RADIO
Just six games on tonight's slate with only two players going over the $10K mark. Historically, Nikola Jokic plays well against the Jazz and he keeps his unicorn-ish form even in the face of Rudy Gobert's defense. Unfortunately, the Nuggets struggle to win those games despite Jokic's usually impressive stat line, so if you want to just play one of the top three, Jokic is the statistical matchup you are looking for. Both Kawhi Leonard and Trae Young have upside tonight, but for entirely different reasons.
Leonard plays well against the Kings, but could sit if this game gets out of hand early. Young is playing a tougher defense, but if he is hitting his shot, he will be underowned and the the most expensive value play you can find. As of right now, Jokic and Young are the more favorable plays tonight.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 1/30/20. These DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on FanDuel. You can also check out today's DraftKings lineup picks.
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FanDuel DFS Guards
Isaiah Thomas - PG, WAS vs. CHA ($4,100)
For value tonight, you have Mike Conley, Jeff Teague and Isaiah Thomas. Teague hasn't been doing poorly with the minutes, he's just not doing a lot. Sadly, the same can be said for Mike Conley, although he is returning from injury to assume a small role in the offense, I can't say it comes as a surprise. Despite this taking forever for me to conclude, Isaiah Thomas is going to be sneakily under-owned tonight. Many players will look him off because of the few minutes he gets and the Wizards current situation, but that would be denying the facts.
For the the first time since late December, Thomas has posted double-digit scoring efforts, four games in a row. If anything, he is trending upwards and with his price so low, it's hard to pass that up with how easily he can break through his projected, strictly from scoring. The Wizards getting the chance to face another fairly bad team increases everyone's upside in this game.
Jordan Clarkson - SG, UTA @ DEN ($3,800)
There are quite a few guards to choose from tonight, and to be completely honest, I didn't mean to choose consecutive picks from the same game, let alone the same team, the upside is just there. Clarkson has almost seen a type of resurgence with the Jazz and even with all the mouths to feed on that team, he has found fairly consistent usage within the offense. It has decreased over the previous week and a half, but Clarkson can't help but get shots up against the Nuggets and I expect that trend to stay the same even in Denver.
Javonte Green- PG, BOS vs. GSW ($3,900)
Before you say anything, it was between Javonte Green or Brad Wanamaker, and I refuse to put Brad Wanamaker's name on these articles again. Even with low-projected scores, Wanamaker seems to make it a thing that he always underachives in the box score. That's not an actual problem with a player, but if he can't produce where it matters in DFS, then he will never be worth the risk. Green on the other hand, has had less chances, and arguably made more of the opportunity.
In the Celtics rotation, Wanamaker seems somewhat secure while Green is more reliant on big leads and situations. Since the Celtics are facing the Warriors, this should be one of those situations where Green gets a few extra minutes and maybe even Brad Wanamaker will see enough time to make it worth it. Regardless, this is where you should be looking for a super-value play.
FanDuel DFS Forwards
Will Barton - PG/SF, DEN vs. UTA ($6,100)
Until Jamal Murray returns, Will Barton should continue to get that "PG" tag next to his name and that makes creating our lineup much easier. Denver has been starting games slowly and been resorting to high-scoring surges from players like Will Barton, usually in the second half of games. Since Nikola Jokic and Rudy Gobert are going to have their hands full in the paint, Barton should look to convert from outside and space the offense, rather than play exactly how Gobert wants them to by driving continuously.
Barton hasn't really benefitted from Murray's absence and his usage hasn't changed, which means the sooner Murray returns, the more upside Barton has. Luckily, until that happens, the Nuggets are going to need scoring and that means more shots from Barton, whether it's the best thing for the time or not.
Maurice Harkless - SF, LAC vs. SAC ($3,700)
By no means is there any real indication that Kawhi Leonard is sitting tonight. If anything, playing against the Kings means an "easy" divisional win...IF everything goes how it should. However, if Doc Rivers sees this as a game to rest Leonard, and maybe see how his team holds up against a rising team that will force the Clippers to run the floor, Harkless needs to be locked in. Leonard playing is critical to his upside, but even with Leonard in the rotation, Harkless will guaranteed minutes, the production just won't follow. His price won't hurt you which is the important thing here, but monitor this game because there is a ton of upside within the Clippers bench. Landry Shamet is another option with plenty of upside.
Omari Spellman - PF, GSW @ BOS ($3,600)
Even with the Celtics ranking as the top team against opposing power forwards, Omari Spellman uses his body in a way that defenses can't do much about. He doesn't usually get more than 20 minutes unless it's a blowout, so be careful about the risk, but the last time Spellman had a "big" game it came against Rudy Gobert and the Jazz. I'm not saying that his talent level is THERE just yet, but he can perform when the odds are stacked against him and he contributes in every category. There's a reason why his price is so low and until he finds some real consistency, he's going to be limited to spot starts like this.
FanDuel DFS Centers
Thomas Bryant - C, WAS vs. CHA ($4,400)
This is the matchup we want. A center with way too cheap of a price waiting for a bounce back game after missing some time. Bryant is due for a big game and there is no better opponent to have it against other than the Hornets. Literally, the worst team when it comes to defending centers. His price is way too low for his overall upside, let alone this game.
