Hittin' The Nuts: Squirrelpatrol's NBA DFS Lineup Advice - Thursday, January 18th
Want to hit the nuts and take down 1st place in these massive contests posted by FanDuel and DraftKings? Who better to walk you through their favorite NBA DFS picks than Squirrelpatrol! Undoubtedly one of the best DFS players in the game today, Squirrelpatrol has accumulated 90+ Live Final seats, won the FanDuel 2021 World Fantasy Basketball Championship for $500,000, and most recently, took down the NFL Milly Maker in Week 2.
Thursday night brings a 5-game NBA slate with both injury news and trade repercussions. The first two games tip off at 7:30 PM ET when the Bulls visit the Raptors in a game with a 227 total and Chicago favored by 2 points, while the Wizards go to MSG to play the Knicks in a game with a 234 total and New York favored by 12. At 9:00 PM ET, we have the Thunder visiting the Jazz in a game with a 244 total and OKC favored by 3.5 points. The final two games are at 10:00 PM ET, as the Pacers are 7.5-point underdogs visiting the Kings in a game with a 246 total, and the Timberwolves are 12.5-point favorites at home against the Grizzlies in a game with a 215 total.
Two recent NBA trades are shaking up the slate, as the Wizards traded away their two backup centers, Mike Muscala and Danilo Gallinari, then promptly watched starter Daniel Gafford get injured. The recently acquired Marvin Bagley is a possibility to start, but the situation is worth monitoring.
The Raptors and Pacers are also both on the slate after the recent Pascal Siakam trade. The traded players are not expected to play for their respective teams, while the Raptors are still missing Jakob Poeltl, and the Pacers are still missing Tyrese Haliburton.
With some teams shorthanded due to trades and injuries, and new faces in new places, this should be an interesting slate Let’s sort through everything and figure out what to do with our DFS lineups.
NBA DFS Lineup Advice: Squirrelpatrol’s ‘Hittin’ The Nuts’ (January 18th)
High Flyers
Who are the players I’m picking first for my squad? These guys are the first selections for both my cash game and tournament lineups, and I’ll sacrifice elsewhere, if need be, to ensure I get them in:
Julius Randle
FanDuel: $9,000
DraftKings: $8,800
The Wizards are the worst rebounding team in the NBA by a large margin, allowing 49.8 rebounds per game with the worst rebounding differential. Now they’re down their top three centers from the beginning of the season and are facing a Knicks team that has the best rebounding differential in the NBA. Randle should be able to feast tonight. The blowout possibility is a bit of a concern, but Randle ranks 12th in the league in minutes per game, just one spot below teammate Jalen Brunson.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
FanDuel: $11,000
DraftKings: $10,200
The Thunder play at the 6th-fastest pace in the NBA, and tonight, they meet a Utah team that plays at the 10th-fastest pace, giving this game one of the higher totals on the night. SGA has been outstanding for OKC again this season, putting up 31 points per game while averaging career highs in assists (6.3) and steals (2.3). There is enough value to spend up for the most expensive player on both sites, and I’ll be getting to SGA in plenty of my lineups.
Site Specialists
Just like a good 3-and-D small forward, sometimes a player fits the specific need we have on the specific site we’re playing on. These are the guys that stand out on one particular site:
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