DraftKings NBA daily fantasy: 3 sleepers for Dec. 4

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DraftKings Daily fantasy isn’t all about picking star players. It’s also about picking up bargain players who will give your team that extra edge.

Regular players in DraftKings daily fantasy will tell you that the first thing you do when making a team is to identify cheaper players who will outperform their usual numbers. A lot of the time this comes from injuries or bad matchups or players resting.

Being able to identify which players are going to play well for a low price is what separates the pros from the amateurs. While I didn’t use him in this article, I like Kenneth Faried tonight because of the Nikola Jokic and Paul Millsap injuries. He’s always been a high energy player and should give the Dallas Mavericks some problems. This is an example of a daily sleeper because of injury, but they also come because of matchups.

For instance, I also really like J.J. Redick as a sleeper tonight going against the worst defensive team in the league in the Phoenix Suns. Redick has shot well of late and should be able to play better than usual. Check the next slide to see some other sleeper for the night of Dec. 4.

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Lauri Markkanen ($6,100)

Lauri Markkanen has been a silver lining in an otherwise bleak Chicago Bulls season. The team drafted a player who might perfectly fit the current NBA regime. He’s a seven-foot center who chucks a crazy amount of 3s and blocks shots. Is he a good rim protector? The chances are low on that, but his sheer length allows him to get a block here or there (regardless of why, that’s perfectly amiable for daily fantasy players).

Markkanen is attempting an astounding seven 3-pointers per game. Just for reference, Kristaps Porzingis averaged 3.4 attempts per game his rookie year, and J.J. Reddick isn’t even averaging that many this year! It really is a crazy high number, giving him the chance to go off offensively at any given moment. It’s clear the Bulls have accepted their fate this season are have given the keys to their young talent to develop further.

On top of all of that, Markkanen is going against the Cleveland Cavaliers who, despite their better defense of late, are still bottom seven in opponent 3-point percentage. Combine that with Markkanen’s high shooting rate and you’ve got a perfect daily fantasy sleeper.

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Miles Plumlee ($3,400)

That’s right, Miles Plumlee makes his debut on the fantasy sleeper articles. I mentioned up top that sometimes the best sleepers are ones who are prompted by injury, and Miles Plumlee couldn’t be more prompted by injury.

In a crazy unlucky turn of events, the Atlanta Hawks’ center depth chart has been desolated more than Smaug. John Collins, Dewayne Dedmon AND Mike Muscala are all out Monday night against the Brooklyn Nets making Miles Plumlee the starter.

Plumlee is coming in at a DraftKings salary of $3,400, one of the cheapest salaries you can have in daily fantasy. In his first game with extended minutes, Plumlee got seven points and six boards in just 19 minutes. Plumlee will see his minutes increase even more tonight giving him a chance to be well worth his small salary. Not to mention the Brooklyn Nets still have one of the four worst defensive ratings in the league at the moment. Plumlee is a home run for overperforming.

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Enes Kanter ($6,200)

Like the Hawks, the New York Knicks have hit a bit of a snag with injuries lately. The team has seen the likes of Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Frank Ntilikina out with injuries over the past couple of weeks.

The Knicks will still be without Hardaway and Porzingis on Monday, meaning their offense will come from other places. The one player who has stepped up in a big way in their absences is Enes Kanter.

Kanter, over his last two games with a bigger offensive role has averaged 20 points and 15 rebounds. Those are incredible numbers, well over his season averages. All season Kanter has shot an incredibly impressive field goal percentage, shooting 64.1 percent on the year so far.

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Kanter also has a favorable matchup against the Indiana Pacers, who are bottom-four in opponent field goal percentage and bottom-10 in both offensive and defensive rebounding. This matchup has a huge Enes Kanter feast written all over it. The Knicks desperately need to get back to their winning ways, and getting a couple of wins with their stars out would be a good look.