NBA DFS Picks Today (1/6): DraftKings & FanDuel Top Plays, Sleepers
A week after the Knicks sent away Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett to the Raptors, they find themselves as the top options on a 4-game, Saturday night NBA DFS slate. However, unlike last week, there are a number of other options on the slate that find themselves in spots just as good as New York. The slate may be small, but the Knicks, Celtics, and 76ers are in some of the best spots we’ve seen so far this NBA season.
Top NBA DFS DraftKings Lineup Optimizer Value
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C – Joel Embiid ($11,500)
PG – Jalen Brunson ($8,700)
I couldn’t narrow it down to just one for each site tonight, as the Knicks and 76ers both stand out. Joel Embiid is the top RGV on both sites as per usual, while Jalen Brunson is especially close to him on DraftKings. Embiid is a threat to put up 70+ fantasy points every time he takes the floor. He gets an even better spot than usual tonight, as not only are the Jazz a great matchup, but the 76ers are also without De’Anthony Melton and Tobias Harris. While Embiid doesn’t see his rates increase all that much, they can’t really get much higher than they already are. Brunson on the other hand has been the biggest beneficiary since the Knicks traded away Barrett and Quickley. His usage and assist rate both jump drastically, and his price hasn’t caught up.
Top NBA DFS FanDuel Lineup Optimizer Value
PG – Tyrese Maxey ($8,700)
PF – Julius Randle ($9,000)
While all four players are elite options on both sites, Tyrese Maxey and Julius Randle stand out more than their counterparts on FanDuel. Since Embiid is priced up to nearly $13,000, it feels a lot easier to build lineups in the mid-range with spend-ups like Maxey and Randle. Tyrese Maxey sees a massive 11.8% usage rate increase without Melton, Harris, or Covington on the floor, the highest on the team. He’s my favorite play of the night on either site. For the Knicks, Randle is a bit better play on FanDuel where he’s actually priced a little bit cheaper than Brunson. However, it’s really splitting hairs at this point, as they’re both fantastic plays on FanDuel and DraftKings alike.
NBA DFS Sleepers
SG/SF – Kelly Oubre ($6,100 FanDuel, $5,800 DraftKings)
I’m sure it will increase throughout the day, but we currently have “(player-popup #kelly-oubre)Kelly Oubre Jr for single-digit projected ownership on both FanDuel and DraftKings. Oubre gets the second-highest usage bump on the team without Melton and Harris at 5.4% and should slide comfortably into 30+ minutes in the starting lineup. The matchup is fantastic against the Jazz, and Oubre is one of the best cheaper mid-range plays on the slate. Even if his projected ownership goes up above 20%, I’ll still have a lot of interest.
PG/SG – Payton Pritchard ($4,600 FanDuel, $4,300 DraftKings)
Pritchard is a player I’m much more confident will remain a sleeper throughout the day. He’s only projected for 19 minutes tonight, but I still have interest against the Indiana Pacers. Pritchard is the type of player who works well in fast-paced environments and could easily reach value even in his limited playing time. However, if this one gets out of hand in either direction, Pritchard has slate-breaking upside in extended minutes.