FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Tuesday 12/21/21

If you're new to daily fantasy basketball -- maybe you started your DFS journey during the MLB or NFL seasons, or maybe basketball is your sport and this will be your first year giving it a shot -- you're in for a treat. 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 basketball is very reliant on a player's 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, we have player news updates, and the FanDuel Scout app will send push notifications for pressing updates regarding your players.

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

Let's break down today's main slate on FanDuel.

The Slate and Key Injuries

COVID-19 Protocol Update
Due to the advanced number of players in COVID-19 protocols, I want to provide just a manual list of those players moving forward and then discuss the other injury news separately. Only players that significantly impact the slate are listed:

Normal injuries are the largest impactors of this slate.

In addition to being ravaged by COVID-19, the Los Angeles Lakers will now be without star big man, Anthony Davis. Davis will miss several weeks after spraining his MCL on Sunday against Chicago.

The Lakers aren't alone in COVID-19 protocols, and they're not alone in an additional normal injury. The Knicks have several players in protocols, but Derrick Rose would arguably be their most notable absence. Rose is questionable for Tuesday after turning his ankle last Thursday.

The Mavericks have been without Luka Doncic (ankle), but Kristaps Porzingis might join him Tuesday. He's questionable with a toe injury, and his backup, Maxi Kleber, is in COVID-19 protocols. It could be a trouble in Big D.

Tyler Herro is questionable to miss another game with a sore quad for Miami. They'll already be without P.J. Tucker for a good bit with his knee injury suffered on Sunday.

Unfortunately for Portland, Damian Lillard is back on the injury report. He's now got a hamstring issue primarily listed as to why he's questionable on Tuesday.

Guards

Russell Westbrook ($9,800): The top fantasy game of the day is in Los Angeles between the top-paced Lakers and the second-highest-paced Phoenix Suns. With A.D. out now, Westbrook is certainly a viable star option. Westbrook sees a 2.1 percentage-point increase in usage when Davis is off the floor this season, and his rebounding pace improves to 8.05 per 36 minutes. The seven-point spread helps ease some concern that the red-hot Suns blow out the shorthanded Lakers, too.

D'Angelo Russell ($7,900): With Anthony Edwards by far the largest name on the slate in COVID protocols, Russell should take advantage of the extra opportunity. D'Lo sees a modest increase of 0.04 FanDuel points per minute during floor situations without Ant Edwards this season, and that comes on a 1.7 percentage-point increase in usage. He likely won't be popular because of his recent stretch of poor performances, but it's really just cold shooting (35.8% from the floor in December) that could turn around soon.

Wayne Ellington ($3,900): It's just bizarre that Ellington's salary stuck here, and Isaiah Thomas was vaulted to $5,500. Ellington has seen 29 minutes or more in each of the last three games, and he's now starting for Avery Bradley, who, as referenced, is in COVID-19 protocols. At a near-minimum salary, Ellington should see heavy minutes during by far the best game of the day (220.0-point total), and he has an outside shot to make them count. Definitely don't overthink this one.

Others to Consider:
Devin Booker ($7,500): 26 minutes in a blowout of Charlotte. Cautiously optimistic we see him for 30-plus today at a reduced salary.
Jalen Brunson ($7,300): Has 40-FanDuel-point upside as long as Doncic is sitting, but Porzingis would be a huge boost to the offense's efficiency.
Anfernee Simons ($5,000): A must-start value plug if Lillard sits. 30-plus minutes with the skills to take advantage of them.
Duncan Robinson ($4,700): Hate using Duncan in daily fantasy because he's all scoring, but his salary is creeping down as the Miami injury report slowly grows.

Wings

Brandon Ingram ($8,700): Portland and New Orleans don't have the pace marks of the Suns-Lakers game, but their 219.0-point total is right in line. That makes the top New Orleans option -- at the peak of his powers -- a strong choice. Ingram's been on a roll the past week. He's reached 50 FanDuel points in four of his last seven games, and it's because he's been more well-rounded with 10.83 assists plus rebounds per 36 minutes in this stretch. With this newfound floor, he's a solid option in a plus matchup with the Blazers.

Alec Burks ($5,600): Burks should be fine regardless of the status of Derrick Rose. He's played at least 27 minutes in each of his last 10 games -- quite literally the only Knick besides Julius Randle that can make that claim. New York has a quality matchup with Detroit's 110.2 defensive rating (eighth-worst in the NBA), but there have been some rotational traps at times with this team. At the very least, Burks is a well-projected one that appears to not face those issues.

Saddiq Bey ($5,200): Between Jerami Grant and Cade Cunningham, Bey was squeezed out of a major offensive role and turned into a horrendous slump. Now, with Grant sidelined, Bey is back in a massive way; he's scored at least 23 real-life points in three straight games. His 54.3% shooting in that stretch likely won't stick long term, but it doesn't have to pay off this salary considering he's taken at least 13 shots in every game with his new role. His massive floor is a core play at small forward tonight.

Others to Consider:
Caris LeVert ($6,500): He's well-projected chalk every single night, but he does have a 40-point ceiling, so I get it. I'll have FOMO shares.
Malik Beasley ($5,300): Likely to start with solid minutes for Edwards again, and he can detonate the slate scoring the ball.
Mikal Bridges ($4,900): Both he and Jae Crowder are low-salary, high-minute access to the top game. Definitely works.
Hamidou Diallo ($4,500): Saw 30 minutes in his last game, and scored 1.00 FanDuel points per minute last season. An eruption game could be in the cards.

Bigs

Karl-Anthony Towns ($9,900): My only gripe with Towns tonight is his position. Without Edwards, Towns is much closer to the five-digit salary he possessed in previous seasons. He averages 1.44 FanDuel points per minute on a team-best 34.3% usage rate in floor situations without Edwards this season. He's a top-tier stud against a Mavs team that might be without its top two big men, but he does clog the pivot spot, and there are plenty of quality value centers.

Jonas Valanciunas ($7,800): Speaking of quality value centers, Valanciunus is one of them. He's busted 45 FanDuel points six times this season, and averaging 1.24 FanDuel points per minute this season, his floor is tremendous for this salary. Portland is a workable matchup for centers. They allow the 7th-fewest rebounds per game (46.0) to opponents per game, but they also cede the 12th-most points in the paint (46.6). It's probably not best to use JV and Ingram in the same lineup often, though, just because they work into each other's scoring ceilings.

Isaiah Stewart ($5,600): The man whose salary never moves. Stewart's role is solid despite some up-and-down results in the box score since Jerami Grant was injured. Ultimately, his projection is strong because he'll approach 30 minutes in a close game and has double-double potential. He hasn't done well to combine the scoring (six games in double figures this season) with his 11.54 rebounds per 36 minutes on most nights, but that ceiling is always there on a slate that's light on value at big.

Others to Consider:
Julius Randle ($8,800): Over-salaried, but one of the few areas you can attack the Knicks if Rose plays. Tournament play with upside.
Myles Turner ($6,500): Malcolm Brogdon returns for Indiana today, so they're largely over-salaried as well. Turner can still have upside at this number.
Jusuf Nurkic ($6,300): 33 minutes last game, but a dud in the box score. I still want to be here if that workload sticks.
Dwight Powell ($4,200): Likely starts for Dallas if Porzingis sits and will be chalk, but his per-minute FanDuel output (0.74) is hard to covet.