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We have a traditionally large slate for MLK Day on Monday, as there are nine games on the ledger with the Cavs-Wizards game postponed. That means plenty of lucrative tournaments and big stars to choose from, particularly on the all-day slate.
Both COVID-19 and more conventional injuries will claim some big names Monday, but there will still be plenty of opportunities to both spend up and take advantage of value plays that have the ability to outpace their current salaries.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 1/18/21. I’ll be providing multiple player 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
Damian Lillard, PG – vs. SA ($10,100)
There are a couple of other huge names (Doncic, Harden) at guard that you can certainly consider if you’re able to afford them, but Lillard checks in with a lower salary than both and carries some pretty impressive upside in his own right. Dame is averaging 44.4 FD points per contest and comes into Monday with a pair of 60-plus fantasy-point performances in his last six games, along with a 54.9 tally his most recent time on the floor Saturday against the Hawks. The Spurs also check in allowing 50.0 percent shooting to point guards -- including 47.2 percent from three-point range -- while Lillard boasts a 29.2 percent usage rate and is averaging 1.22 FD points per minute this season. Additionally, the former figure bumps up to 29.9 with Jusuf Nurkic (wrist) off the floor.
Dejounte Murray, PG – at POR ($7,800)
Murray is in a good spot himself on the opposite end of the Spurs-Blazers matchup, as Portland’s 105.1 possessions per game bring a slight bump in pace for San Antonio and the Blazers also come in allowing the sixth-most points per game (115.2). Murray checks in on an upswing as well, having scored over 40 FD points in three of his last five games, a stretch during which he’s produced a well-rounded line of 15.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.8 steals. The Blazers also make for a good positional matchup, as they give up the fifth-highest offensive efficiency (30.7 percent) to point guards, along with the second-most points (29.4), fifth-most rebounds (7.5) and ninth-highest three-point percentage (39.5) to the position.
Victor Oladipo, SG – at CHI ($7,500)
Oladipo makes for an interesting consideration in his Rockets debut, as the sharpshooter will take the floor without John Wall (knee) and should therefore have an elevated role right from the jump. Oladipo was already in the midst of a fine season with the Pacers, posting career highs in points (20.0) and rebounds (5.7) while generating the second-best three-point shooting percentage (36.2) of his career. The Bulls have given up the sixth-highest three-point percentage overall (38.6), and they’re allowing a very similar 38.3 percent success rate from distance to two-guards specifically. Moreover, Chicago is also ranked in the bottom half of the league in points (25.7) and steals (1.8) per game allowed to twos, with the latter figure particularly relevant in Oladipo’s case considering his 1.7 steals per contest.
Also consider: Luka Doncic ($11,300); James Harden ($10,300); DeMar DeRozan ($8,200)
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FanDuel DFS Forwards
Christian Wood, PF – at CHI ($9,800)
Pairing Oladipo with Wood is certainly very feasible salary-wise Monday, and it makes plenty of sense when considering both should have elevated usage rates with John Wall (knee) still out of action for Houston and James Harden now in Brooklyn. Wood boasts an average of 43.97 FD points per contest, and he’s sporting a 28.1 percent usage rate and putting up a whopping 1.42 FD points per minute in his first two games since The Beard’s trade. The Bulls have been vulnerable to frontcourt players all season as well, allowing the seventh-highest offensive efficiency (81.5 percent) to power forwards and centers, along with 54.9 percent shooting, including 39.6 percent from distance, to fives specifically.
Kristaps Porzingis, PF – at TOR ($6,900)
Porzingis could prove to be one of the best fantasy-point-per-dollar plays of the day Monday, as he’s posted 26.8 to 35.6 FD points in his first three games and already worked up to 33 minutes in Sunday’s contest against the Bulls. The big man’s shot is still rounding into form after his long layoff, but he’ll be in a good position to continue his ongoing ascension Monday. The opposing Raptors come in ranked just outside the bottom 10 in offensive efficiency allowed to power forwards (25.4 percent), and Toronto is also yielding 50.0 percent shooting, including the second-highest success rate from three-point range (43.8 percent), to fours.
Duncan Robinson, SF – vs. DET ($5,200)
Robinson lit up the same Pistons squad he’ll face Monday for a season-high 34.3 FD points Saturday, and with Jimmy Butler expected to sit out again for the Heat on Monday due to COVID-19 protocols, Robinson could be in for another expanded role. The third-year wing is now shooting an elite 42.6 percent from behind the arc following his 5-for-8 tally from three-point range Saturday, an unsurprisingly strong performance considering Detroit is giving up 38.8 percent three-point shooting overall, the fifth-highest figure in the league. The Pistons have particularly been vulnerable to long-range shooting from small forwards, as they allow the second-highest success rate from distance to the position (45.4 percent).
Also consider: Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,300); Kevin Durant ($10,500); LeBron James ($9,500); Bam Adebayo ($8,500); Chris Boucher ($8,100)
FanDuel DFS Centers
Nikola Vucevic – at NY ($9,900)
Vucevic carries the second-highest salary of any center on the slate, but with Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,800) out due to COVID-19 protocols, the Magic’s big man carries the heftiest investment for any healthy player. Vucevic is averaging 45.34 FD points per game for the season, and he’s already exceeded 50 FD points in three of eight January games. He’ll be popular in tournaments after racking up a season-high 67.5 FD points against the Nets on Saturday, and the Knicks make for especially tantalizing targets Monday. New York is allowing the second-highest offensive efficiency (35.5 percent), second-most points (26.2) and most blocks (3.5) per game to centers, along with 54.1 percent shooting, including 37.3 percent from three-point range.
Clint Capela – vs. MIN ($7,000)
Capela is another big man with a soft matchup down low Monday. As just mentioned in Vucevic’s entry, the Timberwolves will be without Karl-Anthony Towns, and Minnesota already comes in allowing NBA-high 40.6 percent offensive efficiency to centers, along with the most points per game (28.5) and second-highest shooting percentage (60.7) to the position. Capela is coming off a season-high 56.0 FD points against the Blazers on Saturday, flashing an elite ceiling that far outpaces his current salary. Finally, consider the T-Wolves are also giving up an NBA-high 54.7 points in the paint per contest, while Capela is scoring 87.6 percent of his points in that part of the floor.
James Wiseman – at LAL ($4,400)
Wiseman is coming off one of the best games of his rookie campaign, posting 35.0 FD points against the Nuggets on Thursday. The first-round pick should be well-rested Monday, and he’ll enter the contest against the defending champs with tallies of greater than 20 FD points in five of his last seven games overall. The Lakers aren’t an easy task for centers on paper, but it’s worth noting Los Angeles is ranked in the bottom half of the league with 21.2 points per game allowed to fives, partly the byproduct of giving up 51.9 percent shooting, including 39.6 percent from three-point range, to the position. Wiseman is shooting an impressive 40.0 percent from behind the arc, and given he’s already exceeded 5x his current salary in half of his 12 games thus far, he could turn out to be one of the best fantasy-point-per-dollar plays at the position on the all-day slate.
Also consider: Deandre Ayton ($6,700); Wendell Carter Jr. ($5,900); Montrezl Harrell ($5,400)
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