NBA DFS Picks Today (1/1): DraftKings & FanDuel Top Plays, Sleepers
Happy New Year! The first day of 2024 is a big one on the sports calendar, including a nice little 6-game NBA slate starting at 7:30 ET. Both DraftKings and FanDuel have once again booted the deep-night game off the board, so every game on the slate starts within 90 minutes of one another.
Below, you’ll find a few NBA DFS picks that stand out on DraftKings and FanDuel as of the early afternoon hours. If you’re looking for more in-depth analysis, sign up for RG Premium.
Top NBA DFS DraftKings Lineup Optimizer Value
PG/SG Bradley Beal ($6,100)
Bradley Beal has been in and out of the Suns’ lineup all year long, but the team hasn’t been shy about ramping up his minutes since his return from his latest ankle injury. After logging 30 minutes in his first game back, Beal got up to 35 in the last game. He was a remarkably efficient 10-for-13 from the floor in that one, but that was enough for him to pay off his salaries in the $6,000 range.
Tonight, Beal’s checking in at just $6,100 on DraftKings for a favorable home matchup against an undermanned Blazers outfit. Beal likely won’t be quite as productive on a per-minute basis as he was as The Guy in Washington, but his 0.95 FP/minute rate through 8 games in Phoenix is still solid enough.
Beal’s ultimate ceiling is questionable considering he’s having to share the ball with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker these days, but he should be an efficient scorer in this offense with defenses having to pay so much attention to the Suns’ other weapons.
Top NBA DFS FanDuel Lineup Optimizer Value
C Jalen Duren ($6,700)
At long last, the Pistons’ record-setting losing streak came to an end over the weekend with a victory over the Raptors. Tonight. the Pistons will look to try to start a winning streak when they take on the Rockets in Houston. Detroit has too much talent on the roster to be as bad as they’ve been so far this season, so perhaps there’s still hope they can turn things around.
One of the Pistons’ promising youngsters is Jalen Duren, who’s missed time already this season with injuries. The second-year center returned after missing a few weeks with an ankle issue 3 games ago, and Detroit has quickly rushed him back into a big role. Duren’s logged at least 33 minutes in each of the 3 games since his comeback, and he’s one of the team’s more impressive per-minute producers (1.16).
The Rockets have been a much-improved defensive side this season, but they’re not quite as dominant on that end of the floor with Dillon Brooks and (possibly) Jabari Smith missing from the lineup. Duren makes for an attractive midrange value viable in all formats at $6,700 on FanDuel.
NBA DFS Sleepers
PF Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,000 DK, $12,400 FD)
Will Giannis Antetokounmpo actually fly under the radar on this slate? Time will tell. As of this writing, Giannis is projected for about 2% ownership on FanDuel at his hefty $12,400 salary, while he’s coming in around 12% at just $11,000 on DraftKings. Ownership projections are always subject to change, of course, and Antetokounmpo’s pOWN% will likely rise if we get more value later in the day.
Regardless, it’s hard not to have interest in paying up for the Greek Freak here. The Bucks will once again take on the Pacers in what will already be the 4th meeting of the season between the teams. Indiana has allowed the most points in the paint per game on the year, which is obviously glorious for a guy like Giannis who does most of his offensive damage in the paint. In related news, Antetokounmpo is averaging 51.7 real points per game against the Pacers this season. That includes the career-high 64 points he put on the board against them in their last matchup.
This slate features quite a few appealing spend-up options in Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, and Tyrese Haliburton, but Giannis draws the best matchup of the lot.
PG/SG Donovan Mitchell ($9,500 DK, $10,300 FD)
Donovan Mitchell missed about a week with an illness, but he returned in a big way over the weekend. The Cavs came up short against the Bucks, but Mitchell carried his team with 34 points, 9 assists, and 6 rebounds across 36 minutes of action.
Tonight, the Cavs draw a solid matchup in Toronto against a Raptors team that just traded its best defender – OG Anunoby – to the Knicks. Darius Garland and Evan Mobley are still missing from the Cleveland lineup, which means Mitchell will have the keys to the offense once again. With those 2 on the bench this season, Spida is sporting a usage rate just under 31%, an assist rate of nearly 28%, and a 1.38 DK FP/minute average.
Mitchell won’t come cheap, but he is more gettable than the truly high-priced options if we wind up short on cheap value.
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