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MLK Day is always one of the more momentous days on the NBA calendar each season, and today is certainly no exception. While the Association does feature a full ledger of action that tips off with a Pelicans-Celtics tilt at 12:30pm ET, we'll focus on the main slates on DK and FD. There's a one-game difference between the two, as FD includes the Bucks-Hawks game that starts at 6pm ET, while DK only offers contests involving that game in its single-game Showdown format.
While we still have a solid player pool to choose from, there are a couple of games in particular that could be hotbeds for DFS production. Those contests will become evident in today's player suggestions, which focus fairly heavily on several favorable positional matchups in those games.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 1/17/22. Remember to monitor the NBA injury report as the slate can completely change before lineups lock. Good luck, RotoBallers.
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DraftKings and FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Dejounte Murray - PG/SG, SAS vs. PHX ($10,000 DK; $10,200 FD)
Murray is averaging over 47 fantasy points on both sites this season, a career-best campaign for the young guard. Murray has enjoyed plenty of success against the Suns over two previous encounters as well despite the tough matchup on paper, averaging well north of 50 fantasy points on both sites while shooting a solid 47.1 percent. Phoenix has allowed 47.6 DK/43.3 FD points per game to PGs over the last seven games as well, while Murray has averaged 54.7 DK/53.5 FD points per game over the last six contests.
Anfernee Simons - PG/SG, POR at ORL ($8,000 DK; $7,600 FD)
Simons has been outstanding in Damian Lillard's stead during the latter's current absence, posting well over 40 fantasy points on each site over the last six games, including a pair of tallies over 50. The 2018 first-round pick has shot a blistering 51.3 percent, including 45.7 percent from three-point range, over that span. Simons draws an enviable matchup as well Monday, as the Magic have allowed 47.6 DK/46.9 FD points per game to point guards on the season, along with the sixth-highest offensive efficiency to the position (26.8 percent). What's more, Orlando has conceded an Eastern Conference-high 25.7 assists per home game, furthering Simons' already strong case.
Jalen Suggs - SG/PG, ORL vs. POR ($4,800 DK; $5,400 FD)
Suggs returned to action from an extended absence due to a thumb injury two games ago, and he's delivered over 20 DK points in each of those contests. The rookie bumped up to 24 minutes in his most recent contest, and another increase in playing time should be in store Monday. Suggs will have a chance to go up against a player returning from an extended injury sabbatical himself in CJ McCollum, and Portland already checks in allowing the seventh-highest offensive efficiency to shooting guards (22.4 percent), along with 44.0 DK/42.2 FD points per contest to the position over the last seven games. Portland is also giving up the highest three-point percentage on the road (38.9), enhancing Suggs' candidacy at his very reasonable salaries.
Also consider: Mike Conley ($6,100; $6,200)
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DraftKings and FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Kristaps Porzingis - PF/C, DAL vs. OKC ($7,900 DK, $9,400 FD)
Porzingis jumped back into action after a seven-game stay in COVID-19 protocols Saturday night, and he posted 32.3 DK/32.4 FD points over 28 minutes against Orlando. Porzingis gets another appealing matchup Monday night against the Thunder, which have allowed the ninth-highest offensive efficiency to power forwards (27.4 percent), along with 48.6 DK/47.1 FD points per game to the position on the season. Porzingis had scored over 45 fantasy points on each site in the last four games before his absence with a 30-minute-plus workload, and he could certainly bump back up to that level of playing time Monday. OKC has also allowed an NBA-high 59.2 rebounds per road contest, so Porzingis is certainly a very viable candidate for the double-double bonus on DK.
Robert Covington - SF/PF/C, POR at ORL ($6,400 DK; $5,900 FD)
Covington has significantly stepped up his production in the absence of Larry Nance (knee), who'll sit out another game Monday. Covington has scored over 40 fantasy points twice on each site in those games and over 30 on another pair of occasions while posting a very well-rounded line of 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 3.0 steals and 1.8 blocks. The veteran big man will be in prime position to once again thrive Monday, as the Magic have surrendered the eighth-highest offensive efficiency to PFs (27.7 percent), along with an NBA-high 50.8 DK/49.3 FD points per contest to the position on the season.
Keldon Johnson - SF/PF, SAS vs. PHX ($5,100 DK; $4,900 FD)
Johnson has seen an appealing drop in salary compared to earlier in the season, but he still checks into Monday's matchup averaging a solid 27.5 DK/26.3 FD points per contest. The young big has returned from a recent three-game absence in strong form as well, averaging 17.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists over his first three games back while shooting 51.4 percent, including 47.4 percent from behind the arc. Johnson has also shot 47.1 percent in two prior games against the Suns this season, while Phoenix has been particularly vulnerable to power forwards recently while allowing 49.8 fantasy points to the position on each site over the last seven games.
Also consider: Jimmy Butler ($8,900; $9,100)
DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Rudy Gobert - UTA at LAL ($8,300 DK; $8,600 FD)
Gobert came back from a five-game absence due to a COVID-19-related absence and looked like he'd never missed a beat, posting an 18-point, 19-rebound double-double against the Nuggets on Sunday. The Stifle Tower shouldn't be too fatigued on the second game of a back-to-back set Monday due to the time off he had before the game versus Denver, and he'll have a chance to put up big numbers again in a favorable matchup versus the Lakers. L.A. has significant problems defensively and Gobert will have a notable size advantage on LeBron James, who's been toiling away at center for the Lakers of late. Los Angeles is allowing 61.9 DK/59.9 FD points per game to centers in the last seven as well, locking Gobert in as an excellent fantasy-point-per-dollar play.
Omer Yurtseven - MIA vs. TOR ($6,800 DK; $7,000 FD)
Yurtseven has been a revelation during his starting run in place of Bam Adebayo (thumb) and Dewayne Dedmon (knee), averaging 13.6 points, 13.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steal across 30.9 minutes over 10 games. Adebayo is likely to return Monday, but given it will be his first action since Nov. 29, he'll almost certainly be on a minutes restriction. That should still allow Yurtseven to log a solid allotment of minutes in his own right, and given his efficiency and the likelihood he'll potentially get to face more second-unit defenders, the big man could still certainly deliver a strong return on investment against a Raptors squad yielding over 50 fantasy points per contest on each site to centers in the last 15 games.
Also consider: Jusuf Nurkic ($8,100; $7,500)
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