Bucks forward Khris Middleton is expected to make his return to the NBA DFS player pool on Friday after offseason surgeries on both of his ankles, but would it be a wise NBA DFS strategy for daily Fantasy basketball players to use him in NBA DFS lineups right away? Middleton has averaged 15.1 points in each of the last two years after three straight seasons of averaging more than 20 ppg. AJ Green, a second-year undrafted guard, has been averaging 8.2 points over 20.6 minutes per game, but his playing time could decrease with Middleton back, and his value could fall for NBA DFS lineups.
Middleton would be returning against the Celtics, who could be without their top player. Jayson Tatum (knee) missed Wednesday's game and is questionable for Friday, while Jaylen Brown had 28 points and nine assists without Tatum. Should Brown become a top option for your NBA DFS strategy if Tatum is out again? Before making any NBA DFS picks, be sure to check out the NBA DFS advice, player rankings, stacks, and top daily Fantasy basketball picks from SportsLine's Mike McClure.
McClure is a DFS professional with more than $2 million in career winnings. He's also a predictive data engineer at SportsLine who uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every minute of every game 10,000 times, taking factors like matchups, statistical trends and injuries into account. This allows him to find the best NBA DFS values on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel and create optimal lineups that he shares only over at SportsLine. They're a must-see for any NBA DFS player.
On Wednesday, McClure highlighted Pacers power forward Pascal Siakam as one of his top NBA DFS picks from the NBA DFS player pool on both sites. The result: Siakam had 14 points, six rebounds, a block and a steal, returning 25.5 points on DraftKings and 26.2 points on FanDuel. Anybody who included him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.
McClure has turned his attention to NBA action on Friday and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.
Top NBA DFS picks Friday, December 6
For Friday, one of McClure's top NBA DFS picks is Lakers point guard D'Angelo Russell, who is listed at $5,400 on DraftKings and $6,300 on FanDuel. LeBron James (foot) is questionable, and if he can't play or is limited, that gives Russell an expanded role in creating and finishing offense. Russell is averaging 16.4 points and 4.2 assists over his last five games, and that's with James in the lineup, so his productivity could dramatically increase if James is out. Russell has played at least 30 minutes in back-to-back games for the first time since the beginning of November.
The Lakers play the Hawks, who are allowing 118.4 ppg, which ranks 27th in the league. Atlanta ranks last in 3-point defense (38.3% made), and Russell has made nine 3-pointers over his last three games. Russell shot 41.5% on 3-pointers last year as this is a strong matchup for him whether James is in or out of the lineup.
Another part of McClure's optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Timberwolves power forward Julius Randle ($7,300 on DraftKings and $7,200 on FanDuel). Randle had 20 points, four rebounds and four assists over just 26 minutes in a 106-80 victory over the Clippers on Wednesday. The 30-year-old should be rested after playing fewer minutes in back-to-back lopsided victories, which could lead to increased usage on Friday for the veteran who is averaging 21 points per game this season.
Minnesota plays the Warriors, who had a five-game losing streak before defeating the Rockets on Thursday. Golden State allowed 113.8 ppg during that losing skid as the Timberwolves enter on a three-game winning streak. Randle's had a double-double in two of his last three games against the Warriors, all coming when he played for the Knicks, but his size and physicality can create matchup issues for Golden State on Friday. See McClure's other NBA DFS picks right here.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Friday, December 6
McClure is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Friday because of a dream matchup. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.
Who is DFS pro Mike McClure putting in his optimal NBA DFS lineups for Friday? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NBA DFS picks, rankings, advice, and stacks, all from a professional DFS player who has over $2 million in career winnings, and find out.
