Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Wednesday, January 8th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2025-01-08 23:36:03 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 Wednesday!

I ended up a few points shy of the cash line last night. I’m at the stage of my life where it’s difficult to stay locked into injury news all night every night. When big news drops after lock (like Nikola Jokic last night), I don’t always have the time to catch it and adjust. While nobody loves dealing with late scratches, I miss the non-late-swap days of NBA DFS. Being able to set lineups and forget them (if you so choose) was the best, but I digress. I still love NBA DFS and will keep grinding.

For tonight’s slate, there are 8 games on the schedule. The latest game (SAS/MIL) tips off at 9:30 PM ET, so those living on the East Coast can get to bed a little earlier tonight. All 8 games are included on the main slates for both FanDuel and DraftKings. We have 3 teams on the second half of a back-to-back (Wizards, Pelicans, Nuggets) and 4 teams on the front half of a back-to-back (Cavaliers, Raptors, Pistons, Blazers). Let’s dive into the team previews.

NBA DFS Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Wednesday, January 8th

• 8-game main slate
  - 7:00 PM ET – Chicago Bulls at Indiana Pacers
  - 7:00 PM ET – Washington Wizards at Philadelphia 76ers
  - 7:00 PM ET – Oklahoma City Thunder at Cleveland Cavaliers
  - 7:30 PM ET – Toronto Raptors at New York Knicks
  - 7:30 PM ET – Detroit Pistons at Brooklyn Nets
  - 8:00 PM ET – Portland Trail Blazers at New Orleans Pelicans
  - 9:00 PM ET – Los Angeles Clippers at Denver Nuggets
  - 9:30 PM ET – San Antonio Spurs at Milwaukee Bucks
• Front end of a back-to-back: Cavaliers, Raptors, Pistons, Blazers
• Back end of a back-to-back: Wizards, Pelicans, Nuggets
• 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

This section will be updated as injury news is released throughout the day.

Team Previews

Chicago Bulls (at IND)

We kick off the slate with the Bulls, who will be without Ayo Dosunmu and Torrey Craig. This is one of the top game environments on the board, as both teams like to push the pace. The Pacers are 24th in rebounding rate and 22nd in points allowed per game this season. The Bulls come into this game with a team total of 118 points.

Josh Giddey is volatile on a per-game basis but makes for an excellent tournament play. He has topped 40 fantasy points in 3 of his last 6 games. Coby White and Zach LaVine are also viable in tournaments, as they’ll both push for 35 minutes in this favorable matchup. Nikola Vucevic has a high floor (38+ fantasy points in 10 straight games) but offers more appeal on small slates. If you need value, you can certainly do worse than Patrick Williams and Lonzo Ball.

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