FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Saturday 12/11/21

The NBA scene changes on a week-to-week, day-to-day, and -- depending on injury news -- even a minute-to-minute basis, making every slate a unique one that requires an ever-changing approach.

With so much changing so quickly, we're here with plenty of tools to help you out. We have daily projections, a matchup heat map, a lineup optimizer, and a bunch of other great resources to help give you an edge.

Daily fantasy NBA is very reliant on opportunity, so you'll need to make sure that you're up-to-date with key injuries. Our projections update up until tip-off to reflect current news, and we also have player news updates. The projected numbers referenced below may change throughout the day.

We'll be coming at you with this primer every day, breaking down a few of the day's top plays at each position.

Guards

Zach LaVine, PG/SG, (FanDuel Salary: $9,200) - LaVine is going up against a banged-up Miami Heat squad -- more on them in a second -- that is allowing the eighth-most FanDuel points per game to shooting guards (41.1). The 210.0-point total in this matchup is lacking, but the spread is just 1.0 on a night where there are only three games with a spread of 6.0 or fewer. Prior to a 37.3-point outing last time out, LaVine had put up 47.6, 52.6 and 45.9 FanDuel points in his past three. He leads the Bulls with a 30.1% usage rate over the last four games, and our model projects him for 43.2 FanDuel points.

Kyle Lowry, PG, $6,700 - Miami is going to be without Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler and Markieff Morris. With those three off the floor this season, Lowry owns a 24.5% usage rate while producing 1.02 FanDuel points per minute, according to RotoGrinders CourtIQ. The Chicago Bulls are 9th in pace, so this is a pace-up spot for the Heat, who sit 18th in pace. We project Lowry for 38.5 FanDuel points, which amounts to 5.74 per $1,000.

De'Anthony Melton, PG/SG, $5,800 - The Memphis Grizzlies are still missing Ja Morant, so Melton continues to be a quality mid-range option. With Morant off the floor this season, Melton has totaled a 23.1% usage rate -- a rise of 3.9 percentage points from his year-long mark -- while generating 1.08 FanDuel points per minute. We project Melton to amass 31.6 FanDuel points (5.44 per $1,000) in a dope matchup with the Houston Rockets and rate him as one of the top point-per-dollar picks among guard-only players.

Others to Consider: Stephen Curry ($10,500), De'Aaron Fox ($7,900), Darius Garland ($7,600),

Wings

Tobias Harris, SF/PF, $7,500 - While Harris doesn't rate out as a great point-per-dollar play, small forward is a weak spot on the slate, and he's one of the only guys at the position with a solid ceiling. Harris' outlook is certainly dinged by the return of Joel Embiid, but he did put up 48.2 FanDuel points alongside Embiid three games ago. Our projections have Harris scoring 33.9 FanDuel points tonight at the Golden State Warriors in a game that boasts a 213.0-point total and 3.0-point spread. I'm not sure I'll go here, but I think Harris is the top high-salary small forward.

Jaren Jackson Jr., PF/C, $6,400 - Jackson is one of the elite plays on this slate, and with center being pretty loaded, it's best to use him at power forward. As we just touched on, Memphis is still missing Morant. With the star guard off the court this season, Jackson sports a 30.0% usage rate and averages a sparkling 1.31 FanDuel points per minute. We peg him to score 36.0 FanDuel points (5.63 per $1,000) against Houston.

Caleb Martin, SG/SF, $4,900 - Martin is a great way to take advantage of Miami being sans Bam and Butler. He averages 1.00 FanDuel points per minute without those two on the court this year, and we forecast him to play 34.1 minutes tonight. It's that simple. Our projections have Martin tallying 30.5 FanDuel points (6.22 per $1,000) and rank him as an elite point-per-dollar option.

Others to Consider: Christian Wood ($8,300), Evan Mobley ($7,500), Harrison Barnes ($6,000) Tyler Herro ($6,600)

Bigs

Nikola Jokic, C, $11,200 - We were faced with the dilemma of Embiid or Jokic earlier this week, and we get it again tonight. Both are stellar plays, but I side with Jokic. He's posted 59.6, 65.7 and 56.9 FanDuel points over his last three, and the matchup with the San Antonio Spurs is a great one. Not only are the Spurs surrendering the ninth-most FanDuel points per game to centers (54.2), San Antonio plays at the league's fastest pace. Jokic's 59.6-point showing last time out came against the Spurs, and he blasted them for 67.7 FanDuel points early this campaign. Give me all the Jokic, who we project for 55.3 FanDuel points -- a slate-best mark by 8.9 points.

Jarrett Allen, PF/C, $8,500 - Allen might go a little overlooked on this slate with power forward and center being so strong, but he could go off against the Sacramento Kings in a game with a slate-high 223.0-point total. The Kings are permitting 59.0 FanDuel points per game to centers, the second-most. Sacramento is also 10th in pace -- the Cleveland Cavaliers are a plodding 27th -- while ranking 6th-worst in defensive efficiency. In short, this is a great matchup for Allen, who has gone for 50-plus FanDuel points four times this season. He's one of my favorite plays of the night.

Others to Consider: Joel Embiid ($10,200), Jakob Poeltl ($6,700), Steven Adams ($5,500)