Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Saturday, January 10th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2026-01-10 15:45:36 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 Saturday!

I am filling in for Taylor once again, so you’ll have me today and tomorrow for the NBA Core Plays. Most of the attention from DFS players is going to be on the two NFL games today, which means many will lean heavily on their favorite NBA optimizer. That’s never a bad strategy if you are a premium member here at RotoGrinders, but the point that I’m trying to make is that many DFS players will be lazy on this slate. If we dig a little deeper into the matchups, I think we can create an edge on the field.

We have 5 games on the main slates for both FanDuel and DraftKings. Let’s dive right into it.

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NBA DFS Top Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel: Core Plays LIVE for Saturday, January 10th

Slate Overview

• 5-game main slate
  - 7:00 pm ET – Miami Heat at Indiana Pacers
  - 7:30 pm ET – Los Angeles Clippers at Detroit Pistons
  - 8:00 pm ET – Dallas Mavericks at Chicago Bulls
  - 8:00 pm ET – San Antonio Spurs at Boston Celtics
  - 9:30 pm ET – Charlotte Hornets at Utah Jazz
• 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

Miami Heat (at IND)

We kick off the slate with the Heat, who draw a nice matchup on the road against the Pacers. Indiana is ranked 11th in pace and 25th in points allowed per game. Miami’s team total is a point higher than their season average. The issue here is that the Heat are completely healthy and have a ton of mouths to feed in their offense.

As is usually the case, Norman Powell and Bam Adebayo have the highest RGValues on the Heat. Powell has topped 45 fantasy points in 2 of his last 4 games, while Adebayo is facing the 2nd-worst rebounding team in the NBA. Davion Mitchell is a reasonable lineup filler (20+ fantasy points in 5 straight games). Tyler Herro is an intriguing large-field tournament target, as the usage rate has been there (23% or higher in 7 straight games). He’s one good shooting night away from a big fantasy outing.

Indiana Pacers (vs. MIA)

The Pacers get to face the fastest-paced team in the NBA. They enter the game with a team total that is 3 points higher than their season average. Bennedict Mathurin, Obi Toppin, and Isaiah Jackson are all out, while Andrew Nembhard is questionable.

With Nembhard out the other night, T.J. McConnell played 27 minutes and scored 47 fantasy points. If Nembhard is ruled out, McConnell becomes an elite play in all formats. Nembhard’s absence would also provide more playing time for Quenton Jackson, Johnny Furphy, and Ben Sheppard. Pascal Siakam had a massive 35% usage rate with Nembhard out on Thursday, so he would become an excellent option as well.

With Nembhard currently in the projections, Siakam is the only player on the roster with a positive RGValue.

Los Angeles Clippers (at DET)

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