RADIO
There is a solid eight-game slate on the DraftKings main slate tonight, featuring five games with implied totals over 221 points and a classic LAL/BOS rivalry matchup. The Miami Heat are still decimated with injuries (though Jimmy Butler could return) and C.J. McCollum is still sidelined for the Blazers, but everything else is more-or-less full-go for Saturday night. This could definitely be another slate where you want to go with the two-center approach as there are a ton of appealing options who are (somewhat dubiously) center-eligible. Let's get to it.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 1/30/21. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. With COVID-19 a significant factor globally, remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before line-up lock.
Good luck RotoBallers. Let's get to it!
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Luka Doncic - PG, DAL vs. PHO ($10,700)
I'm all about a low-rostered Luka Doncic coming off two straight 45 DK point games against a stifling Jazz defense. We can't forget that he has legitimate 70-80+ DK point potential on any given night, much like Giannis, Anthony Davis, and Harden have shown in years' past. His rebound, assist, and "stock" totals have taken a hit in three of his last four games, but that other game was a 35/11/16/1/4 (86.25 DK points) masterpiece. The Suns have been a fun, exciting story in the NBA so far this year, but they're no Jazz defensively. They allow the 10th-most DK points per game to point guards and Luka has an unfathomable 36.4% usage rate and 1.60 DK points per minute rate. Luka is a premier pay-up option tonight.
Lonzo Ball - PG, NOP vs. HOU ($5,000)
Lonzo put up 47.25 DK points last night against the Bucks, which was good for an incredible 8.92x value at his salary. Well, he's playing again tonight, and his salary dropped by $300. It makes zero sense, but hey, we'll take what we can get. The Houston Rockets have actually played great defense lately, ranking third in defensive rating since the Harden trade, but they have allowed the ninth-most DK points per game to point guards this season. Ball's role and DFS price are simply impossible to ignore. He's at a 20.7% usage rate and 0.93 DK points per minute for the season, which will get the job done at his 34-minute projection. There's a path for another ceiling game, too, if he can approach the 25% usage rate he had last night.
Dejounte Murray - PG, SAS vs. MEM ($6,300)
Murray posted 40.75 DK points (6.68x value) in last night's game versus the Nuggets. He's still underpriced relative to his average production, even if backcourt-mate Derrick White makes his long-awaited return. Murray has exceeded 5x value on his current price tag (31.5 DK points) in nine consecutive games, which says a lot about the consistency he brings to the table. Potentially more of a cash-game play due to that consistency, this could be the time to deploy him in tournaments. White's return and this game's low total may lower Murray's rostership, but the Grizzlies are allowing the ninth-most DK points per game to point guards and Murray is likely to still retain a significant usage advantage over White (as he did last season).
Bonus G: LaMelo Ball ($5,600), Ja Morant ($7,100), Chris Paul ($7,600), Zach LaVine ($8,800)
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DraftKings DFS Forwards
Giannis Antetokounmpo - PF/C, MIL vs. CHA ($10,800)
Giannis is very likely going to be someone you need to have tonight. The game has the second-highest implied total (229.5) and it's expected to be somewhat-competitive at a 7.5-point spread. It also has the third-highest projected pace on the slate, which should result in a few extra possessions for both teams to rack up fantasy stats. The Hornets rank dead last in the NBA in defensive efficiency against power forwards and they allow the third-most DK points per game to the position. They also allow the most assists per game to the position and their rebound rate is abysmal. Giannis has been en fuego recently as he has piled up at least 57.5 DK points in three consecutive games. He should have no trouble hitting 5x tonight, and another ceiling game is entirely possible.
Xavier Tillman - PF/C, MEM vs. SAS ($3,500)
This is just a classic mispricing situation by the DraftKings algorithm. Tillman has played at least 28 minutes in his last two games and has gone over 25 DK points in three straight. The Spurs are decent against opposing bigs, but Tillman is averaging 0.95 DK points per minute on the season. This means his average game, at 29 minutes played, would yield 27.5 DK points. There is serious 7-8x potential here, but only if Jonas Valanciunas doesn't play. He's still a nice value if JVal makes his return to the starting lineup at his dirt-cheap DFS tag.
Lauri Markkanen - PF/C, CHI vs. POR ($6,600)
The POR/CHI game has the highest implied total on the slate (233), the highest projected pace on the slate (102.6), and the littlest amount of defense played. All of this adds up to a lot of fantasy production, and it's not all going to come from Lillard and the Chicago guards. Markkanen has had an up-and-down season that included a lengthy injury absence, but he has shown flashes of brilliance at times such as his 29/10/3 game (47.5 DK points) back on 1/17 against the Mavericks. He averages 31.1 DK points per game and while his floor is a bit shaky, it doesn't get better than a matchup against the Blazers. They allow the most DK points per game to opposing power forwards (a full 3.44-points ahead of second-place) as Kanter, Covington, and Melo just aren't getting the job done defensively (who could've predicted that?!).
Bonus F: DeMar DeRozan ($7,000), Jerami Grant ($7,800), Jimmy Butler ($7,300), Cameron Johnson ($5,300)
DraftKings DFS Centers
Zion Williamson - PF/C, NOP vs. HOU ($7,400)
Zion makes for a great correlation pairing with Lonzo Ball tonight. He only needs 37 DK points to hit his 5x value and while he's averaging more than that this season (39 DK points), he has put up at least 41.75 DK points in three straight contests. He has been efficient from the field and has rebounded well all season, but what's going to propel him to 5x-6x+ value tonight will likely be his assist and "stock" totals. Houston is middle-of-the-pack in defensive efficiency against power forwards (Zion's real position) and allow the fourth-highest rebounding rate to the position, so there's potential for an uptick in production from the second-year player here.
Bonus C: Mason Plumlee ($5,400), LaMarcus Aldridge ($5,400), Enes Kanter ($7,100), Cody Zeller ($4,500)
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