Welcome back, RotoBallers. Hopefully you enjoyed your last bit of college football last night, and maybe you won some money in NBA DFS too. If not, let's get you back on the right track. We're a little shorthanded with just four games this Tuesday, but there should be some interesting plays regardless.

Below you will find our daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 1/9/18. I'll provide my favorite players at each position in terms of value and their specific prices. I'll also provide a few possible GPP plays for each of the three positions.

If you have questions or comments, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @BellRoto. I'll be happy to expand on my thinking or help you adjust to any news that breaks on Tuesday. Good luck!

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Update - 9:30 AM

It turns out that Kyle Lowry suffered back spasms after a hard fall in Brooklyn last night. He had to be carted off the court. The fact that it's only back spasms is a good long-term sign, but I would be very surprised if the Raptors asked him to play on the second night of a back-to-back.

If Lowry sits, DeMar Derozan becomes a lock-and-load play (42% usage rate with Lowry off the floor this season). It also gives a nice bump to Serge Ibaka, Delon Wright, and Fred VanVleet (I think I like them in that order for now, although Wright might be more necessary to fit in both Westbrook and DeRozan).

 

DraftKings DFS Guards

Russell Westbrook - PG, vs. POR ($11,500)

Russell Westbrook is back to his old ways: Putting the team on his back. His usage rate easily eclipses 35% every night, and he touches 40% at times. And get this: He has hit at least 60 DraftKings points in 8 of his last 9 contests. Thats bonkers! He's the only player above 8.6k on this short slate, so you don't have much else to consider, and he has the type of upside that will make you go to bed early if you try to fade him. DON'T GET CUTE!

Goran Dragic - PG, @ TOR ($6,700)

Despite a couple of poor shooting performances in his last two games, Goran Dragic continues to prove that he's healthy and underpriced. The Heat point guard is averaging 37 minutes and just under 20 shots per game in his last four contests. We know his handful of rebounds and assists will be there every night too. The Raptors do have a tough defense, but they'll be tired on the second leg of a back-to-back after a surprisingly close game and travel from Brooklyn. I like Dragic to come out hot and keep this game close all night long. He needs just over 30 DK points to make value in cash games, and there's plenty of upside for tournaments too.

Other DraftKings DFS Guards to Consider: Lonzo Ball, Dennis Smith Jr., De'Aaron Fox, Shabazz Napier

 

DraftKings DFS Forwards

DeMar DeRozan - SG/SF, vs. MIA ($8,300)

DeMar DeRozan continues to carry the load offensively for Toronto, and this price is simply too cheap for his new superstar-dom. He's shooting more three-point shots and getting more rebounds and assists this season. These small additions and obvious confidence has created a high floor and massive cieling for DeRozan. I don't typically love shooters on back-to-backs, but I also expect this game to stay close, so Derozan will be needed in the final minutes. He's super safe with some decent upside on Tuesday. The fact that you can play him at a typically weak small forward position is a nice bonus, too.

Serge Ibaka - PF/C, vs. MIA ($5,600)

Let's just stick with this game. While the game total won't suggest that we should stack it, I guess the prices are leading me to an unconventional stack. Serge Ibaka is another underpriced option in Toronto on Tuesday. He continues to play a huge part in this Raptors offense, and his shot blocking prowess is on display nightly. Ibaka is shooting three-pointers, he's extremely active defensively, and he seems to grab every rebound that doesn't go to Jonas Valanciunas. This is simply a 6.5k player who's about one thousand dollars too cheap every night. I'll be on Ibaka again.

Other DrafKings DFS Forwards to Consider: Harrison Barnes, Brandon Ingram

 

DraftKings DFS Centers

Jusuf Nurkic - C, @ OKC ($6,900)

I don't love the center position on Tuesday. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that I already talked about three players in the Heat vs. Raptors game, I might've put Hassan Whiteside here. Even still, Jusuf Nurkic has proven he's for real over the past couple of weeks while Damian Lillard has been in and out of the lineup. I understand that Steven Adams is a tough matchup, and that's why I was hesitant to mention Nurkic, but his game log speaks for itself. Nurk has 5x value on this price tag in five of his last six games. He's also shown minutes upside, which has been a concern before. Adams might limit the upside here, but Nurkic seems pretty safe for a double-double and will be relied on offensively with Lillard out once again.

Other DraftKings DFS Centers to Consider: Hassan Whiteside, Bismack Biyombo

 

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