FanDuel NBA Daily: Fantasy basketball lineup for December 21
As Ben Simmons prepares for his 30th career game, he has become one of the most reliable options in FanDuel NBA fantasy basketball leagues.
Typically rookies don’t elevate to a valuation of $10,000 in FanDuel NBA leagues, but Ben Simmons has become one of the most dynamic performers in the entire league.
Despite his severe limitations shooting the ball — Simmons has attempted 411 shots in his career, but has yet to connect once from beyond the 3-point arc — the 21-year-old has averaged 44.9 fantasy points a game in FanDuel NBA tournament play.
In each of his last three games, Simmons fell just shy of a triple-double, posting nine rebounds against the Thunder last Friday, then dishing out nine assists in his next two games in Chicago and at home against the Sacramento Kings.
Even though the Chicago Bulls managed a 117-115 victory, Simmons was dominant on both ends of the floor, scoring 19 points and setting a career-high with four rejections.
The four-block effort was enough to join Victor Oladipo and Giannis Antetokounmpo as the only players in the league to register at least 50 steals and 25 blocks this year.
Even though nearly 75 percent of his shot attempts come within 10 feet of the rim, Simmons has been the most dynamic offensive threat for the Philadelphia 76ers, averaging 17.2 points, 9.1 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game.
That impressive statistical line places Simmons in elite company, as the only player to close out their debut season with averages of at least 15 points, 7.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 2.0 steals a night was Lakers legend Magic Johnson.
Simmons is on pace to become just the 18th rookie in league history to average over 7.5 assists per game and he has dished out seven or more assists in each of his last eight games.
Thursday night, Simmons and the 76ers are slated to face the Toronto Raptors for the second time this season. When the two teams met in just the third professional appearance for Simmons, he submitted an 18-point, 10-rebound, eight-assist effort, enough for 39 FanDuel NBA tournament points.
Leaving Simmons off any FanDuel NBA roster is proving to be a difficult task.