NBA DFS: Top DraftKings and FanDuel Picks - Tuesday, January 4th
We have a five-game slate on this Tuesday night with several stars to choose from and a few injury spots we’ll need to monitor in case value opens up. 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
LeBron James – PG/SF – The Kings/Lakers game opens with a 228.5 over/under in what should be an elite game environment for fantasy purposes. The DFS centerpiece of this game is LeBron James, who continues to produce at an elite rate. With Anthony Davis off the court this season, the RotoGrinders CourtIQ tool shows LeBron has averaged 1.55 fantasy points per minute. After three straight games of 70+ DraftKings points, James struggled a bit last game against the Timberwolves. That has resulted in a slight price discount for us, which I’ll gladly take. There is nobody on this slate with a higher floor or ceiling, and you can see how every other player compares in our projections by subscribing to the RotoGrinders Premium Tools here.
Jalen Smith – PF/C – The price tag on Smith continues to rise, but it’s doing so because Smith continues to produce. With all of DeAndre Ayton, JaVale McGee, Jae Crowder, Frank Kaminsky and Dario Saric out, the Suns have been forced to start Smith out of necessity and lean on the big man. Smith has responded, as he’s now played 24+ minutes in four straight games and is coming off a 39 DraftKings point performance. The matchup against the Pelicans tonight is going to work in Smith’s favor, as they rank 25th in defensive efficiency and allow the 10th most real-life points per game to opposing teams. Given the opportunity to start and the matchup, you can see why Smith projects as one of the better DraftKings picks on this slate.
Domantas Sabonis – PF/C – The Pacers have suddenly been hit by the Health Protocols bug, as they find themselves without Malcolm Brogdon, Caris LeVert, Chris Duarte, Jeremy Lamb, Kelan Martin and Goga Bitadze. This leaves huge holes in their starting lineup and depth, and going to leave even more of the offensive responsibilities towards Domantas Sabonis. Sabonis responded last game with a 62.26 DraftKings point performance. More importantly, we saw him play close to 40 minutes last game and his usage rate spike up to 26%, the highest it has been in any game in almost a month. His $9,900 price tag on DraftKings is a bit pricey to pay, but his projection among all power forwards on this slate is heads and shoulders above the rest, making him one of the elite DraftKings picks.
FanDuel Plays
De’Aaron Fox – PG – The point guard position isn’t incredibly deep on this NBA DFS slate, but De’Aaron Fox stands out as an interesting FanDuel pick given his price point. He’s coming off a 44.2 FanDuel performance yet his price dropped to $7,000 for this matchup against the Lakers, who he crushed for 52.2 FanDuel points back in November. He admittedly hasn’t been in great form lately as he’s deferred a lot of scoring duties to teammate Tyrese Haliburton, but there’s no denying the upside remains. This matchup is also one that doesn’t strike fear, as the Lakers are allowing 111.9 points per game to opponents, 5th most in the league. You can see how Fox’s FanDuel projection compares to the other elite points guards on this slate by accessing our LineupHQ tool for RotoGrinders Premium members.
Myles Turner – PF/C – It’s a blessing on FanDuel that they give us dual-eligibility on Myles Turner, as I consider him a much stronger option at the power forward position over the center position. Turner has averaged 1.11 fantasy points per minute this season with Malcolm Brogdon, Caris LeVert and Chris Duarte off the court. With backup center Goga Bitadze out and with Domantas Sabonis needed to help cover the offense lost by those teammates being out, Turner has a route to the big minutes. He’s coming off a game where he played 37 minutes and we’re once again projecting him for a workload in the mid-30s, which is appealing even at his price point on FanDuel.
Duane Washington – SG – Like Sabonis above, Duane Washington finds himself benefitting from the laundry list of teammates in Health Protocols on Indiana. Washington has been thrust into the starting lineup out of necessity, and he’s responded by finishing with 22+ FanDuel points in back-to-back games. The appeal with Washington is that he’s just $4,000 on FanDuel and helps fill out a weak shooting guard position. More importantly, he’s projected to see over 30 minutes tonight, so the playing time should be there. RotoGrinders projections have Washington as a top-five value play on this slate, and a top-two value play within the shooting guard position on FanDuel. All sortable projections are available by subscribing to RG Premium.
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