FanDuel NBA Lineup Advice: Wednesday (12/19)

There are a whopping 24-of-30 teams playing in Wednesday’s main slate, so you have almost the whole league to choose from. Below are recommendations for players whose matchups and recent play should have them generating good fantasy totals. As per last week, to keep the picks balanced and provide range of prices, the total salary needs to come in under the FanDuel $60k budget; this week squeaks in with $1,100 remaining.

Check out today’s NBA Shot from FanDuel

Point Guard

Kyrie Irving (BOS): $9,000 vs. PHO
Kyrie has averaged 48 FPTS over his last three games, and on Wednesday gets to play against one of the league’s worst defenses. The last time he faced the Suns, he accumulated 65 FPTS. Past is not necessarily prologue, but that’s a noteworthy number.

Spencer Dinwiddie (BKN): $7,100 @ CHI
Point guards have fared well against the Bulls. Russell Westbrook, obviously, but also Orlando’s D.J. Augustin and Jerian Grant, to name a couple more. Each had their highest fantasy total of the month against the Bulls. Dinwiddie is certainly capable of continuing that trend, and his consistency makes him a safe play regardless, as he’s seen double-digit points in all games but one and is seeing around 30 minutes in each.

Shooting Guard

Marcus Smart (BOS): $5,200 vs. PHO
Smart has played well in his move to a starting role and will continue in that capacity as a result. He’s a good source of steals, and while his points rarely reach double-digits, they have done in two of his last three games, and could do so again against the porous Suns.

Andrew Wiggins (MIN): $6,000 vs. DET
Wiggins has been a solid option in December and has seen 30+ minutes in all games but one. This month he has averaged 19.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.6 blocks and 0.7 steals. Collectively, this averages out to 30 FPTS a night, and he should be good for that on Wednesday.

Small Forward

Paul George (OKC): $9,400 @ SAC
George has led the Thunder in points for five straight games. He has averaged 29 points over that five-game span, shooting 53.9 percent from the field and 52.6 percent on trebles. This is significantly better than his season averages of 24.9 points, 44.2 percent and 37.8 percent. George’s improved efficiency will only help his fantasy totals and he can be played with confidence.

Nemanja Bjelica (SAC): $5,800 vs. OKC
With Marvin Bagley out, Bjelica will take on an increased role, and is currently in the middle of a surge of career highs. Throw out Monday’s game, in which several Kings players were pulled after only a few minutes due to the game getting out-of-reach early. Bjelica has emerged as an important component for the Kings and will look to continue his solid December run.

Power Forward

Larry Nance Jr. (CLE): $7,000 @ CHA
Cleveland has been without Kevin Love (toe), Tristan Thompson (foot) and John Henson (wrist), during which time Nance has benefited. During his last four games, he has double-doubled twice, and totaled 43+ FPTS on three occasions. Nance is capable of putting up stats across the board, which gives him a solid floor to go with his upside.

Jonas Jerebko (GS): $3,900 @ UTA
Jerebko have averaged 25.5 minutes over his last four games and is proving to be a capable option off the bench. With Damian Jones out, Jerebko is in line to see a nice chunk of playing time. He’s available as a good bargain-play, should the need arise.

Center

Cody Zeller (CHA): $5,500 vs. CLE
If you’ve spent your money elsewhere and are in need of a low-cost choice at center, consider Zeller. He has averaged 33.7 FPTS over his last four games, and has enough potential upside to warrant the decision to put him into lineups over more pricey options. Against a lacking Cleveland defense, Zeller could provide a nice return.