DraftKings DFS NBA Advice: Sunday (12/27)

The 2020-21 NBA season is roaring into gear, and we’ve got an exciting slate of games this Sunday evening.

Each week, I’ll be here to profile some strong value plays, studs, and duds for Sunday’s DraftKings slate. I’ll do my best to point you in the right direction, and if you have any questions, you can hit me up on Twitter at @is_sirois.

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I. Value Plays

• Ben Simmons should be a safe bet against Cleveland’s struggling defense; he’s scored 39.8 and 42.8 DK points on the season to date and should easily hit value.
• Chris Paul is still getting adjusted to life in Phoenix, but the veteran scored a whopping 54.8 DK points against the Kings last night. He should put up another impressive total barring any minutes restriction.
• I love Markelle Fultz at this price point. He just blew up the Wizards for 37.5 DK points last night and is primed to do it again, especially with Russell Westbrook ruled out.

• Zach LaVine will take on Golden State’s abysmal defense, giving him a chance to right the ship after a slow start to the year. I like his odds of doing so; he noticed 22 points, six assists, and six rebounds the last time these two teams faced off.
• Cole Anthony has been a rock-solid option for the Magic off the bench so far. He’s posted 23.3 and 21.6 DK points in his last two games on an average of 17.3 minutes per. With the Wizards resting Westbrook and the Magic on a back-to-back, he could see more run than usual here.
• Raul Neto is a strong punt play with Westbrook ruled out. He’ll get the start and should see enough minutes to hit value, which is a pretty low threshold given his price point.

• Khris Middleton has been on fire to start the season — he’s averaging 50-plus DK points per game so far. He should keep things rolling against the Knicks.
• I like Andrew Wiggins against the Bulls, as he should get plenty of run behind Steph Curry in what could become a high-scoring game.
• With Anthony Davis sidelined, the Lakers will have to trust playmakers like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in expanded roles. KCP was averaging 18.2 DK points per game already, and he’ll have an even better chance to hit value now.

• Zion Williamson should do well against the Spurs. He posted 53 DK points against the Heat on Christmas in a career-high 38 minutes, but there’s some risk that the Pelicans choose to reduce his workload today.
• Davis Bertans should be in for some additional minutes with Westbrook out. While the Wizards were planning to rest him early, I expect the team to change course — at least for this matchup.
• Like KCP, Markieff Morris is in line for more work with Davis out. He’s averaging an impressive 21.2 DK points per game, which is more than enough for him to pay off his modest salary.

• The Suns haven’t gotten off to the hot start they would’ve liked, but I expect them to bounce back in their second matchup with the Kings. Ayton has averaged 28.4 DK points per game this far, which isn’t bad, but that number should go up after tonight’s game.
• If Draymond Green plays, he’d be a fantastic value at his current price point.
• I’ll recommend one last Wizard as a value play — Thomas Bryant should be in for more work, too, and he was already effective against the Magic last night. He scored 28.3 DK points, more than enough to hit value at his current price point, and he’ll face even less competition to do so.

II. Five Notable Players to Feature

1. LeBron James (LAL) $10,000 vs. MIN: with Davis out, James will be expected to generate more of the Lakers’ offense. And against an exploitable opponent like the Timberwolves, he should deliver.
2. Ben Simmons (PHI) $9,200 at CLE: I touched on this above, but Simmons has gotten out to a fiery start to the season and can be relied upon against their defense.
3. Nikola Vucevic (ORL) $8,300 at WAS: I love Vucevic’s upside — he’ll have considerably less competition for boards with Westbrook sidelined, and he already got 17 of them last night.
4. Zach LaVine (CHI) $7,900 at GSW: LaVine should turn his disappointing start to the season around against a depleted Warriors squad that just lost Marquese Chriss for the year.
5. Khris Middleton (MIL) $7,800 at NYK: Again, Middleton has looked fantastic with Eric Bledsoe no longer in town, and he’ll keep things up against an easy opponent in the Knicks.

III. Five Notable Players to Fade

1. Jayson Tatum (BOS) $8,800 at IND: The Celtics didn’t do much damage against the Pacers last year. In one of his two games against them, Tatum logged 37 minutes but failed to score more than 16 points. He turned things around in their next matchup with 30 points, but the Celtics were without Jaylen Brown in that one.
2. Andre Drummond (CLE) $8,600 vs. PHI: Drummond has had a fantastic start to the season, but unfortunately, he’ll face a tough test from Philadelphia’s bigs tonight.
3. Julius Randle (NYK) $7,700 vs. MIL: The Knicks could easily go down big against the Bucks tonight, and that would compromise Randle’s minutes — and his points.
4. Kevin Love (CLE) $6,400 vs. PHI: Again, I just don’t think the Cavs have much value against the Sixers tonight, and Love is no exception.
5. Eric Bledsoe (NO) $5,800 vs. SAS: Bledsoe has struggled on the Pelicans, and I don’t expect him to turn things around. He scored just 16.5 DK points against the Heat on Christmas.

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Isaiah Sirois is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Isaiah, check out his archive and follow him @is_sirois.