Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone. Hopefully, on this Christmas Day schedule, my daily fantasy advice will be a great present to help you win in this limited slate! Let’s examine our five-game slate and see where there are favorable matchups and where we can find some value players.
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Guards
James Harden (HOU): $11,600 @ GSW
Harden is facing the Warriors tonight who ranked 24th in defensive rating in the NBA. The Warriors also give up the second-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards. Harden over his last 6 games has averaged 62 fantasy points. Against the Warriors, he should easily exceed that number and give you closer to 70 fantasy points. Harden is someone you should feel taking comfortably and he maybe even put up another one of his 50 point triple-doubles as a present for all his fans.
Jamal Murray (DEN): $7,100 vs. NOP
Over his last six games, Murray has averaged 35.9 fantasy points. He faces off against the Pelicans who give up the second-most fantasy points to opposing point guards. The Pelicans also rank 27th overall in defensive rating in the NBA. These factors indicate a big game is coming for him against a decidedly weak Pelicans team. Murray should easily get you close to 50 fantasy points against the Pelicans.
Alec Burks (GSW): $5,600 vs. HOU
Over his last five games, Burks has averaged 35.7 fantasy points. He faces off against the Rockets who give up the third-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards. The Rockets rank 16th in the NBA in defensive rating. Burks has been performing well over his last couple of games and shouldn’t be a pause for concern in this one. Burks should easily get you 36 fantasy points against the Rockets.
George Hill (MIL): $4,900 @ PHI
Hill is a true value play but has been getting significant minutes with Eric Bledsoe out due to injury. Over his last six games, Hill has averaged 22.5 minutes and provided 24.5 fantasy points. The 76ers are one of the best defensive units in the NBA, but their bench depth is lacking and that could mean Hill could provide solid numbers coming off the bench. Look for Hill to give you around 26 fantasy points in this contest.
Forwards
Kawhi Leonard (LAC): $8,700 @ LAL
Over his last five games, Leonard has averaged 46.1 fantasy points. He faces off against the Lakers in the biggest game of the day. He will definitely bring his A-game for this one and with a hobbled Lebron James it should make life easier for him. You can expect him to give you close to 55 fantasy points in the battle for L.A. on Christmas night.
Jayson Tatum (BOS): $7,800 @ TOR
Over his last five games, Tatum has averaged 41.1 fantasy points. He faces off against the Raptors who give up the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards. The Raptors are also without Pascal Siakam, one of their best defenders. Tatum should have a field day again just like he did against the Horne
Kris Dunn (CHI): $5,000 @ WAS
Dunn is eligible for the forward position and over his last five games has averaged 21 fantasy points. He faces the Wizards who rank last in defensive rating and allow the second-most fantasy points to their opponents. Dunn has had a few games where he can easily get hot and give you close to 30 fantasy points. Look for Tatum to get you close to 55 fantasy points in this one.
Draymond Green (GSW): $6,100 vs. HOU
Over his last five games, Green has averaged 32.2 fantasy points. He faces the Rockets who give up the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards. Green is capable of putting up a nice triple-double in this one and getting you close to 50 fantasy points. The worst-case scenario is that he’s giving you enough assists and rebounds to get you close to 35 fantasy points.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (TOR): $5,300 vs. BOS
Hollis-Jefferson has played admirably over his last two games taking up the minutes void left by Pascal Siakam. In those two games, he has put up an average of 34 fantasy points. I think he will again put up similar numbers against the Celtics, who are a stout defensive team but that can translate to a lot of rebounds for Hollis-Jefferson. Look for him to again get you close to 35 fantasy points against the Celtics.
Centers
Nikola Jokic (DEN): $9,400 vs. NOP
Over his last six games, Jokic has averaged 54.5 fantasy points. He faces off against the Pelicans who give up the 12th-most fantasy points to opposing centers. The Pelicans also rank 27th in defensive rating in the NBA. Jokic should absolutely eat up the Pelicans and should easily feast and give you over 70 fantasy points. If Harden feels a bit to over-priced for your taste, then you should absolutely lock into Jokic as your high-value player.
Montrezl Harrell (LAC ): $5,500 @ LAL
Over his last six games, Harrell has averaged 31.9 fantasy points. His price point is a bit low, but his matchup is tough against the Lakers. Harrell, however, should continue to thrive off the bench where the Lakers have limited playmakers. Look for him to easily give you 32 fantasy points against the Lakers.
Dwight Howard (LAL): $4,100 @ POR
Howard is a true value play, over his last five games he has averaged 17.5 fantasy points. The Lakers face the Clippers who have given up the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing centers. The Lakers are also a bit hobbled with injuries to their star players LeBron James and Anthony Davis that should mean Howard see over 20 minutes in this game. When he played over 20 minutes a game, Howard was to put up 30 fantasy points. Look for him to again get you close to 30 fantasy points in the Battle of L.A.
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Sulman Haque is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Sulman, check out his archive and follow him @HaqueYouToo.