RADIO
In tonight's six-game slate, there is one game that is going to be the annoyance of the night, Magic versus Rockets. Everyone is contemplating James Harden. Even at a ridiculous, sky-scraping $13,700, you can't simply just say, "Oh, Chris Paul is back? Yeah, he's going to fall back down to Earth." That's a lazy assessment of what actually is going to happen. The Orlando Magic already have no one to defend Harden and they are adding a point guard that has literally been one of the best players in this decade. Not to mention, Paul is one of the smarter players in the league so he will absolutely know not to cut into this legendary run by Harden. Paul isn't selfish and neither is Harden so expect them to play off eachother, but the usage to still come directly from those two. The Rockets will win tonight and while the smart move would be to fade Harden in case this is a blowout, I'm starting to wonder if this might be history in the making. Bold statements, but I just can't see Harden playing worse now that he actually has Chris-freaking-Paul passing to him.
If you haven't caught on, DraftKings has become Daily Fantasy Harden so just know the amount of risk there is surrounding him. Tonight, the price seems a bit to high with the blowout risk basically looming over this game, so this will be one of the those nights where we just chalk it up to basketball being basketball and that anything can happen. Hopefully the Magic can keep it close and we actually do get to see Harden do what he's been doing, just alongside Chris Paul.
I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 01/27/19. These DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on DraftKings. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. As always, don't set your lineups to early and check player statuses before the opening tip. Find me in the NBA Chat Room or @HalfCourtJester on Twitter with questions.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Dwyane Wade - PG/SG @ NY ($4,800)
Dwyane Wade's last game in Madison Square Garden. If he doesn't finish the game leading one or two categories, than I expect he would have tried as hard as he possibly could. It's not entirely guaranteed that the Miami Heat are going to the playoffs this season, so just in case that doesn't happen, Wade is making sure he is leaving one final stamp on each arena in his road trip. He does get to play one more time in the Garden on March 30th, but that is a decent ways away. Wade is going to make the most of his opportunities now, and while I can say that the March 30th game will also be one to watch, I won't miss watching or rostering Wade versus the Knicks in New York. That is his element and it really doesn't hurt that his price is a savory sub-5K pricing.
Bryn Forbes - PG/SG vs. WAS ($4,300)
I was initially thinking of putting Derrick White in this spot, but his price is too high for what I was going for. In the point guard position there is a ton of value. You shouldn't need to look much higher than 6K to find a player you should feel comfortable with in your lineup. Bryn Forbes on the other hand is a bit of a toss-up, but his price allows for a bit of that leniency. The Wizards are going to struggle like they have on defense versus a team like the Spurs and while Bradley Beal and Tomas Satoransky will be able to carry Washington's offense, I think there defense will struggle to keep tabs on everyone, including Forbes. As a player who is only a real threat when he is shooting, that's exactly where his upside will be coming from. Since the Wizards seem to rely on one person every night, they will need to do everything in the power to keep the game close, which means limiting San Antonio's best players. Luckily for us, Forbes doesn't fall under that category, which means he will likely be facing up against Troy Brown Jr. or Chasson Randle.
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Andrew Wiggins - SG/SF vs. UTA ($5,900)
I must have erased Andrew Wiggins name three or four times before deciding that I actually wanted to advise playing him. While I hate picturing who he will be running into time and time again in the paint, I do in fact see him getting into the paint...time and time again. Jae Crowder, Joe Ingles, and Rudy Gobert might not seem like the most intimidating defensive core, but their defense all comes from strength and technique, rather than speed and recovery time. They will be able to literal stop Wiggins in his tracks, but they won't keep him from getting by those four or five times he needs to start picking up momentum. As a player who prefers to stay near the rim for offense, Gobert will be his biggest competition. He will be able to slip in a few bucket here and there, he might even get himself nice Rudy Gobert poster to hang in his room, but at the end of the night, Wiggins will need to be efficient from the mid-range to really exceed projected. Luckily, I do see that happening, and hopefully Karl-Anthony Towns can keep Gobert busy for most of the night.
Derrick Favors - PF/C @ MIN ($5,100)
I was surprised to see Derrick Favors price this low and actually had to check to make sure I wasn't going crazy. It seems like the price is more because of his ejection and how it makes his game log look a bit shaky, but realistically there is no reason to see Favors as someone to fade. The Timberwolves do not have the strongest frontcourt and Favors plays a tougher style of basketball that younger players are not accustomed to. If you are looking for cheaper options, Favors has to be your guy at power forward with such limited options available.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Enes Kanter - C vs. MIA ($4,700)
I do not like this pick at this moment, only because it's unclear how Enes Kanter's future is looking. The Knicks have basically committed to their young core already and while Kanter still has some guys where he will play, like he should tonight, it's still bold. With his price incredibly low, he just need to play and I'm confident he will produce and exceed projected, but that still asking the Knicks front office to play a veteran like Kanter for almost no reason. The Knicks have been doing things for no reason for some time now, so while it wouldn't be outlandish to assume that from them, based on the previous few games I do not blame you for not having confidence in Kanter. This is one of those, "Well, if he plays versus the Heat he will destroy their frontcourt...But if he doesn't then you wasted a pick." I'd consider Kanter but wait to hear more confirmation from this game on who is playing.
