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FanDuel NBA: Best Picks, Lineup For Dec. 30

By Michael Yaffe

Dec 10, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) and Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) attempt to get a rebound during the second quarter at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 10, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) and Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) attempt to get a rebound during the second quarter at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /
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Read on for the top four picks at each position and a sample lineup for Wednesday’s FanDuel NBA games.

Dec 27, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum (3) pushes the ball up the court against Sacramento Kings guard Seth Curry (30) during the second quarter at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 27, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum (3) pushes the ball up the court against Sacramento Kings guard Seth Curry (30) during the second quarter at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports /

Of the 10 teams that played on Tuesday, the Denver Nuggets are the only one that is also in action Wednesday night, and their matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers will be their second consecutive game and their fourth in five nights. Accordingly, all DFS-worthy Portlanders get a huge boost in viability this evening, especially since Denver is a weak defensive team in general.

The down side is that the Trail Blazers don’t have many standout options beyond their usual starting guards. To that effect, Damian Lillard could return after a four-game absence due to plantar fasciitis, but with this being his first game back, investing $9,000 in him could be a dicey proposition.

Fortunately, his backcourt mate, C.J. McCollum, just erupted with a 69.7 fantasy point night at Sacramento, and in the process he stated his case that he’s more than just Robin to Lillard’s Batman.

Related Story: NBA: Top 10 Candidates For 2015-16 Sixth Man of the Year

From the remaining scrapheap, Allen Crabbe has been a serviceable punt play as the next man up in Lillard’s stead, but outside of Swiss army knife Al-Farouq Aminu (more on him later) there’s not a whole lot to like after that.

Coach Terry Stotts probably won’t get many accolades since the team has a losing record, but he has actually done a respectable job with a squad that was supposed to be closer to the bottom of the conference than ninth place (through Monday’s games).

Outside of C.J. McCollum ($8,200), here are some other building blocks for your consideration:

Rajon Rondo ($7,800) and DeMarcus Cousins ($9,800), Sacramento Kings vs. Philadelphia 76ers: In the ultimate contrast, the Kings welcome the league’s worst team to Sleep Train Arena after losing to the defending champs on Monday night.

The combustible duo of Rondo and Cousins produced a two-egg omelet in Oakland but fortunately the scheduling reprieve comes in the form of a Sixers team that is fifth-worst in their last five games against opposing point guards and third-worst overall vs. centers on FanDuel NBA.

At the time of this writing, it remains to be seen whether Cousins will be suspended for Wednesday evening’s game after his ejection on Monday night, but Rondo should merit consideration either way.

Isaiah Thomas, Boston Celtics ($8,100) vs. Los Angeles Lakers: Starting opposing point guards vs. the Lakers is about as close to a sure thing as there is on FanDuel NBA these days. For their previous game, Kemba Walker was my top rated point guard on Monday, and he made me look like Nostradamus with a 60.7 fantasy point eruption.

As a result, Thomas becomes a lock for Wednesday’s top four list.

As a member of both the Phoenix Suns and the Celtics last season, the Pizza Guy averaged 21.0 points per game in five total meetings with the Lakers last season, which was well ahead of his 15.2 points per game with Phoenix and just better than his 20.7 points per game as a Celtic, so he should be primed for another dynamic performance tonight.

Former starting PG Marcus Smart did return for 13 minutes in Monday night’s victory over the New York Knicks, and even though he is supposed to receive an uptick Wednesday night it looks like Thomas will continue to get the lion’s share of court time for now.

Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs ($8,800) vs. Phoenix Suns: It’s been a while since the Claw has been singled out as a building block option, but it’s easy to forget about him when he shares the same classification as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant, the New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony and the Indiana Pacers’ Paul George (who dominated early headlines despite his recent swoon).

The Spurs are a deep team that relies more on defense and intermittent contributions from newcomer LaMarcus Aldridge and their aging core of holdovers, but Leonard has been the one constant through it all, averaging 40.7 FPPG over his last five contests.

Wednesday night, he gets a Phoenix team that lost their best player, has shaken up their assistant coaching staff and is sixth-worst overall against 3s on FanDuel NBA. Leonard enjoyed a 24-point, 13-rebound night in the earlier meeting this season, so a repeat performance (or better) is certainly feasible while the Suns are circling the wagons.

There is talk of the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry missing the next couple of games (including Wednesday night’s meeting with the Dallas Mavericks) so he should probably be faded for now. If Curry sits, then backup Shaun Livingston becomes fantasy relevant at $3,600.

Next: Top Four Point Guards