NBA DraftKings Tips for 12/31/18
Credit: Troy Taormina/USA Today
I hope you guys are gonna have a blast on the last day of 2018! Yacs is back with another DFS article!!! The year has brought many ups and many downs in the basketball world, but we hope we can help you folks get a little richer by playing a little bit of Daily Fantasy tonight. The two most popular DK games tonight are the $450K Big Jam with a grand prize of $100K, and the $100K Mini New Year Special. The entry fee for these games are $10 and $3.65, respectively. With only 5 games on the featured slate, this is a huge payout and some lucky DFS player will have a great start to 2019 if they happen to win. The Sports Chief is here to give you some guidance for building the ultimate lineup tonight and maybe, just maybe, a huge payday.
Initially I wanted to take a look at which games would provide the highest potential scoring matchups, but many of them look very similar. Teams are starting to get banged up entering the halfway point of the season and tonight seems like a time where you have to have at least one elite player to anchor your lineup. I personally feel like James Harden has to be in your lineup tonight. The Rockets are playing a great defense, but the Rockets are beat up. Harden is looking like a back-to-back MVP and is basically the only scoring threat available for the Rockets. He is $11,400, but worth every penny. A value play in this game is Austin Rivers at $4,900, he will start for Houston and should get about 35 minutes on the floor tonight.
I wanted to see if I could make way for another star in my lineup and I did! Paul George seems like a great play at $9,400. George has been arguably the best player on the Thunder this season and that is saying something. I expect this game to be a high scoring one, but Paul George is on fire. See if you can make way for him in your lineup, because I think he’ll have a great night against an average to below average defense.
There are some games with great potential in DFS output tonight and I think the best game that will provide the most value is the Minnesota and New Orleans matchup. One guy that I really wanted in my lineup was Tyus Jones. He looks like he will get the starting nod tonight with Rose and Teague staying out of action, but I didn’t really have space for him to be in my lineup. I ended up choosing his teammate Andrew Wiggins at $5,900, because I felt like that was a great price for a heavily utilized player, not to mention they’re playing against a Pelicans team that is 5th worst in scoring defense. The next player I chose was a value pick from this game, E’Twaun Moore is sitting at $4,200 and is a great value because the Timberwolves are 2nd worst in the NBA defending the three and Moore is the most efficient long-range shooter on the team. Look for this one to be a high-scoring affair.
The San Antonio and Boston matchup is one that I think will be overlooked tonight. I kinda wanted to stay away from this game, but I didn’t choose pricey players in this one. I already picked George and Harden tonight, so I had to look for value options anywhere that I could. From this game, I went with Bryn Forbes and Davis Bertans for the Spurs. Forbes is priced at $4,200 and is an excellent value. He is the starting PG for the Spurs and has been seeing 30+ minutes on the floor as of late. He is a 3-point threat and is a potential 30 FP player. Bertans gets decent minutes anyway, but look for him to see an increase tonight with Rudy Gay out. He is another long-range scoring threat and could surprise some people tonight at a $3,400 price. Bertans may not draw the start, but look for him to get the majority of the minutes over Dante Cunningham.
The last game of the slate is the Warriors vs. the Suns and will look to be another high-powered scoring game. Obviously, the Warriors are heavily favored in this one, but I didn’t choose any Warriors tonight. I did however, choose two Suns. Deandre Ayton is the guy I went after in this one at a $7,300 price tag. He is starting to find a groove in his debut season and it is showing. He is coming off of possibly his best career game, so I’m riding the hot hand in this scenario. He has showed that he has big game potential and I think he can repeat success in this one against a Golden State team without a great big man, yet. The last player I chose for my lineup is Mikal Bridges at $4,200. That is extremely cheap for a guy that is averaging nearly 27 FPPG in the last 10 days. I’m not expecting a monster night, but I think he will exceed expectations, despite his lower price.
Happy New Year to all of fans of The Sports Chief and I wish you luck heading into 2019!!!
Yacs
My DraftKings Lineup for December 31st, 2018
PG: James Harden $11,400
SG: Mikal Bridges $4,200
SF: Paul George $9,400
PF:Davis Bertans $3,400
C:Deandre Ayton $7,300
F: Andrew Wiggins $5,900
G: E’Twaun Moore $4,200
UTIL: Bryn Forbes $4,200
Total: $50,000
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