NBA DFS Plays Friday December 25
This article aims to highlight some of the best NBA DFS Plays at every position for your cash game lineups. Keep in mind that the following player write-ups were constructed earlier in the day, and sometimes injury/rest situations can alter the fantasy landscape. Monitoring our NBA News & Headlines Feed throughout the day will keep you in the loop while giving you the subsequent DFS consequences of each information piece.
We’ll take a look at Friday’s five-game Christmas slate starting at 12:00 ET.
POINT GUARD
Jrue Holiday – Milwaukee (vs. Golden State) – DK: $7,500 / FD: $7,000 / Yahoo: $29
Christmas NBA is one of, if not the, best things about Christmas in my book. We get five of the best matchups schedulers can predict. When the season starts so close to the holiday, those predictions are better than in a normal year. We just saw Brooklyn blow out the Warriors, while the Bucks played to a high scoring and close loss to the Celtics in their opener. Holiday played 38 minutes in that game, scoring 25 points to go along with his typically full stat sheet. Vegas has the Bucks as big favorites here, and this game carries the highest point total. The Warriors aren’t going to be known for their defense, and are a young team that Holiday can take advantage of. Expect a big game from a reasonable starting salary.
Also Consider: Goran Dragic, Jeff Teague, Luka Doncic, Jamal Murray (tournament)
SHOOTING GUARD
Paul George – LA Clippers (at Denver) – DK: $8,700 / FD: $7,600 / Yahoo: $29
George was mentioned here on opening night as the perfect mid-range guy to build around and he did not disappoint. He scored 33 points in 35 minutes vs. the Lakers and should have a somewhat easier time tonight. George still feels underpriced on FanDuel and Yahoo, given that he is a multi-category contributor with both a high floor and sweet ceiling. This game is expected to stay close, but Vegas has a 224-point total on it, meaning plenty of fantasy potential on both sides.
Also Consider: Khris Middleton, Jimmy Butler, Josh Richardson, Donte DiVincenzo, Dennis Schroder
SMALL FORWARD
Jaylen Brown – Boston (vs. Brooklyn) – DK: $7,000 / FD: $7,500 / Yahoo: $28
Brown was the Celtic to roster Wednesday night, opening his season with 54 fantasy points. It’s a tough ask to expect a repeat performance out of the gate, so don’t consider this pick chasing points. Instead, consider that Brown is a super versatile wing, effective on both sides of the ball, and playing the new-look Nets at home in what should be a close and high-scoring game. All factors point to another 40-plus fantasy point game from Brown.
Also Consider: Michael Porter Jr., Joe Harris, Caris LaVert
POWER FORWARD
Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee (vs. Golden State) – DK: $10,900 / FD: $11,600 / Yahoo: $47
Antetokounmpo opened the season with a fine performance, but his best is yet to come. I can see him getting to the 60-70 fantasy point range in this spotlight game. It’s not a tough matchup, as noted for Holiday above, and should be fast-paced. He’s essentially a lock for a double-double, and should dominate the frontcourt regardless of what Golden State does there. There are only a few players in his salary stratosphere, but I think he’s the one most worth the expenditure.
Also Consider: Kevin Durant, Marquese Chriss
CENTER
Nikola Jokic – Denver (vs. LA Clippers) – DK: $10,100/ FD: $9,700 / Yahoo: $41
Jokic won people a lot of money Wednesday night, so although I don’t love duplicating blurbs, I’m keeping him as my center play of the day. The position isn’t as loaded as it was Wednesday, so his roster percent is going to be far higher than it was on the big slate, but he should remain worth it. His salary went up on DK, but actually dropped a dollar on Yahoo. Go figure. It’s possible to build a solid lineup with both Giannis and Jokic, which is how I recommend starting in cash games.
Also Consider: James Wiseman, Montrezl Harrell
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Jeff Teague (PG – BOS) offers some salary relief on all three sites. Teague did a good job running the offense in Kemba Walker’s absence, totaling 19 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, a block and two steals off the bench. It doesn’t matter whether he starts or (more likely) continues to come off the bench as long as he is able to keep making plays. He’s a nice complement to some of the stars mentioned above.
Dennis Schroder (G – LAL) Schroder was a favorite play of mine Tuesday night, and he paid off handsomely. He looked like a great fit with his new team, and he nearly triple-doubled in his first outing. His salary is also still super low, and he will be in all my Christmas lineups.
Marquese Chriss (PF/C – GSW) played fewer minutes than Eric Paschall, but dramatically outplayed him. In 12 minutes, Chriss posted nine points, eight rebounds and one assist with no turnovers. Now, he’s a risky play, because we don’t know if playing time in the Warriors frontcourt will be awarded according to production, but his salary is low enough that I’m willing to take that chance (as we did with Wiseman Tuesday night). He costs only $4,400 (FD), $4,300 (DK) and $24 (Yahoo), making him a great value on the two main sites, at least.
