RADIO
Happy Tuesday, Rotoballers! The NBA season is two weeks old, and every team has played at least a handful of games at this point. Five games don't give us a workable sample size, and DFS managers shouldn't jump to any early definitive conclusions. However, if you have noticed a trend or new twist to a player's game, feel free to go with your gut and keep going to the well. You may have stumbled on to something that no one else is noticing right now.
It's tough to avoid the Portland Trail Blazers-Chicago Bulls game tonight. This game has the highest over/under (234 points), and the Trail Blazers have the highest implied team total (122 points). Many folks will flock to Damian Lillard (and understandably so), but C.J. McCollum is averaging more fantasy points per game this season and is $1,400 cheaper. The Utah Jazz versus the Brooklyn Nets will also be an exciting contest. It has the second-highest over/under among the five-game slate, but an interesting twist will be who fills the stat sheet in Kevin Durant's absence.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 1/5/21. 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.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
C.J. McCollum - PG/SG, POR vs. CHI ($8,400)
McCollum is averaging 28 points, 5.7 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 47.8 FPPG through seven games this season. He hasn't tallied less than 36 fantasy points in any contest, and that ensures the 29-year old as a lock to return four-times his value tonight. Furthermore, he's hit the five-times value mark in six of seven and the six-times value benchmark in three of seven. The Bulls defense ranks bottom-seven in points allowed per game (121.3) and opponent field-goal percentage (48.1 percent).
Jamal Murray - PG, DEN vs. MIN ($7,600)
After a sluggish start to the season, Murray is catching fire as the calendar turns to 2021. He's coming off back-to-back 30-point performances and set consecutive season-highs with 48.0 and 51.75 DK points against the Pheonix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves, respectively.
Luckily for DFS players, he is playing the Timberwolves again on Tuesday night. He dropped 36 points on Sunday, along with five rebounds, four assists, one steal, and three three-pointers in 36 minutes. As of this writing, the Nuggets have the second-highest implied team total on the slate. Murray runs hot and cold, but right now, he is burning up the court. Smash him into your lineups tonight and reap the benefits of a player producing some fine basketball.
Patty Mills - PG/SG, SA at LAC ($3,700)
Derrick White sustained a toe injury that will keep him out for the foreseeable future. That opens up 23.0 minutes in San Antonio's backcourt. While it could go to several players, veteran guard Mills is likely to be the bridge and the most immediate benefactor. The Australian ball handler sees 23.4 minutes per game this season and provides 12.3 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.5 threes per contest. If he can get bumped up to 26-27 minutes, he will likely build on his 21.3 FPPG mark through seven games. At $3,7o0 he is an incredible salary relief play tonight. He's topped 20 points in three of his last five games and is on track to make it four of six this evening.
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Kyle Anderson - SF/PF, MEM vs. LAL ($6,300)
Anderson is priced at $6,300 tonight but is averaging 34.5 FPPG. That means if he has an average game, he will return at least five-times his salary. DFS managers should happily fill one of their forward slots with that type of floor. The 27-year old has three games with at least 40 DK points and sees a boost with all the injuries plaguing the Grizzlie's rotation. It's worth mentioning that the Los Angeles Lakers just held him to 25 DK points, but he is also averaging 46.6 FPPG when being held below a 30-point outing. Anderson's bounce-back would be a massive boost to DFS lineups everywhere and should make him a difference-maker given the tough matchup with the Lakers.
Joe Harris - SG/SF, BKN vs. UTA ($5,600)
Harris has eclipsed 30 DK points in three of his last four outings and is thriving in the Nets offense with Spencer Dinwiddie out for the season. The Jazz is the fourth-worst three-point shooting defense in the league (41.1 percent allowed), and that's where Harris makes his mark. The 29-year old is in the middle of a hot-shotting streak as he's made 56 percent (14-for-25) of his three in his last four games.
JaMychal Green - PF, DEN vs. MIN ($3,800)
It's a good idea to grab another piece of this Denver offense against a Minnesota defense that allowed this same team to rack up 124 points just two nights ago. Green played 27 minutes in that game and put up 14 points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals, and three makes from downtown. In the two games he's played with his new team, the 30-year old is averaging 1.17 DK points/minute compared to Paul Milsap's 0.77 DKP/minute. It's not crazy to think that Green could eat into Milsap's minutes as the season rolls along, and he's already put up good numbers on the Timberwolves on Sunday. Head Coach Michael Malone may opt to keep the good times flowing and give Green some extended run in a game with the biggest spread (Denver -12) on the five-game slate.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Jarrett Allen - C, BKN vs. UTA ($5,800)
Allen's rebounding ability makes him a tempting play tonight because he has shown that he can accompany the rebounding with double-digit scoring recently. In two of his last three games, the fourth-year big man has notched a double-double and tallied at least 33 DK points. On the year, Allen averages 9.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 27.8 DK points. Tonight's game against the Jazz will be tough with Rudy Gobert battling on the boards, but Allen's cost is low enough that he's worth a flyer in tournaments.
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