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FanDuel NBA: Best Picks, Lineup For Jan. 2

By Michael Yaffe

December 25, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) controls the ball against Los Angeles Lakers during the second half of an NBA basketball game on Christmas at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
December 25, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) controls the ball against Los Angeles Lakers during the second half of an NBA basketball game on Christmas at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Playing FanDuel NBA on Jan. 2? Here are the top four picks by position as well as a lineup suggestion.

Dec 28, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) high fives guard Stephen Curry (30) against the Sacramento Kings during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 28, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) high fives guard Stephen Curry (30) against the Sacramento Kings during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

Despite the relatively abbreviated New Year’s Day slate, both the Dallas Mavericks and the Philadelphia 76ers will be playing their second consecutive game and third in four nights.

While the fatigue factor may not be as evident as in a squad that is on their fourth game in five nights (for which we’ll reserve the “tired team” designation going forward), it’s something to keep in mind before feeling compelled to go back to the well with the Sixers’ Ish Smith (who’s facing a tough task vs. the L.A. Clippers’ Chris Paul regardless) or the Mavericks’ home-court phenom Zaza Pachulia (who actually does have a favorable matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans).

With those factors in mind, here are tonight’s building blocks for your consideration:

Related Story: NBA: The Big Question Facing Every Team In 2015-16

Chris Paul ($8,900) and DeAndre Jordan ($7,800), L.A. Clippers vs. Philadelphia 76ers: Despite Friday night’s loss to the L.A. Lakers, the fact that the Sixers actually won two of their last four games could legitimately be considered a belated Christmas miracle.

But let’s not get too carried away. For all intents and purposes, these are essentially the same 76ers that had lost 12 consecutive games prior to making bookies rich beyond their wildest dreams over the holiday break.

In addition, those two victories came against a Phoenix Suns team that’s in shambles and a combustible Sacramento Kings bunch that is disgracefully last in the league in points allowed (107.3 PPG).

Even without Blake Griffin, the Clippers are still substantially better than Phoenix (especially without Eric Bledsoe) and at least a notch or two above the underachieving Kings, so it stands to reason that both Paul and Jordan should receive upgrades against a 76ers team that is in the bottom third against both point guards and centers over their past five games.

Philly’s relatively improved offensive play with Smith at QB has been a nice story, but this is one of those nights where it would be prudent to look the opposite way instead.

Stephen Curry ($11,000) and Draymond Green ($9,400), Golden State Warriors vs. Denver Nuggets: After watching his short-handed team get drilled by the Mavs then barely survive the Houston Rockets, Chef Curry has to be chomping at the bit to get out of the sensory deprivation tank and back on the floor to reassert the team’s dominance over the league.

If this is the game for which Curry returns, he couldn’t have asked for a much better opponent than a Nuggets team that is fifth-most generous to his position overall.

In typical Curry fashion, he has one explosive game (34 points, seven boards, 10 assists) and one letdown (19 points, seven dimes) in the two meetings with Denver this season; however it seems like he would be more compelled to make a statement that he’s still capable of MVP-caliber performances than to allow the team to handle him with kid gloves in his first game back from a brief hiatus.

While Green bounced back against Houston after laying an egg in Big D, the level of risk associated with deploying him at his near-elite cost plummets with Curry running the show.

Although Denver is just as inept against power forwards (fifth-worst overall) as they are against point guards, Donkey’s ability to return value is most likely optimized when his point guard is the focal point of the opponent’s game plan, so this mini-stack is more of a package deal than the aforementioned Clippers tandem.

Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs ($8,600) vs. Houston Rockets: Despite combining for just 172 points on Christmas Day, Leonard still managed a full stat line of 20 points, eight boards, four dimes, five steals, and three blocks en route to a 50.6 fantasy point performance in the in-state rivals’ initial clash this season.

The Rockets are third-worst overall vs. small forwards on FanDuel NBA, so Leonard’s big game was far from an aberration, and chances are he should come close to that total again in Saturday night’s rematch.

Leonard’s Player Impact Estimate (PIE) of 18 percent is a good indicator of his value to the Spurs, considering the level of talent that surrounds him.

Among players with more than 29 games under their belts, the Claw is truly in elite company when you consider that places him just behind the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James (18.7 percent) and ahead of the Rockets’ James Harden (16.6 percent).

The fact that Leonard leads Harden in PIE may come as a bit of a surprise since both LBJ and the Beard are typically thought of as MVP-caliber athletes who carry the team on their back through difficult stretches. Maybe it’s time for Leonard to be part of that conversation as well if the advanced statistics continue to favor his relative contribution.

That said, while Leonard’s under the radar (in the relative sense) his price makes for a lower risk investment that could allow you to pair him with one of the $10K-plus players that’s also in action tonight.

Next: Top Four Point Guards