NBA Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 12/6/18

If you're new to daily fantasy basketball -- maybe you started your DFS journey during the MLB or NFL seasons, or maybe basketball is your sport and this will be your first year giving it a shot -- you're in for a treat. The NBA scene changes hugely on a week-to-week, day-to-day, and -- depending on injury news -- even a minute-to-minute basis, making every slate a unique one that requires an ever-changing approach.

With so much changing so quickly, we're here with plenty of tools to help you out. We have daily projections, a matchup heat map, a lineup optimizer, and a ton of other great resources to help give you an edge.

We'll also be coming at you with this primer every day, breaking down a few of the day's top plays at each price point.

Let's take a look at who you should target on today's main slate.

Best of the Best

Damian Lillard ($10,500): Dame has been on fire recently, topping 57 FanDuel points three times in his last four games. He hasn't played fewer than 37 minutes in any of his last five games, averaging 39.4 minutes, 23.2 field goal attempts and 49.4 FanDuel points per game over that stretch. Don't expect him to cool off tonight, either, taking on the Phoenix Suns, who allow the league's second-highest fantasy production to opposing point guards. C.J. McCollum is questionable for tonight, and if he sits we should see even more volume for Lillard, as his usage rate jumps from 28.9% with McCollum on the court to a ridiculous 48.5% with him off. Even if McCollum plays, though, the consistent volume and big production we've seen from Lillard recently makes him a top play in this matchup.