FanDuel NBA: Best Picks, Lineup For Dec. 8

Here are the top four picks at each position and a sample lineup for Tuesday’s FanDuel NBA games.

There are a number of elite players in action Tuesday night, considering there are only six contests on the docket. What’s even more surprising is that none of them will be on the back end of a two-game set, given that there were 18 teams playing on Monday.

For the opening piece we’ll examine the credentials of Tuesday night’s fantasy studs to determine if they are truly worthy of top dollar in consideration for your FanDuel NBA lineup. Feel free to skip ahead to the top four lists if detailed analysis is not your cup of Joe.

Stephen Curry, Golden State ($10,900) vs. Indiana: The NBA’s golden child pays his lone visit to Bankers Life Fieldhouse for what should be an up-tempo contest (211.5 o/u, which is highest on the board). The Chef’s reverse splits are in play here, as his stellar 34.8 PPG on the road (as opposed to 29.8 PPG at Oracle Arena) is a huge selling point.

ALSO ON HOOPSHABIT: 50 Greatest NBA Players of the 1970s

The Pacers are third-stingiest overall against opposing point guards on FanDuel, but they have slipped to middle of the pack over their past five contests, which could be a harbinger of continued regression. That said, Curry is basically matchup-proof so the overarching concern (as usual) is how much he will be utilized over the course of the game.

The recent victory over Brooklyn added another layer of confusion to forecasting Curry’s performances. The game was tight until the fourth quarter and Curry played for 32 minutes, but the Warriors’ success that night came from a balanced attack of Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, who all scored in the 20s to maintain their pristine record.

So the notion of “as Curry goes, so go the Warriors” is questionable at best. He is without a doubt an elite player, but the team clearly isn’t reliant on his effort night in and night out in order to be successful, which is great for the franchise, but predicting whether Curry will return value on a given night is almost like throwing darts.

James Harden, Houston Rockets ($10,800), vs. Brooklyn: On paper this should be a no-brainer, with the Beard as the top shooting guard of the day. While Harden was just OK in the Nets’ upset of the Rockets earlier this season, that home loss was the beginning of the end of Kevin McHale’s tenure as coach.

Despite his continued inaccuracy from behind the arc (30.4 percent overall vs. 37.5 percent last season), Harden has picked up his game in general under J.B. Bickerstaff’s watch, as he hasn’t fallen below 43 fantasy points in his past eight games.

Since the Nets are third worst overall on FanDuel against opposing 2-guards, the opportunity is there for the Rockets to exact their revenge on the salary cap-strapped Nets tonight, with Harden as the catalyst.

Russell Westbrook ($10,900) and Kevin Durant ($10,100), Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Memphis: Although Westbrook’s ceiling lacks the stratospheric potential with Durant in the lineup, Sunday’s 50.2 fantasy point performance against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday indicates that he can still return value in the right matchup with the Thunder at full strength, although this might not be one of those nights because the Grizzlies are in the bottom third versus point guards on FanDuel over their last 10 games.

In addition, Memphis is tougher defensively at home (98.8 PPG allowed vs. 100.4 elsewhere) and they prefer to slow the game to a crawl when possible (23rd in pace factor), so even if Westbrook does overcome the Grizzlies’ relative strength vs. PGs (which is possible for him), the reduced number of offensive possessions could also be a mitigating factor.

Despite the restrictive game flow, the Grizzlies have been the most generous team to opposing small forwards over their last five games, so if Westbrook chooses to feed Durant rather than force his will on the opponent it could mean a big game for the former Longhorn Tuesday night.

KD’s ceiling could still be mitigated somewhat due to the aforementioned factors, so he falls between Paul George and LeBron James among small forwards as a result.

LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers ($10,200), vs. Portland: As discussed in previous columns, the days of LBJ’s monster games are becoming fewer and further between, but his high floor still makes him attractive. In general, the Trail Blazers are bottom third in terms of points allowed (102.2) and 24th in Defensive Rating (106.1).

Despite their mediocrity as a group, the Trail Blazers defend small forwards well, as they are actually third stingiest on FanDuel against the position over their last five games.

You’d think James would be a rule breaker for that sort of trend, but he only managed 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting in 35 minutes in his lone appearance vs. Portland last season, so that dud combined with the Trail Blazers’ recent success in stifling 3s could be enough of an argument to take your business elsewhere tonight.

Paul George, Indiana Pacers ($10,100), vs. Golden State: Seeing the Warriors as the scheduled opponent is generally enough to make one eschew the opposing team, unless you’re hoping for garbage time scoring if/when the game gets out of hand.

Having said that, George has been tremendous this season and the Warriors have been vulnerable against small forwards (fourth-worst on FanDuel over their past five games) during the continued absence of Harrison Barnes.

While George could see time at the stretch-4 against Draymond Green (who is tough vs. PFs), C.J. Miles has been the sacrificial lamb in that regard lately in order to free up PG-13 to maximize his contributions on offense from his natural small forward position.

As a result, George could potentially return value given the advantage versus the Warriors sans Barnes, but if the game gets out of hand we could end up seeing the likes of Lavoy Allen and Rodney Stuckey closing things out from the Pacers’ side.

Next: Top Four Point Guards