NBA DFS: Top DraftKings and FanDuel Picks - Tuesday, January 25th
Hello Grinders, we have a packed nine-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.
NBA DFS, DraftKings Picks
Joel Embiid – Embiid has now posted three straight games of 65+ DraftKings points, making him one of the elite options at center on this slate. The matchup against the Pelicans isn’t an imposing one, as they rank among the bottom-five of the league in defensive efficiency. The 76ers will also be without Seth Curry, Shake Milton and Danny Green, which should open up a little more usage for Embiid. CourtIQ shows that when all three have been off the court this season, Embiid averages 1.57 fantasy points per minute and owns a team-high 41.2% usage rate. These are elite numbers and while center is a loaded position on DraftKings tonight, I consider Embiid one of the elite spend-up picks to consider.
Kristaps Porzingis – We’re getting Porzingis at a bit of a discount on DraftKings at $7,500, considering his season average salary has hovered around $7,900. The matchup against the Warriors isn’t ideal on paper as the Warriors have the best defensive efficiency rating in the league, but they remain without Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, while Klay Thompson is questionable for this game. One could argue that without Green and Iguodala, this Warriors defense just isn’t going to be the same. In fact it was just last week the Warriors allowed 121 points to the Pacers in an overtime loss to a squad that was missing most of their key players (Sabonis, Turner, LeVert, Brogdon). The appeal with Porzingis is therefore mostly price-tag driven as he feels a bit too cheap for the 40+ fantasy upside he possesses.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker – If looking for some salary relief, Alexander-Walker is only $3,700 on DraftKings on tonight’s slate. Among all guards on DraftKings, our RotoGrinders projections currently grade him as a top-three RG Value play, which is a score based on his projected points relative to his implied value. In other words, Alexander-Walker feels a bit too cheap here. He’s coming off a 34-minute, 30 DraftKings points performance as the Pelicans remain without Zion Williamson and now have Brandon Ingram doubtful. With Ingram out, the Pelicans have leaned more on Alexander-Walker to help initiate their offense in the second unit, giving him more upside than he’s typically had this season. He can be a volatile player, but at $3,700, he provides us with one of the better value options on DraftKings.
Update – The Pelicans have ruled out Josh Hart, Jonas Valanciunas, Brandon Ingram and Devonte Graham. It seems likely Nickeil Alexander-Walker takes on even more of an offensive role tonight and would make for an even stronger play.
NBA DFS, FanDuel Plays
James Harden – I’m finding James Harden to be more of a priority on FanDuel as opposed to DraftKings for a few reasons. For starters, Harden is only $10,500 on FanDuel compared to $11,700 on DraftKings. Secondarily, Harden has dual eligibility on FanDuel at the small forward and shooting guard positions to give you more flexibility, whereas Harden only has point guard eligibility on DraftKings. With Kevin Durant out injured and Kyrie Irving out due to personal reasons, this is a spot where the offense will flow through Harden. The RotoGrinders CourtIQ data shows that when both Durant and Irving have been off the court this season, Harden has averaged 1.48 fantasy points per minute with a 34.5% usage rate. Add in the fact that the Nets face a Lakers team that ranks 4th in pace and are allowing the 4th most points to opposing teams (112.7), and the stars are aligning for Harden to be one of the better DFS FanDuel picks on this slate.
Fred VanVleet- I suspect VanVleet won’t be as popular as he should be on a loaded nine-game slate, but he’s been the model of consistency lately for the Raptors. His price tag of $8,200 is appealing considering he’s coming off back-to-back 50 point FanDuel point performances and has now played at least 39 minutes in eight straight games. The Raptors continue to use a tight rotation and this is forcing VanVleet to see massive minutes each night. I’m also a fan of the matchup as the Hornets are allowing opposing teams to score the 3rd most points per game at 114.2. The Hornets also rank 3rd in pace so this should be a fast game. If you want to see how VanVleet’s floor and ceiling projections compare to the other point guards on FanDuel, you can use the RotoGrinders Premium tools to see all that information.
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