NBA DFS: Top DraftKings and FanDuel Picks - Tuesday, January 11th
Hello Grinders, we have a nice six-game slate on this Tuesday night. We’ll go through the top NBA DFS picks on both DraftKings and FanDuel, highlighting key plays using data from our RotoGrinders Premium tools, which you can access here. Let’s dive in.
Update 5pm EST – Bradley Beal has been ruled out due to health protocols, elevating Spencer Dinwiddie into an elite play now, especially on DraftKings. Also note that Will Barton has been upgraded to Questionable, so monitor that situation as Nikola Jokic is already an elite play but Barton in would bump the usage of Jokic just down a tad.
NBA DFS, DraftKings Picks
Amir Coffey – SG – We’re going to need some value on DraftKings tonight, and perhaps that will open up more as the day goes on and injury reports clear up. At the start of the day, Amir Coffey stands out as a really interesting DraftKings pick. He’s priced at $4,400 so he’s still relatively cheap, and he’s coming off a 33.75 DraftKings point performance against the Hawks. It may feel like point chasing but what makes Coffey interesting is that he’s starting with Luke Kennard out, so he’s going to carry a higher floor than normal. Add in the fact that Paul George remains out, and there’s going to be extra usage to go around here. His box scores have shown both his floor and ceiling, so just know he’s generally been someone with a wide range of outcomes.
Josh Hart – SF – Hart has now played over 30 minutes in 13 straight games and continues to carry a high floor for the Pelicans. Hart’s price dropped down $100 from his last game but the appeal here is the game environment. The Pelicans take on a Timberwolves team that ranks 5th in pace, so this should be a fast game. This game also has a 227 over/under, the highest total of any game on this slate. Hart provides cheap exposure to this game environment without breaking the bank, and helps fill a weaker-than-normal SF position on DraftKings. Hart ranks among the Top 3 SF’s on DraftKings in terms of RG Value, which is a measure of Hart’s projected points relative to his implied threshold. To see more data like this, please sign up for RotoGrinders Premium access.
Brandon Ingram – For all the reasons I just listed above on why I like Josh Hart, it makes me like Brandon Ingram even more. Ingram has slowly seen his minutes creep up since coming back from an injury, where he’s now played 31, 33, 34 and 35 minutes over his last four games. RotoGrinders Premium members can sort projections by a player’s ceiling score, and we’re showing Ingram has the highest ceiling score out of all SF’s on this slate. I’m curious to see where Ingram’s ownership lands because Kyle Kuzma is just $200 more expensive than Ingram at $8,400 and has been on fire as of late, but the return of Rui Hachimura and impending return Montrezl Harrell could potentially impact the ceiling for Kuzma. With that in mind, I much prefer Ingram over Kuzma for $200 cheaper if given the choice, especially in DraftKings cash games.
FanDuel Plays
Nikola Jokic – C – The decision whether to play Nikola Jokic on FanDuel is going to be your starting point, in my opinion. Our early FanDuel projections on RotoGrinders love Jokic as a spend-up option on this slate because of his massive floor and ceiling. The most interesting aspect of this game for me is that Will Barton is now out too for the Nuggets, meaning Jokic will have to shoulder even more of the offensive duties. Per our RotoGrinders CourtIQ tool, Nikola Jokic has averaged 1.85 fantasy points this season and a 33.9% usage rate when both Will Barton and Michael Porter have been off the court this season. More amazingly is that he has boasted a 39.4% assist rate during those times, meaning everything is just flowing through him. He makes for an amazing FanDuel pick if you can afford to spend up.
Nicolas Batum – SF/PF – It’s not so much that I love Nicolas Batum as a DFS option, but moreso that we’re going to need some value on this six-game slate in order to pay up for someone like Nikola Jokic. Nicolas Batum stands out early as a potential value option. He’s only $4,700, holds duel SF/PF eligibility, and most importantly played 30 minutes in a start last game for the Clippers. The RotoGrinders Lineups page currently has Batum listed among the starters, which is important because as a starter this season he has averaged 26.6 minutes per game. The RotoGrinders Situation Room injury report lists all of Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Luke Kennard, Isaiah Hartenstein, Justise Winslow and Jason Preston as Out for the Clippers, so Batum definitely has a route to minutes tonight. To see how Batum ranks among the other SF’s and PF’s on FanDuel, consider signing up for RotoGrinders Premium access.
Scottie Barnes – SF – I have to caveat this writeup by saying Barnes is Questionable with a knee injury, so this may all end being irrelevant if he gets ruled out. But notice that Barnes is only $5,600 on FanDuel, a $700 decrease from his last outing where he struggled to the tune of 12.8 FanDuel points. I’m willing to go back to Barnes if he suits up at $5,600 considering he’s averaging 35.5 minutes per game this season and he was priced at $8,300 on FanDuel just four weeks ago. Fred VanVleet has taken on more of the offensive duties as of late so that may contribute to why Barnes has been held to under 20 FanDuel points in three of his last five games. But notice what he did in those other two games – he finished with 38.8 and 35.8 FanDuel points. I get he’s been volatile lately, but assuming his knee is healthy, he grades out as a fine FanDuel pick on this slate given his tendency to play a ton of minutes.
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