Monday brings us an eight-game slate that features a strong collection of big names taking the floor, despite the 76ers still dealing with plenty of COVID-19 absences and a knee injury to Ben Simmons that has the star guard listed as doubtful.
With the Bucks, Hawks, Mavs and Trail Blazers among the teams in action, we should see the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo (if he overcomes his back spasms), Trae Young, Luka Doncic and Damian Lillard serve as some of the most popular players on the ledger.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 1/11/21. I’ll be providing multiple suggestions for players at guard, forward and center on FanDuel, aiming to highlight one option apiece at the high, middle and lower end of the salary scale. You can also check out DraftKings lineup picks and injury news before lineups lock. Good luck, RotoBallers.
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FanDuel DFS Guards
Malcolm Brogdon, PG – at SAC ($8,400)
Luka Donic has a tough matchup against Lonzo Ball’s defense and is $3,100 more expensive than Brogdon, who makes for a nice cost-savings pivot with plenty of upside in his own right. The fifth-year guard has been excellent offensively over his first nine games, averaging a career-high 23.4 points on 49.7 percent shooting, including a career-best 47.5 percent from three-point range. Brogdon is also taking nearly 18 shot attempts per contest and checks into Monday’s tilt having eclipsed 50 FD points in three of his last four. The matchup against the Kings is tantalizing as well, considering Sacramento is allowing the second-highest offensive efficiency (61.1) to guards, along with 48.5 percent shooting.
Devin Booker, SG – at WAS ($7,500)
Booker hasn’t had as much responsibility on his shoulders this season as in years past with the addition of Chris Paul and the development of Mikal Bridges, but he’s still averaging a solid 22.0 points on 16.2 shot attempts per contest. The six-year vet is averaging 32.9 FD points per game and just eclipsed the 40-mark for the first time Saturday against the Pacers. He has a solid opportunity to turn in a second consecutive fantasy-friendly outing, considering the ultra-fast-paced Wizards are allowing the fourth-highest offensive efficiency to guards (56.9), along with the seventh-most points (26.7) and third-most steals (2.1) to twos specifically.
Donte Divincenzo, SG – at ORL ($4,600)
DiVincenzo makes for an intriguing value play in a matchup against the worst defensive team in the league against backcourts thus far, the Magic. Orlando is allowing the highest offensive efficiency (61.3) to guards, along with 49.2 percent shooting and the most rebounds (15.8) per contest to the position as well. DiVincenzo is being given every opportunity with the starting two-guard role and has made good use of it, shooting an outstanding 47.1 percent from distance on his way to double-digit scoring tallies in nine of 10 contests. There’s been some fluctuation to DiVincenzo’s production – making him a better fit for larger-field tourneys – but it’s worth noting he’s already delivered over 5x Monday’s salary in six of his first 10 games.
Also consider: Damian Lillard, POR ($9,600); LaMelo Ball, CHA ($7,400); Tyrese Haliburton, SAC ($5,400); Tyrese Maxey, PHI ($5,200)
FanDuel DFS Forwards
Julius Randle, PF – at CHA ($9,400)
It’s almost a coin flip for me between Randle and Domantas Sabonis ($9,200), who I’ve recommended in the additional considerations section. However, I have the slightest preference for Randle, who’s averaging 46.01 FD points per game and has scored 43.9 to 57.9 FD points in four straight contests. The one-time seventh overall pick boasts career highs in points (22.6), rebounds (12.0) and assists (7.3), and he’s even shooting a career-high 36.4 percent from three-point range at the moment. The Hornets shape up as appealing targets as well, considering they’re ranked in the bottom five or 10 in nearly every category against frontcourt players, and they’ve allowed 49.2 percent shooting and NBA-high 31.6 offensive efficiency to power forwards specifically. Finally, consider Charlotte is tied for the seventh-lowest shooting percentage (44.5) and allows the ninth-most defensive rebounds per game (36.9), while 10.2 of Randle’s career-high 12.0 rebounds per contest come on the defensive glass.
Mikal Bridges, SF – at WAS ($5,700)
Bridges has been one of the catalysts of the Suns’ surprising 7-3 start, posting career-high averages in points (15.2), rebounds (5.4), blocks (1.3) and three-point percentage (46.7) while proving a highly capable replacement for the departed Kelly Oubre. Bridges is coming off a career-high 34-point tally against the Pacers on Saturday, so he figures to be relatively popular Monday. However, the matchup against the Wizards is difficult to resist, with Washington allowing the most points per game (122.7) and the third-highest offensive efficiency (140.1) to opponents overall. Additionally, the Wiz, which also average an NBA-high 109.8 possessions per game, have facilitated plenty of offensive success to Bridges’ small forward position, surrendering a 50.0 percent success rate from the floor, including 47.9 percent from behind the arc, to threes.
Danny Green, SF -- at ATL ($4,800)
Green should be in for an elevated role once again Monday, as the 76ers still project to be without Ben Simmons and Seth Curry in the starting five, along with a host of other rotation players. The veteran wing stepped up to provide 28.1 FD points under similar circumstances against the Nuggets on Saturday, and he’s now been over 20 FD points in five consecutive contests overall. Green has been atypically inefficient from in front of the arc this season, but with double-digit shot attempts in three of his last four and only Joel Embiid projected to return Monday from Philadelphia’s extensive list of sidelined players, the veteran should still have a solid role against a Hawks team that’s giving up 46.7 percent shooting to small forwards and 47.3 percent to two-guards, the two spots Green projects to spend time in.
Also consider: Domantas Sabonis, IND ($9,200); Khris Middleton, MIL ($7,800); Cam Reddish, ATL ($4,500)
FanDuel DFS Centers
Andre Drummond – vs. MEM ($9,900)
Drummond, who’s doing his usual masterful job on the boards thus far this season, faces a Grizzlies team that ranks in the bottom 10 in defensive rebounds allowed per game and that’s also sporting the fourth-lowest team shooting percentage (44.1). Meanwhile, Drummond’s own Cavaliers are also in the bottom 10 with a 44.7 percent success rate from the floor themselves, meaning there should be plenty of work for the veteran big man on both the offensive and defensive glass Monday. Additionally, the Grizzlies surrender the fourth-most rebounds per game to centers (16.6), as well as 54.7 percent shooting to the position. The latter figure could be particularly relevant in Drummond’s case, as he’s putting up a career-high 16.5 shot attempts per contest on his way to an average of 46.18 FD points.
Jonas Valanciunas – at CLE ($6,900)
Valanciunas will face off with Drummond plenty Monday, and he, too, will be in a good position to capitalize on several factors. To begin with, as noted in Drummond’s entry, the Cavs have been far from the most accurate team shooting-wise, while the Grizzlies have had their own struggles consistently finding the net. Therefore, Valanciunas will be positioned for a fair share of rebounds himself, and deciding which of the two centers to play in this matchup will likely come down to what you can afford in salary. Valanciunas has also been cleared from the COVID-19 protocols that got him booted off the court halfway through Friday’s game against the Nets, and he’s delivered over 5x his current salary in five of the eight games he’s played a normal allotment of minutes in so far. Finally, it’s worth noting the Cavs have helped centers round out their fantasy production with some defensive stats this season, giving up the most steals (2.4) and 2.2 blocks to the position per contest.
Robin Lopez – vs. PHO ($3,500)
It’s difficult to predict exactly how head coach Scott Brooks will handle his center rotation now that Thomas Bryant has been ruled out for the season with a torn ACL. In Saturday’s loss to the Heat, the game in which Bryant suffered his injury during the first quarter, Lopez and Mortiz Wagner ($4,000) played 21 and 20 minutes, respectively, while producing matching 13-point tallies. Some reports indicate each player will see about an equal amount of minutes, and Monday’s matchup will provide the first opportunity to get a glimpse of what Brooks plans on. For the time being, going with the minimum-salaried Lopez as the value play at the position seems prudent, especially considering Phoenix is allowing the fifth-highest shooting percentage (57.8) to centers.
Also consider: Nikola Vucevic, ORL ($9,000); Deandre Ayton, PHO ($6,700); Moritz Wagner, WAS ($4,000)