NBA DFS Risers Playbook for Draftkings and FanDuel 12-31

Welcome to the NBA DFS Risers Playbook for DraftKings and Fanduel! Every morning we will highlight standout Vegas total, pace up spots, notable injury news, and how I would attack the slate given the information we have in the morning. We have a 5 game slate so grab a cup of coffee and let’s get into it!

NBA Coach Scrosby with another huge Single Entry day using his Building Block!

Notable Vegas Totals

Sacramento Kings @ Houston Rockets O/U  229.5- This game is easily the highest total on the slate which leads me to believe it will be the most popular game among the public. The reinforcements are coming for Houston as they are getting John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and Eric Gordon back from the covid-19 list in this one. I would watch out for any news regarding minute limits for these guys but, Houston is certainly much deeper than they were before. James Harden still has the ceiling to break any slate and Christian Wood continues to be priced in the mid-range

It’s business as usual for the Kings as they have everyone healthy for this matchup. Pricing on both DraftKings and FanDuel is favorable for the Kings with De’Aaron Fox being the only King above 7k. I feel like we will see some value plays from the Kings in my first look. Richaun Holmes stands out to me in my first look.

Philadelphia 76ers @ Orlando Magic O/U 218.5- The 76ers get a favorable matchup against a Magic team that they should beat on a regular basis. As always, Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Tobias Harris are firmly in play. It is with noting that Embiid is a game-time decision with a back injury. If he is out, Dwight Howard becomes a great value play. Seth Curry has been seeing 30 minutes in competitive games and could become a value play if he gets hot from deep. I expect Philly to have their way with the Magic today.

The Magic will run the same rotation that they have for the beginning of the season. Nikola Vucevic and Markelle Fultz stand out as high floor targets that could be viable in a cash game scenario. Vucevic gets a big bump id Embiid ends up sitting this one out. Evan Fournier and Terrance Ross are in play for me but, they are GPP only targets. Their floors are way too low for a cash game lineup in my opinion.

Pace Up Spots

Philadelphia 76ers- As if this matchup couldn’t get any better for Philly. Orlando currently ranks top 5 in pace for the season and Philly will benefit from extra opportunities. This is my favorite game in my early look and I will be all over Joel Embiid if he is active today.

New York Knicks- The Kicks fave a Toronto team that ranks top 10 in pace to start the season. The Knicks have been carried by Julius Randle to start the season and I expect them to lean on him again in this one. R.J. Barrett and Elfrid Payton will be volatile targets but, the odds are the Randle won’t get a triple-double every time out. He will need some help from the supporting cast.

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Key Injury News

Joel Embiid- Embiid is the big injury news of the day. If he is out, Dwight Howard becomes a tremendous value play and I will give a bump to Nikola Vucevic.

Alec Burks- Burks doesn’t seem like key injury news but, he was playing over 30 minutes off the bench before his ankle injury. If he is out, this gives more opportunities to R.J. Barrett and Elfrid Payton as the Knicks are shorthanded going into this matchup against Toronto.

Early Targets

Joel Embiid- Embiid is my early look stud of the day. The Magic are running the floor, Embiid has taken at least 17 shots over his last 3 games, and he is priced as a pivot off of James Harden. I like the matchup and the possibility of a unique roster construction if Embiid is low owned today.

Zion Williamson- Big bounce-back spot for Zion. He gets a slight price decrease on both sites and a much better matchup against a weak Oklahoma City frontcourt. I highly doubt Zion will only get 2 rebounds in this one as he did against Phoenix.

De’Aaron Fox- Fox is in the game with the highest total and he is reasonably priced. Fox will be the engine that makes this Kings team go and I expect him to produce at a high level if Sacramento keeps this one competitive. He is under $8k on both sites.

Eric Bledsoe- My early value play of the day is Eric Bledsoe. I know he has had 3 bad games in a row but, he is playing over 30 minutes per game in competitive games and is tossing up double-digit field goal attempts. I’ll gladly go back to Bledsoe in this spot.

These are my EARLY targets. If you want targets from our NBA coaches closer to lock, check out NBA Building Blocks!