RADIO
Happy Wednesday, RotoBallers! I hope this week of NBA DFS has treated you well. I've just about completely finished my NBA Model and updated for this season's factors, and it's safe to say things have been going extremely well. After starting hot, I started to cool down and figured changes needed to be made. I have it lined up pretty much how I want it to now and hope to continue the success as we head into All-Star Weekend. The most important slate is the one ahead of us, so let's get to tonight!
Tonight we have a nice big slate, with 10 games on tap. With now both FanDuel and DraftKings having multi-position eligibility players, we'll have to attack slates a bit differently to make our lineups as optimal as possible. That's where I come in! I'll look to find my personal top plays and values for tonight's slate. Things can change during the day as well, so I'll do my best to update as news comes out!
Here are my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on 1/26/21. Keep an eye on RotoBaller’s NBA injury news and also our full NBA injury report today to stay up to date before lineups are locked.
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DraftKings and FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
LaMelo Ball - @ IND (FD: $7,600, DK: $8,100)
I'll start today's slate off with LaMelo Ball. We're getting him at a pretty extreme discount, especially on FanDuel, for a guy with his type of upside. He logged 25 points, three rebounds, and seven assists last night in 32 minutes against the Raptors. Tonight, among plenty of other teams, the Hornets find themselves in a back-to-back situation. As of now, Jalen McDaniels has been ruled out, while Gordon Hayward is questionable. We'd actually prefer Hayward play here, as LaMelo's fantasy points per minute go from 1.3 (FD)/1.33 (DK) to 1.21 (FD)/1.26 (DK) with Hayward off the floor. I'd like to see Ball get up to 34+ minutes in this one, and I would hope for him to take advantage of a solid matchup against the banged-up Pacers, who rank 18th in point guard efficiency but will be without point guards Malcolm Brogdon and T.J. McConnell.
Cole Anthony, vs LAC (FD: $5,300, DK: $6,700)
Here's another guy, especially on FanDuel, who I just feel is massively underpriced. Anthony's price drop has substance, though, as he's going through a bit of a slump of late. However, the Magic are banged up as well and as of now, Mo Bamba is a game-time decision. There isn't a substantial difference whether Bamba plays or not, outside of a slight usage increase for Anthony. This is a guy we were talking about winning Comeback Player of the Year, and to steal a term from the "crypto bros", I'll gladly buy the dip on Anthony while his price is so low. He's certainly more of a GPP play on DraftKings just due to his price being $1,400 higher, but I'll most likely have some shares there also.
Jordan Clarkson, vs PHO (FD: $5,600, DK: $7,400)
If you haven't noticed by now, FanDuel has some pretty soft pricing on a lot of these guards. It's likely that Clarkson will gather ownership on both sites anyway, just due to the Jazz's situation. It took a while for Clarkson to really get going on Monday against the Suns, but he salvaged late finishing with 22 points, four rebounds, and five assists in a value-hitting performance. The Jazz should get starters Mike Conley, Royce O'Neale, and Bojan Bogdanovic back, but will still be without Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. With those two off of the floor, Clarkson averages 1.1 FanDuel and 1.16 DraftKings points per minute. I'll likely tread lighter than I did on Monday, especially if Joe Ingles starts over Clarkson, but at his FanDuel price there's no reason not to have him in a healthy amount of your lineups.
Also consider: Jalen Brunson (FD: $5,400, DK: $5,700), Luka Doncic (FD: $11,400, DK: $11,100)
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DraftKings and FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
James Harden, vs BKN (FD: $10,200, DK: $11,500)
I'm cheating a bit here as Harden is only a forward on FanDuel, and he's been running the point for the Nets as of late. It's been paying off for him, as he's coming off a 33 point triple-double against the Lakers last night. He played 38 minutes which is a bit concerning, but in a home back-to-back and without Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, Harden should run the show against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets tonight. He's averaging 1.5 FanDuel and 1.55 DraftKings points per minute with Durant, and Irving as well as Joe Harris and Paul Millsap off the floor. As long as he plays 35+ minutes, I can easily see him taking advantage of a positive matchup against a Denver team that ranks 24th in point guard efficiency.
Evan Mobley, vs MIL (FD: $6,900, DK: $8,100)
Mobley was "chalk" on Monday night, and disappointed many for two quarters before coming alive in the second half to finish with a 15 point, 12 rebounds, five-assist performance against the Knicks. This is one I'll have to keep an eye on throughout the day, as Jarrett Allen is questionable. This is important news, considering when Allen is on the floor Mobley averages 0.96 fantasy points per minute on both sites, whereas with Allen off the floor Mobley averages 1.05 FanDuel and 1.04 DraftKings points per minute. He should take advantage of a solid matchup against the Bucks, who rank 20th in power forward efficiency. However, in what should be a lower-scoring affair we want all of the usage we can get from Mobley.
Dorian Finney-Smith, at POR (FD: $4,300, DK: $4,400)
I really like "DFS" in this spot as he played just 26 minutes tonight in a blowout loss to the Warriors. This should be beneficial on a back to back, especially for a guy who is playing roughly 33 minutes per game this season. The Mavs will be without Tim Hardaway Jr., and on a back-to-back, you really just never know who's in and who's out. With Hardaway Jr. off the floor, Finney-Smith averages just 0.72 fantasy points per minute, but if he plays his expected minutes he should have no problem hitting value against a Portland Blazers team that ranks 27th in small forward efficiency.
Also consider: Giannis Antetokounmpo (FD: $11,200, DK: $11,800) , Kessler Edwards (FD: $4,000, DK: $4,300)
DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Kristaps Porzingis, at POR (FD: $8,200, DK: $7,600)
My second Maverick of the night is Kristaps Porzingis. While Luka Doncic is the biggest beneficiary of Tim Hardaway Jr. being off the floor, Porzingis isn't too far behind. He averages 1.41 FanDuel and 1.4 DraftKings points without Hardaway Jr. out there. He also only played just 25 minutes last night against Golden State, so should be rested and ready to go tonight. The Blazers struggle with "scoring centers" and come into this one ranked 25th in center efficiency. His price and positional flexibility on either site make this a solid play for me tonight and he's surely a cash consideration.
Hassan Whiteside, vs PHO (FD: $5,500, DK: $6,600)
Another potentially chalky Jazz player here, especially on FanDuel since to the 10-ply pricing. With Gobert on the sidelines, it's reasonable to expect Whiteside to play 30+ minutes. This is huge for Whiteside who averages 1.24 FanDuel and 1.21 DraftKings points per minute without both Gobert and Donovan Mitchell off of the floor. He logged 10 points, nine rebounds and two assists in a matchup against these same Phoenix Suns on Monday night, but I expect him to bounce back with a big performance at home tonight.
Also consider: Bobby Portis (FD: $6,300, DK: $6,800), Bismack Biyombo (FD: $6,300, DK: $5,500)
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