RADIO
Happy Tuesday, Rotoballers! After an NBA-jammed-packed schedule on Monday with nine games, the league slows down to a two-game slate tonight. Zero of these teams played yesterday and should benefit from some competitive and healthy basketball.
The Utah Jazz is the hottest team in the league right now with five-straight wins and will look to make it six in a row against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Jazz is six-point favorites in a game with the over/under set at 218.5 points. Both teams are inside the bottom-10 in pace this season, and it may be a lower-scoring affair. In the other game, the Denver Nuggets are 9.5 point favorites over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Tonight is a pace up game for the Nuggets because they rank 25th in pace this season while the Thunder play at the 13th fastest pace in the league.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 1/19/21. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. With COVID-19 a significant factor, remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before line-up lock.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Mike Conley - PG, UTA vs. NO ($6,800)
Conley slides in as an ideal bridge player for tonight's slate. There are certainly more expensive options on the slate, but the veteran guard could produce similar results for a fraction of the price. The 14-year veteran averages 34.4 fantasy points per game (FPPG) this season, and that average is rising due to his recent form. Conley is tallying 16.0 points in his last five games, with 7.4 assists, 4.2 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 2.8 made threes. That's box-score stuffing magic from the former-Grizzlies star. It's adding up to 36.95 FPPG and ensuring that we don't forget Conley can still provide excellent numbers for DFS lineups. A bonus is the game versus the Pelicans is on his home floor, where he's averaging 39.6 FPPG compared to 32.1 FPPG on the road.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker - PG/SG, NO at UTA ($5,400)
Lonzo Ball is questionable for tonight's game and logged a full practice on Monday. That's a good indicator that he will play tonight. However, if the Pelicans decide to be cautious and sit Ball for another contest, Alexander-Walker becomes an easy option to move over to in your lineups. The sophomore guard has made three straight starts and produced incredible value for DFS managers. Last week, against the Los Angeles Clippers, NAW went off for 37 points, eight rebounds, and five made threes to rack up 52.5 DraftKings points. He's come back to earth with 17.25 and 27.25 points in his last two games, but we now know what kind of ceiling he has in his arsenal. It'll be hard to pass up on Alexander-Walker if Ball sits. Even if Ball is healthy, the 22-year old could be a great contrarian play as people begin to fade the young guard in their lineups before they lock.
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DraftKings DFS Forwards
Bojan Bogdanovic - SF/PF, UTA vs. NO ($5,300)
The forward from Bosnia and Herzegovina has been inconsistent, to say the least, this year. However, recently, he is showing signs of getting his season back on track. Bogdanovic has eclipsed 17 points in four of his last five games and found his groove beyond the arc. He is averaging 16.2 points in those five games, along with 3.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 3.2 threes while racking up 24.75 FPPG. Joe Ingles (Achilles) is questionable for tonight's matchup and hasn't seen the court since Jan. 10. If he sits another game, Bogdanovic will be in a terrific spot to continue his recent form and return a lot of value on his $5,300 price tag.
Isaiah Roby - PF/C, OKC at DEN ($4,100)
Al Horford (personal) will miss the game against the Nuggets. That gives Isaiah Roby his fourth start of the season, and if the other three starts are any indication of what to expect tonight, he will be a massive value. When the 22-year old in the starting lineup, Roby averages 14.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists while shooting 61.3 percent from the floor. All of those stats add up to 28.3 FPPG. The Nuggets are a formidable defense against power forwards, but the sophomore big man will have ample opportunity to rack up viable fantasy numbers. At $4,100, it's a great way to save some cash to spend big on a particular Serbian center on the other side of the court.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Nikola Jokic - C, DEN vs. OKC ($11,000)
Yes, this is obvious. No, I will not apologize. Sometimes analysis is as simple as picking the best player in the best matchup. That's precisely what Nikola Jokic is on tonight's slate. The All-NBA center is playing the best basketball of his career right now and averages 60.8 FPPG through 13 games. The 25-year old is posting insane numbers to begin the season, and, currently, he's averaging 25.0 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 10.3 assists. The Thunder are thin in the frontcourt, and it should allow the cookie monster to feast and produce a colossal fantasy point total for your DFS lineup.
"I'm a cookie monster."
How can you not love this man? ? pic.twitter.com/KTeJKdZ9NO
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 15, 2021
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