NBA Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 12/21/18

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

LeBron James ($11,200): Tonight's matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans has a huge, slate-high 233.5-point over/under, and both teams rank in the top four in the NBA in pace. With only a 5.5-point spread, we can expect a shootout with a ton of fantasy goodness here. The Lakers' 119.5-point implied total is also the best on the slate, and with LeBron averaging north of 20 field goal attempts per 36 minutes (20.3) for the first time in his career, he should have his fingerprints all over the Lakers' big score. The Pels also allow league's seven-most assists per game, and LeBron and his 33.1% assist rate can add plenty of value on that front as well. The King has racked up four 60-plus FanDuel points games in his last 11 contests, and he's in a good spot to turn in another big night against New Orleans.