NBA Late Friday Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for December 27, 2024
Last updated: Dec 26, 2024, 10:57PM | Published: Dec 26, 2024, 7:57AM
Draftstars Australia's NBA Late Friday DFS contest starts at 2:00pm AEDT on December 27, 2024, and Fantasy Insider has looked at the data for each player on the slate to help you build winning line-ups.
A reliable Draftstars cheat sheet is a must for NBA fantasy players. This DFS preview is designed to help you build your fantasy teams for Draftstars' NBA contests and enhance your season-long fantasy line-ups on December 27 and beyond.
Featured NBA Games
Draftstars' NBA Late Friday slate includes these games:
- Portland Trail Blazers vs Utah Jazz
- Sacramento Kings vs Detroit Pistons
Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, employs the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to come up with some of the best DFS projections in the world.
With the latest NBA fantasy insights and DFS strategies from Fantasy Insider, you're set to win in more NBA fantasy contests.
Cheat Sheet and Projections
We have reviewed every player from every team to help you make the best choices on Friday's slate.
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Domantas Sabonis (SAC, C) | $21,810 | 55.9 | 2.6 |
| Value | Walker Kessler (UTA, C) | $13,970 | 45.1 | 3.2 |
| Fade | Malik Beasley (DET, SF/SG) | $12,510 | 22.3 | 1.8 |
| Cheapie | Scoot Henderson (POR, PG) | $9,490 | 28.6 | 3 |
According to Fantasy Insider's DFS model, our "stud" is the highest projected scorer across the slate, while "value" picks offer the most "bang for your buck," meaning they are expected to perform well relative to their salary.
Conversely, a "fade" is a player considered to offer lower value for money, based on their expected score relative to their salary. For budget-conscious strategies, "cheapie" options highlight the best value players at lower price points not already mentioned.
In fantasy sports, understanding value—assessing a player's potential output against their salary—is crucial, as players scoring high relative to their cost are key in crafting the optimal line-up.
The "Pts/$1K" metric shows the predicted points for every $1,000 of a player's salary. A higher number indicates better value, making it easier to spot players who could outperform their cost.
Positional Breakdown
PG (Point Guard)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Cade Cunningham (DET) | $21,700 | 47.5 | 2.2 |
| Value | Malik Monk (SAC) | $13,840 | 42 | 3 |
| Fade | De'Aaron Fox (SAC) | $17,560 | 42.2 | 2.4 |
| Cheapie | Scoot Henderson (POR) | $9,490 | 28.6 | 3 |
SG (Shooting Guard)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Malik Monk (SAC) | $13,840 | 42 | 3 |
| Value | Malik Monk (SAC) | $13,840 | 42 | 3 |
| Fade | Malik Beasley (DET) | $12,510 | 22.3 | 1.8 |
| Cheapie | Svi Mykhailiuk (UTA) | $7,520 | 21.1 | 2.8 |
SF (Small Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | DeMar DeRozan (SAC) | $13,610 | 41.1 | 3 |
| Value | DeMar DeRozan (SAC) | $13,610 | 41.1 | 3 |
| Fade | Malik Beasley (DET) | $12,510 | 22.3 | 1.8 |
| Cheapie | Svi Mykhailiuk (UTA) | $7,520 | 21.1 | 2.8 |
PF (Power Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | DeMar DeRozan (SAC) | $13,610 | 41.1 | 3 |
| Value | DeMar DeRozan (SAC) | $13,610 | 41.1 | 3 |
| Fade | Tobias Harris (DET) | $11,240 | 26.4 | 2.4 |
| Cheapie | Brice Sensabaugh (UTA) | $6,190 | 16.5 | 2.7 |
C (Center)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Domantas Sabonis (SAC) | $21,810 | 55.9 | 2.6 |
| Value | Walker Kessler (UTA) | $13,970 | 45.1 | 3.2 |
| Fade | Jalen Duren (DET) | $12,220 | 32.2 | 2.6 |
| Cheapie | Paul Reed (DET) | $8,240 | 21.4 | 2.6 |
Conclusion
In DFS, creating an optimal line-up requires understanding key concepts and metrics. When building your NBA Late Friday teams, consider starting with a value player like Walker Kessler. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Domantas Sabonis is a strong option. If you're looking for budget-friendly choices to free up salary cap for more studs, take a look at our cheapie options, including Scoot Henderson.
On the other hand, according to our model, Malik Beasley is one of the worst value options on the slate, suggesting you might want to limit exposure to him if putting together multiple line-ups.
Ready to go? Draftstars' NBA Late Friday slate closes at 2:00pm AEDT on Friday. ENTER NOW!
As with all NBA DFS contests, whether you start with our studs or build around our value picks, leveraging Fantasy Insider's data-driven NBA fantasy news and strategies, combined with your own research, can enhance your chances of winning in the NBA Late Friday slate. The unique insights here can help you balance star power, value and budget management when you make your NBA DFS line-ups.
For the latest projections and optimised NBA Late Friday line-ups, check out the Fantasy Insider Cruncher on Draftstars! It's free to use when you're logged in.
Please note that if you use our DFS tips for betting purposes, ensure you gamble responsibly and keep track of your money. For free and confidential support, call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.
