FanDuel & DraftKings NBA Daily Picks: Fantasy lineup & advice 12/9/17

(Photo Credit: James Schumacher)

PG – Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers vs Houston Rockets

The Portland Trail Blazers are in a tough spot at the moment. They’ve lost three games in a row and will be without big man Jusuf Nurkic after he went down with an ankle injury. That will put even more of the offensive burden on their backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. But as always, expect Dame to rise up to the challenge.

He’s averaging nearly 29 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 3.1 3-pointers over his last seven games. That includes a near-triple-double of 30 points, eight boards, and nine assists last time out against the Wizards. Look for Lillard to go all guns blazing in trying to protect home court against the run-and-gun Rockets, who will be all too happy to engage in a shootout.

SG – JJ Redick, Philadelphia 76ers @ Cleveland Cavaliers

Joel Embiid will be rested tonight against the Cavs, meaning other Sixers will have to step up in his absence. Look for JJ Redick to be one such player who could see some added usage. Redick has been a bit inconsistent fantasy-wise recently and didn’t fully capitalize on Embiid’s absence against the Celtics. However, he still had over 30 fantasy points, which is more than decent value given his affordable price.

Redick was also a dud in his first meeting against the Cavs, but this upcoming game could prove more beneficial. The Cavs will be on the second night of a back-to-back and have been giving up big scoring nights to guards like Victor Oladipo, Buddy Hield, and Tyreke Evans in recent games.

SF – Robert Covington, Philadelphia 76ers @ Cleveland Cavaliers

Speaking of Sixers who could benefit from Embiid’s absence, Robert Covington is another such player with that type of potential. Covington has been up and down in recent games, but when he’s been on, he’s been very good. He had 19 points, six rebounds, four blocks, and four 3s last time out against the Lakers, and had 25-8-3 with two blocks, two steals, and six 3s against the Pistons a couple games prior.

Covington had one of his worst games of the season in his first meeting against the Cavs, but he had learned about the death of his friend just prior to the game. Look for him to try and make up for it against a Cavs defense which has once again been slipping in recent games, and could be even worse on the second night of a back-to-back. 

PF – Marvin Williams, Charlotte Hornets vs Los Angeles Lakers

There’s admittedly a bit of risk in picking Marvin Williams on the second night of a back-to-back, but his upside remains too high to ignore. Williams played a season-high 40 minutes against the Chicago Bulls last night, putting up 17 points, nine rebounds, and three 3-pointers. He’ll likely have to play similarly big minutes tonight against the Lakers given the injuries to Frank Kaminsky and Cody Zeller.

Another night of 30-plus minutes should be good news for Williams’ chances of having one more big fantasy night seeing as the Lakers are in the top ten in terms of allowing fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season.

C – Greg Monroe, Phoenix Suns vs San Antonio Spurs

You never quite know which centers the Suns are going to go with on a game-to-game basis, but Greg Monroe’s recent play might have earned him a spot in the rotation going forward. The veteran put up 15 points, seven rebounds, and five assists last time out against the Washington Wizards, the third time in four games he’s reached at least 32 points in FanDuel scoring.

The Spurs are going to rest some of their stars like Pau Gasol on the second night of a back-to-back, so Monroe’s chances of having another solid fantasy night should grow exponentially higher if he has to go up against the likes of Joffrey Lauvergne.

For any feedback you may have regarding our fantasy picks, hit us up at the comments section below!

[zombify_post]