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![\"Castle](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/stephon-castle-300x200.jpg\" "\\"Castle")
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A daily fantasy sports OG, Notorious has been roaming the DFS streets ever since they were invented. He has racked up multiple live final seats and several six-figure tournament wins in his DFS career. On weekends, international pop icon Taylor Smith takes the reins. So, who better to walk you through the madness of an NBA DFS<\/a> slate? Core Plays LIVE will zoom out on the slate as a whole, zoom in on the best plays, and constantly update as news breaks. Whether you are diving into the slate 5 hours before it starts or 5 minutes before it starts, you\u2019ve come to the right place.<\/p>\n Happy Saturday! Last night\u2019s slate was a wild one. Scores in the low 300s weren\u2019t enough to even min-cash in most contests on DK, so we\u2019ll see what\u2019s in store for tonight. We\u2019re looking at twin 8-game slates on DraftKings and FanDuel, with several teams playing for the second time in as many nights. We\u2019ll also have a few of the teams that appeared on Christmas back in our lives, so should be a fun one.<\/p>\n As usual, there should be plenty of injury news through which to sort. Let\u2019s dive in.<\/p>\n Editor\u2019s Note: Looking for more places to play? Check out our Underdog promo code<\/a> and PrizePicks promo code<\/a>, two of the best DFS apps<\/a> available today.<\/p>\n NBA DFS Top Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Saturday, December 27th Slate Overview News Updates <\/p>\n Here\u2019s where I\u2019ll provide news updates.<\/p>\n Team Previews <\/p>\n Phoenix Suns (at NOP)<\/p>\n This one is just a straight rematch of a game we had on last night\u2019s slate. The Suns are favored by 5.5 points in New Orleans after a 115-108 win over the Pelicans last night. Phoenix was down Jalen Green<\/a> and Grayson Allen<\/a> for that one, and we\u2019re expecting Mark Williams<\/a> to join them both on the sidelines this evening. The Suns\u2019 121 implied team total is among the highest marks on the slate.<\/p>\n With Williams doubtful, we\u2019re projecting Oso Ighodaro<\/a> ($3,500 DK, $4,100 FD) to crack the starting unit, with Nick Richards<\/a> backing him up. Ighodaro has played upwards of 30 minutes in starts already this season, and he\u2019s been passable on a per-minute basis (0.9) with Williams off the floor. Solid salary-saver, especially against a Pelicans team that\u2019s struggled to defend the rim all season. Devin Booker<\/a> (34%) and Dillon Brooks<\/a> (32.9%) are both generating heavy usage with Allen and Green off the court this season. Booker just looks too cheap at $8,600 on DK, even if he hasn\u2019t flashed a consistent ceiling this season. Brooks is more of a filler play, though there\u2019s sneaky upside there.<\/p>\n Phoenix has a bunch of other secondary pieces \u2013 Collin Gillespie<\/a>, Royce O\u2019Neale<\/a>, Ryan Dunn<\/a>, Jordan Goodwin<\/a> \u2013 logging consistent minutes. Gillespie (1.17 FP\/minute) is easily the most appealing of the bunch, though he\u2019ll presumably come with a lot of ownership once again.<\/p>\n New Orleans Pelicans (vs. PHO)<\/p>\n The Pels have played better basketball of late, though they\u2019re still just 8-24 on the season and own the 2nd-worst record in the Western Conference. They\u2019re only slight home underdogs in a rematch against Phoenix after last night\u2019s defeat. We\u2019re not expecting Herbert Jones<\/a> to play, while Dejounte Murray<\/a> remains sidelined.<\/p>\n Zion Williamson<\/a> is getting pretty cheap around the industry as he continues to play off the bench. His 27 minutes last night were his most since his return from injury, and we know he\u2019s productive enough (1.28 FP\/minute) to still offer upside even in limited floor time. His salary of $7,300 on both sites is appealing; I\u2019m just a bit skeptical of the minutes if he plays on the 2nd night of a back-to-back. Zion\u2019s presence is also enough to eat into the usage for the likes of Trey Murphy<\/a> and Jeremiah Fears<\/a>, while Derik Queen<\/a> has topped 30 minutes just once in the last 4 games. Murphy, Fears, and especially Queen will all look like significantly more appealing options here if Zion winds up missing this one.<\/p>\n One player worth a mention is Jordan Poole<\/a>, who logged 30 minutes last night and is still priced in the mid-$5,000s on both sites. Poole has a wide range of outcomes thanks to his erratic shooting, but we know he\u2019s not afraid to let it fly while he\u2019s out there. Poole is a solid GPP option if he flies under the radar from an ownership standpoint.<\/p>\n Denver Nuggets (at ORL)<\/p>\n Want to read more? Sign up for NBA Premium! <\/p>\n Here is an example of the DFS tables that are provided to our Premium Subscribers<\/p>\n This content can help you make better NBA DFS picks To access this content, subscribe to NBA Premium or purchase a 3-day trial. An NBA subscription will allow you to access this content and much more! Buy NBA Premium!<\/a> <\/p>\n About the Author <\/p>\n Based in Southern California, Taylor Smith (aka tcsmith031) has been working for RotoGrinders since 2018 in a number of different capacities. In addition to contributing written content for NBA, MLB, and NFL, Taylor is also a member of the projections\/alerts team and makes regular appearances as an analyst on NBA Crunch Time. Follow Taylor on Twitter \u2013 @TayeBojangles<\/a><\/p>\n ![\"RG451200x675\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1766910139_576_RG451200x675.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Booker](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/devin-booker-300x200.jpg\" "\\"Booker")
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<\/p>\n Taylor Smith (tcsmith031)<\/a> <\/p>\n