Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Friday, January 17th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2025-01-17 23:25:53 Premium Content Part of the product NBA DFS

A daily fantasy sports OG, Notorious has been roaming the DFS streets ever since they were invented. He has racked up multiple live final seats and several six-figure tournament wins in his DFS career and has long been one of the top NBA DFS minds in the industry. On weekends, Taylor Smith takes the reins. Their Core Plays LIVE article will zoom out on the slate as a whole, zoom in on the best NBA DFS picks, and constantly update as news breaks. Whether you are diving into the slate 5 hours before it starts or 5 minutes before it starts, Core Plays LIVE has everything you need for your DraftKings and FanDuel lineups.

Happy Friday!

It’s always a good day when I can start the introduction with “Happy Friday!” We have officially made it to the weekend.

I used to love the movie Old School. One of my favorite lines is when one of the college kids asks Will Farrell’s character what he’s doing that weekend. “Well, um, actually, a pretty nice little Saturday; we’re going to go to Home Depot. Yeah, buy some wallpaper, maybe get some flooring, stuff like that. Maybe Bed, Bath, & Beyond, I don’t know, I don’t know if we’ll have enough time.” It’s funny because as I’ve gotten older, that is exactly what my Saturdays often look like, although it’s usually Lowe’s instead of Home Depot.

I actually do have a nice little weekend planned. We are taking our boys to the Utah Hockey Club game on Saturday night, and then we are going to dinner with my family on Sunday for my birthday. Unlike many, I don’t freak out about my age each year. While it’s surreal that I’m turning 38, Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Today is the oldest you’ve ever been, and the youngest you’ll ever be again.” It has always stuck with me, especially the second half of that quote.

Didn’t think I’d be quoting Old School and the former First Lady in today’s article, did you? We have 9 games on the NBA schedule tonight. As usual, DraftKings is leaving the 2 late games off their main slate, while FanDuel has all of the games on their main slate. The only team playing on the second half of a back-to-back is the Thunder.

Let’s dive into the team previews.

NBA DFS Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Friday, January 17th

• 9-game FD slate, 7-game DK slate
  - 7:00 PM ET – Orlando Magic at Boston Celtics
  - 7:30 PM ET – Minnesota Timberwolves at New York Knicks
  - 8:00 PM ET – Toronto Raptors at Milwaukee Bucks
  - 8:00 PM ET – Utah Jazz at New Orleans Pelicans
  - 8:00 PM ET – Denver Nuggets at Miami Heat
  - 8:00 PM ET – Charlotte Hornets at Chicago Bulls
  - 8:30 PM ET – Oklahoma City Thunder at Dallas Mavericks
  - 9:30 PM ET – Memphis Grizzlies at San Antonio Spurs
  - 10:30 PM ET – Brooklyn Nets at Los Angeles Lakers
• Front end of a back-to-back: Celtics, Wolves
• Back end of a back-to-back: Thunder
• NBA DFS Optimizer
• NBA Starting Lineups
• NBA DFS Injury Report: The Situation Room
• Scroll to FanDuel and DraftKings Rankings & Core Plays

Editor’s Note: Looking for more places to play? Check out our Underdog Fantasy promo code and PrizePicks promo code, two of the best DFS apps available today.

News Updates

1:45 PM ET – Yves Miss has been ruled out for the Pelicans. Josh Giddey is now probable for the Bulls.

Team Previews

Orlando Magic (at BOS)

We kick the slate off with the Magic, who have a lengthy injury report once again. They have ruled out Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, Moe Wagner, Gary Harris, and Goga Bitadze. They travel to Boston to take on the Celtics, who are one of the toughest matchups on the slate. The Magic are 14-point underdogs and have a team total of only 99 points. I’m not forcing anyone from Orlando into my lineups, but Jonathan Isaac (1.04 DK / 1.12 FD) and Wendell Carter (0.92 DK / 0.94 FD) should both see an uptick in minutes.

Boston Celtics (vs. ORL)

The Celtics have the worst recipe for NBA DFS value — they are playing in a game with a 14-point spread, they have a balanced offense, they are expected to be at full strength, and they have a difficult against the Magic. The Celtics have a team total that is 4 points lower than their season average and don’t have a single player with a positive RGValue.

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