NBA DFS Picks: Christmas Day

If you're looking to have some fun this basketball season, NBA DFS on FanDuel has you covered.

With NBA DFS, you can put your hoops knowledge to the test and ride with players you think will go off in a given night.

To help you along the way, we've got a bunch of tools here at FanDuel Research. Specifically, our NBA DFS projections, powered by numberFire, update throughout the day to reflect current news.

On top of all that, here at FanDuel Research, we'll come at you each day with this NBA DFS primer, which breaks down some of the day's top plays at each position.

Let's dive into today's main slate on FanDuel.

Betting lines via the NBA odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. Projections and betting odds may change after this article is published.

NBA DFS Picks for Today

Guards

Top Priorities

Luka Doncic ($11,800) -- It's against the rules to talk about an NBA DFS slate without mentioning Luka Doncic, who just two games ago bursted for a massive 89.7 FanDuel points. Luka has notched north of 69 FanDuel points in four of his last seven contests and -- save for maybe Nikola Jokic ($12,300) -- has the highest chance to burn your lineup should you choose not to roster him. The issue? The Christmas Day NBA DFS slate is a special breed. We've got only five games -- all of which are structured to be competitive -- and clean injury reports leave us with few modestly salaried players who will log decent minutes. Mid-tier players must be prioritized on this slate, so we might have to live without Luka.

Stephen Curry ($8,500) -- Who among us isn't scared of what Stephen Curry could pull out of his bag on the primetime Christmas Day game against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, particularly since Steph scored an uncharacteristic 2 and 10 points in two of his last three games? I'm at least a little scared of the idea of fading him.

Tyrese Maxey ($8,400) -- If I'm dodging Luka's salary, the first guard I want to turn to is Tyrese Maxey. Maxey blew up for 64 FanDuel points his last time out and has been playing an eye-popping 37.8 minutes per game across the last month. The opposing Boston Celtics surrender the sixth-most FanDuel points to guards. Joel Embiid ($10,700) and Paul George ($7,800) have been volatile as ever, making Maxey the ideal route for exposure to Philly's marquee players.

Others to Consider

Chris Paul ($6,100) -- It's hard to believe we are still talking about Chris Paul in this context, but he's averaging 30.2 FanDuel points and has hit the 40 mark in four games. The New York Knicks let up the second-most assists and seventh-most steals to guards, exactly what CP3 prioritizes these days.

Jrue Holiday ($5,200) -- A starting guard that will be allotted north of 30 minutes and can be obtained in the $5K salary range? That's exactly what we need to zero in on for the Christmas Day slate. Close spreads and clean injury reports have each and every team primed to ride with small rotations, making Jrue Holiday a top value target. His ability to rack up stocks (steals + blocks) helps shed some of the sting from his at times low scoring output, but he has his moments there, too.

Wings

Top Priorities

Kevin Durant ($9,600) -- Kevin Durant is averaging 49.3 FanDuel points across his last five games and will draw a matchup against the seventh-fastest team in the league. Devin Booker ($8,800) has sat out the last two games due to injury and has reached 50 FanDuel points just twice in his last 12 games. The Phoenix Suns' roster lacks ceiling past their Big 3, so KD is an easy way to account for your Phoenix exposure.

Anthony Edwards ($8,900) -- The Dallas Mavericks let up the sixth-most FanDuel points to Anthony Edwards' position. Ant's salary is down following a week of meh performances. He could certainly burst back onto the scene in this Western Conference Finals rematch that offers him a soft matchup.

Mikal Bridges ($6,300) -- Mikal Bridges is the lowest-salaried Knicks starter and he plays a league-leading 38.6 minutes per game. To add, the San Antonio Spurs give up the second-most FanDuel points to his position. Similar to Holiday, it's hard to deny that usage-to-salary ratio on a slate like this one.

Others to Consider

Klay Thompson ($5,300) -- Klay Thompson won't dish out many dimes or grab many boards, but he's logged a massive 10 steals across his last four games and his hot-and-cold shooting nature makes him a threat to go off in the scoring column. It's pretty easy to live with his $5.3K salary.

Brandin Podziemski ($4,800) -- Golden State is a headache for DFS since Steve Kerr never has much of an idea of who is he going to play and when, but Brandin Podziemski is someone who can achieve 30 FanDuel points without it being much of a surprise. He's netting 30.9 FanDuel points across his last three.

Bigs

Top Priorities

Anthony Davis ($11,300) -- The Warriors play at the eighth-fastest pace in the league and cough up the 10th-most FanDuel points to bigs. Anthony Davis is primed to feast in this matchup, perhaps more than any other player on the slate.

Karl-Anthony Towns ($9,700) -- You can roster only one of Nikola Jokic ($12,300), Joel Embiid ($10,700), and Karl-Anthony Towns ($9,700) at the center position. Jokic's salary is incredibly hard to get to on a slate that lacks value while Embiid's inconsistency makes him a walking risk. Ultimately, I settle on Towns out of the three, but his matchup against Victor Wembanyama -- and the other routes available for New York in DFS -- don't have me overly enthusiastic. That makes Anthony Davis an all the more intriguing prospect. Fading all of Jokic, Embiid, and KAT might sound scarier than it actually is and would open up the door to obtain Luka.

Julius Randle ($7,100) -- Julius Randle's steady output makes him a low-risk play at $7.1K. The Mavs (7th) run at a much faster pace than the Timberwolves (24th) and Randle has received a notable stat bump in pace-up games this season.

Others to Consider

Rudy Gobert ($6,600) -- Rudy Gobert could be a unique pivot at the center position. He's the lowest-salaried center that we can legitimately trust to crack 40 FanDuel points, something he did just two games ago.

Aaron Gordon ($5,800) -- We need to find a piece on Denver if we fade Jokic, and Aaron Gordon comes at a bargain. The Suns surrender the sixth-most FanDuel points to power forwards and this game features the highest total (233.5) on the slate.

Interested in playing NBA daily fantasy? FanDuel has plenty of contest options to make every moment more. Be sure to check out the NBA betting options, as well.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.