NBA DFS Picks Today (12/6): DraftKings & FanDuel Top Plays, Sleepers
On the heels of some In-Season Tournament action, we’re back to regular season hoops with a classic 11-game Wednesday slate. As you may expect on a slate featuring 22 teams, we’ve got no shortage of injury situations worth monitoring. Portland is popping as a prime source of value early in the day, though we’ll also have to keep an eye on questionable tags for Anthony Edwards, Kyrie Irving, Jordan Poole, Mark Williams, and a few other key players.
Below, you’ll find a few NBA DFS picks that stand out on DraftKings and FanDuel as of the early afternoon hours. If you’re looking for more in-depth analysis, sign up for RG Premium.
Top NBA DFS DraftKings Lineup Optimizer Value
C Duop Reath ($3,200)
I can forgive you if this is the first you’re hearing of Duop Reath. The LSU product went undrafted in 2018 before embarking on an international career that took him through Serbia, Australia, China, and Lebanon before the Blazers signed him to a 1-year deal over the summer. The 6’9” big man has averaged about 14 minutes per game through his first 11 NBA appearances, though there’s a chance he will make his first NBA start tonight. Jerami Grant and Robert Williams are both missing from the Blazers’ frontcourt, while Deandre Ayton is doubtful with a knee injury. Reath, Moses Brown, Ibou Badji, and Jabari Walker are the only other bigs left on the team’s depth chart.
The sample is admittedly limited, but Reath has fared well per minute (0.95) through his first 140 minutes of NBA action. He’s been serving as Ayton’s primary backup since Time Lord went out, which is why we have him projected to start in DA’s place tonight when the Blazers face the Warriors in San Francisco. Portland is a sizable 13-point underdog in this one, but even 24 projected minutes is enough for Reath to project quite well at only $3,200 on DraftKings and $4,000 on FanDuel.
There are ways for this to go south, of course. If Reath doesn’t start, for example, he’s likely to be far more popular than he should be for the role since we’re likely to get that news well after the first games lock. That said, Reath doesn’t have to go nuclear to pay off those punt salaries, which will make him a staple in cash builds unless some better value pops up later in the day.
Top NBA DFS FanDuel Lineup Optimizer Value
C Orlando Robinson ($4,500)
Reath is very playable on FanDuel at his aforementioned $4,000 salary, but he’s not the only cheap center popping in projections. Orlando Robinson is projected to start and play 28 minutes for Miami for just $500 more. Robinson drew the surprise start over Thomas Bryant in the last game with Bam Adebayo out injured, and he wound up with 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists in 29 minutes. Bryant, meanwhile, drew the dreaded DNP-CD.
Robinson has been solid (0.87 FP/min.) since making his NBA debut last season, and he’s clearly still underpriced for that starting role despite a difficult matchup on the road in Toronto. As is the case with Reath, however, I’d try to find a pivot in the event that he doesn’t pick up another start.
Punting center on FD on such a large slate comes with plenty of opportunity cost, but the punts are hard to ignore tonight.
NBA DFS Sleepers
C Alperen Sengun ($8,900 DK/FD)
Centers everywhere! If you’re punting on FD, you’re going to miss out on Alperen Sengun in his first meeting of the season against Chet Holmgren and the Thunder. On DK, however, Alpi pairs nicely with your cheap center of choice.
Sengun has emerged as the focal point of the Rockets’ rebuild, and he’s en route to a possible first-ever All-Star appearance this season. He’s now leading Houston in usage (28%), while he leads all starters in rebound rate (15.6%) and ranks 2nd to Fred VanVleet in assist rate (27.4%). There’s a reason he gets Nikola Jokic comparisons. This season, Sengun is also logging a career-best 32.7 minutes per game.
The matchup against OKC is far from breezy, but we’ve seen Sengun crush in worse spots already this season. He’s grading out as a stellar point-per-dollar value in the $9,000 range, and he’s projected to draw single-digit ownership on both DraftKings and FanDuel.
PG Tyrese Maxey ($9,400 DK, $9,200 FD)
Will Tyrese Maxey be a real sleeper tonight? Time will tell. For now, he grades out as a solid value even up above $9,000 on both sites thanks, in large part, to the Sixers’ matchup. The 76ers will head down to DC for a date with the Wizards. We’ve been picking on Washington’s woeful defense all season long, and I see no reason not to continue.
Maxey, of course, is having a breakout season of his own. With James Harden gone, Maxey is now free to run the offense and play second fiddle to Joel Embiid offensively. Maxey’s usage (26.7%) is a career high, as is his 1.18 FP/min. average. Nick Nurse is also now his coach, which explains why Maxey is leading the league at 38.4 minutes per game.
The Wizards are horrific, ranking 2nd in the league in pace and tied for last with Charlotte in defensive efficiency. Even with Embiid back in the lineup, there’s still a path for Maxey to flash a ceiling in this spot.