 DraftKings in two of his last three games and playing a ton of minutes as of late. The matchup is nice for him as well. Jonas Valanciunas has been in good form as well and it’s mostly due to a nice increase in minutes. There was a stretch for a few weeks where he was under the 25-30 minute range, but that has come up which raises his floor and ceiling quite a bit. Josh Hart is playing all the minutes he can handle right now and always feels a few hundred dollars too cheap, he’s a great option in all formats. Devonte’ Graham has turned up the heat a bit as well but it’s been due to a couple of good shooting games over his past two games. The minutes will be there for him though, so I like him again in all formats where Nickeil Alexander-Walker would be more of a tournament guy for me.

5-star play: Damian Lillard, Jonas Valanciunas

4-star play: Norman Powell, Brandon Ingram, Devonte’ Graham, Josh Hart

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Larry Nance Jr., Nassir Little, Nickeil Alexander-Walker

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Minnesota Timberwolves @ Dallas Mavericks

Vegas Total: 212.5

Vegas Spread: Min -1.0

Starting with the Wolves, they had a number of guys hit the Covid list including Anthony Edwards, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Patrick Beverley. I would expect Malik Beasley to jump into the starting lineup for the Wolves here and a guy I like in the mid-range tonight. I would think Jaden McDaniels jumps right into that Vanderbilt role as well at a really nice price tag, he saw 32 minutes last game and is a guy I would have interest in here. I do like attacking the Mavs frontcourt with opposing big men, so Karl-Anthony Towns will be a guy I like getting to in this spot. Then with Edwards and Beverley off the court this season D’Angelo Russell is staring down the barrel at a 29% usage rate and 1.23 fantasy points per minute in a great matchup. From the Mavericks, they’ll continue to be without Luka Doncic and now Kristaps Porzingis comes in as questionable. I’ll operate under the assumption that Kristaps is good to go, and he gets a great matchup here. I’ve been attacking the Wolves with big men for about two years now and with Luka off the court this season he’s looking at a 30% usage rate and 1.31 fantasy points per minute. We can go right back to the Jalen Brunson well too as he’s at a 25.4% usage rate and 1.06 fantasy points per minute with Luka out, he also sees a good uptick in minutes. Then we can round the Mavs out with Dorian Finney-Smith and Tim Hardaway Jr. as secondary options in all formats.

5-star play: Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell, Kristaps Porzingis, Jalen Brunson

4-star play: Malik Beasley, Jaden McDaniels, Dorian Finney-Smith, Tim Hardaway Jr.

Deeper Value: Jaden McDaniels

GPP Sleeper: Naz Reid, Jaden McDaniels, Trey Burke

I wanted to give a quick shoutout to VIP member “GhostfaceKillaa” on his $30k win earlier in the season. A pivot to Curry off the chalky Doncic was the key for him, congrats man!

Phoenix Suns @ Los Angeles Lakers

Vegas Total: 219.5

Vegas Spread: Pho -7.0

We can round this slate out starting with the Suns, Devin Booker returned last time out and played 26 minutes in a blowout against the Hornets. I would expect those minutes to get up over 30 again here and makes sense as a tournament option. Chris Paul is another guy that saw a minutes hit due to the blowout last game, but he’s a bit outpriced for me with Booker back in the rotation. Deandre Ayton has been in great form as of late but we’ve seen the price tag on him come up, for good reason, however. He scored 35.75 DraftKings points in this matchup earlier this season and with Anthony Davis out for the Lakers, he sees a nice boost down low. We kind of know the story on Mikal Bridges, he’s going to play a bunch of minutes and is about a 0.9 fantasy point per minute guy, I don’t have any issue with him if you land on him, he’s just not a sexy play by any means. Lastly, Cam Johnson will take a bit of a hit with Booker back, but there will be enough minutes for him. That being said, I don’t love the price tag. From the Lakers, they’ll be shorthanded here but the big name out continuing to be Anthony Davis. With Davis off the court this season LeBron James has a 30.2% usage rate and 1.40 fantasy points per minute while Russell Westbrook is at a 29.6% usage rate and 1.16 fantasy points per minute. They’ll need big minutes from Carmelo Anthony to help take on those Davis minutes with Talen Horton-Tucker also out. He had a nice game last time out and a nice mid-range option here. Isaiah Thomas got his minutes up to 32 last time out and becomes an interesting value option on this slate while the Lakers continue to be shorthanded.

5-star play: Russell Westbrook, LeBron James

4-star play: Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, Carmelo Anthony

Deeper Value: Isaiah Thomas

GPP Sleeper: Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Cam Johnson, Isaiah Thomas

NBA Lock of the Day: Malik Beasley (DK – $4.8k; FD – $5.3k)

I don’t know that Beasley is the sexiest play out there but with Anthony Edwards and Patrick Beverley out he should see 30+ minutes yet again and gets a great matchup with the Mavericks. He has at least 30 minutes in back-to-back games since Edwards has missed and has at least 25 DraftKings points in back-to-back games as well. The price tag, the matchup, and the role increase makes me like him quite a bit here. At this point in the day, I would think he makes my core, but check out our VIP Cheat Sheets as we get closer to lock for staff picks on Core plays, 8x locks of the day, and tiers notes as well!

As always,

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