Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Monday, January 12th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2026-01-12 22:58:46 Premium Content Part of the product NBA DFS

A daily fantasy sports OG, Notorious has been roaming the DFS streets ever since they were invented. He has racked up multiple live final seats and several six-figure tournament wins in his DFS career. So, who better to walk you through the madness of NBA DFS slates on DraftKings and FanDuel? Core Plays LIVE will zoom out on the slate as a whole, zoom in on the best plays, and constantly update as news breaks. Whether you are diving into the slate 5 hours before it starts or 5 minutes before it starts, you’ve come to the right place.

Happy Monday!

Well, it’s a not-so-happy Monday for fans of the Jaguars, Eagles, and Chargers. It was a roller coaster of emotions watching the Jags yesterday. They took the lead twice in the 4th quarter, but they couldn’t stop Josh Allen at the end of the game. My allegiances to teams have waned over the years, so it was fun rooting for a team without money on the line again. It was a tremendous game. I’ve always wanted Allen to get a Super Bowl, so that’s where my rooting interests will lie the rest of the playoffs.

We have 6 NBA games on the schedule tonight, but both sites have agreed to roll out a 4-game main slate. For this article, we will focus on the 4 games on the main slates. However, we will still have projections for the 2 late games if you want to play that slate as well. We are combining GrindersLive and Crunch Time today, so I’ll be on with Dean and TJ to break down the main slate at 6:00 PM ET. We’d love to have you join and ask questions. I’ll post the link to the show below.

Editor’s Note: Looking for more places to play? Check out our Underdog promo code and PrizePicks promo code, two of the best DFS apps available today.

NBA DFS Top Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel: Core Plays LIVE for Monday, January 12th

Slate Overview

• 6-game main slate
  - 7:00 pm ET – Utah Jazz at Cleveland Cavaliers
  - 7:30 pm ET – Boston Celtics at Indiana Pacers
  - 7:30 pm ET – Philadelphia 76ers at Toronto Raptors
  - 8:30 pm ET – Brooklyn Nets at Dallas Mavericks
  - 10:00 pm ET – Los Angeles Lakers at Sacramento Kings (not on main slate)
  - 10:30 pm ET – Charlotte Hornets at Los Angeles Clippers (not on main slate)
• NBA DFS Optimizer
• NBA Starting Lineups
• NBA Injury Report
• Scroll to FanDuel and DraftKings Rankings & Core Plays

News Updates

This section will be updated as injury news is released throughout the day.

Team Previews

Utah Jazz (at CLE)

We kick off tonight’s small slate with the Jazz, who are 13.5-point underdogs on the road. While there is some concern of a blowout, the Cavaliers are 7th in pace and 21st in points allowed per game this season. Utah’s team total is identical to their season average. Georges Niang and Walker Kessler are out, while Ace Bailey is questionable.

Keyonte George is always viable in tournaments, as he has scored over 49 fantasy points in 8 of his last 14 games. His ownership should be low given the high spread of this game. Walter Clayton Jr. is finally seeing a more consistent role off the bench and has scored 22, 23, and 31 fantasy points in his last 3 games. He should see 20+ minutes regardless of the game’s outcome. Brice Sensabaugh has played well recently, but he’s priced up on both sites. This is a revenge game for Lauri Markkanen, who has scored at least 40 fantasy points in each of his last 7 games. And finally, we have Jusuf Nurkic, who has scored over 43 fantasy points in 5 of his last 6 games.

The Jazz don’t project particularly well, but their roster is full of players who have outperformed their current price points.

Cleveland Cavaliers (vs. UTA)

The Cavaliers have the best matchup on the slate and the best matchup in all of NBA DFS. The Jazz are 4th in pace and dead last in points allowed per game and defensive rating. Cleveland’s team total is 13 points higher than their season average. Max Strus and Dean Wade are both out.

While we have some blowout risk here, the upside more than makes up for it. Donovan Mitchell gets to square off against his former team. He’s played against them four times in his career and put up 70 fantasy points in one of those outings. Darius Garland offers a steady floor in this matchup, but it’s hard not to side with the revenge narrative (Mitchell) instead. Sam Merrill has scored over 30 fantasy points in 3 straight games and is projected for 30 minutes. De’Andre Hunter isn’t an exciting click, but he’s certainly viable as a lineup filler. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen should both get easy looks in the paint in this matchup. Mobley projects better at his price point, but they are both in play.

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