Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Saturday, January 3rd

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2026-01-03 21:01:52 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 an NBA DFS slate? 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 today, so you are stuck with me for a Saturday slate. There are 8 games on the schedule today, but we will focus our attention on the 7-game main slate on FanDuel and the 5-game main slate on DraftKings.

We also have one of the best 2-game slates that you will ever see in the NFL, as both of the games will decide who wins each division. If you want to check out my position-by-position breakdown, here’s the link to the Key Personnel. We also have projections and an Expert Survey.

Cheers to the weekend! Let’s dive into the games.

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NBA DFS Top Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Saturday, January 3rd

Slate Overview

• Slate Size: FanDuel – 7 Games, DraftKings – 5 Games
  - 7:30 pm ET – Atlanta Hawks at Toronto Raptors
  - 7:30 pm ET – Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks
  - 8:00 pm ET – Portland Trail Blazers at San Antonio Spurs
  - 8:00 pm ET – Charlotte Hornets at Chicago Bulls
  - 8:30 pm ET – Houston Rockets at Dallas Mavericks
  - 10:00 pm ET – Utah Jazz at Golden State Warriors
  - 10:30 pm ET – Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Clippers
• 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

Atlanta Hawks (at TOR)

We kick off tonight’s slate with the Hawks, who draw a below-average matchup on the road. The Raptors are 25th in pace and top 5 in both points allowed per game and defensive rating. The Hawks have a team total that is 5 points lower than their season average. This is a back-to-back, so we don’t have their initial injury report yet. However, Kristaps Porzingis is unlikely to play, and Trae Young is dealing with a quad injury.

Even with Young in the projections, Jalen Johnson stands out as one of the best plays on the slate. After another triple-double last night, he has now topped 50 fantasy points in 14 of his last 15 games. During that stretch, he’s topped 70 fantasy points five times. He offers one of the highest floor/ceiling projections on the slate. My interest in the rest of the Hawks will hinge on the availability of Young. If he’s active, I won’t be prioritizing any other Hawks. If he’s out, Nickeil Alexander-Walker would see a sizable boost.

Toronto Raptors (vs. ATL)

The Raptors have a generous matchup against the Hawks, who are 3rd in pace and 24th in points allowed per game. Toronto’s team total is set at 118 points, which is 4 points higher than their season average. Jakob Poeltl is still out, but everyone else should be available.

With RJ Barrett back, I haven’t been targeting the Raptors in the last few games. However, this matchup is tough to pass up, especially at home. Immanuel Quickley still offers a high floor, as he has topped 35 fantasy points in 5 of his last 6 games. Brandon Ingram has scored over 40 fantasy points in 3 of his last 4 games and has been very consistent this season. Scottie Barnes should benefit from a pace-up matchup, as he can fill up the stat sheet and has topped 60 fantasy points in 2 of the last 3 games. All of those players have positive RGValues. Sandro Mamukelashvili doesn’t project well, but he does have a path to 30 minutes if everything breaks right for him.

Philadelphia 76ers (at NYK)

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