Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Saturday, January 31st

by Taylor Smith (tcsmith031) Last Updated 2026-01-31 22:35:01 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. On weekends, Taylor Smith takes the reins. 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 weekend! This is the first non-football weekend we’ve had in quite some time, so hopefully, you’ve mentally prepared yourself for this moment. Luckily, there’s plenty of other stuff going on. The NBA has a couple of weeks to go before All-Star Weekend. While some particularly shameless teams have already initiated their Draft Lottery Tanking Protocol, things will likely get extra wild on that front once we hit the season’s home stretch.

In the meantime, there’s still no shortage of daily chaos, because that’s just how the NBA rolls. Luckily, you have us to help guide you through the mayhem. We’re looking at a 5-game slate on both DraftKings and FanDuel tonight. I’ll also be on Crunch Time before lock, so be sure to tune in for some quality, free content.

Off we go!

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NBA DFS Top Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel: Core Plays LIVE for Saturday, January 31st

Slate Overview

• 5-game main slate
  - 7:00 pm ET – Atlanta Hawks at Indiana Pacers
  - 7:30 pm ET – New Orleans Pelicans at Philadelphia 76ers
  - 8:00 pm ET – Minnesota Timberwolves at Memphis Grizzlies
  - 8:00 pm ET – Chicago Bulls at Miami Heat
  - 8:30 pm ET – Dallas Mavericks at Houston Rockets
• NBA DFS Optimizer
• NBA Starting Lineups
• NBA Injury Report
• Scroll to FanDuel and DraftKings Rankings & Core Plays

News Updates

Here’s where I’ll provide news updates.

Team Previews

Atlanta Hawks (at IND)

The Hawks lost a tough one to the Rockets the last time they hit the floor, though they were quite shorthanded for that one. We’ll see if reinforcements show up tonight when they hit the road to face the Pacers in Indianapolis. Jalen Johnson and Zaccharie Risacher are carrying questionable tags into this game, while Onyeka Okongwu is still sidelined after undergoing a dental procedure. Kristaps Porzingis remains out as well. Despite it all, the Hawks are still 1.5-point favorites over a scuffling Indiana squad.

If he plays, Jalen Johnson finds himself in an elite matchup. The Pacers are just 21st in the league in overall defensive rating, while they’re yielding the 3rd-most paint points per game (53.5). Johnson has produced at an elite 1.58 DK FP/minute clip on the season with Okongwu, Porzingis, and Trae Young off the floor, and he shouldn’t be limited after missing just a single game. If he’s out, we’re going to see a ton of usage suddenly available to CJ McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and to a lesser extent, Dyson Daniels. McCollum would be the best point-per-dollar value of the group in that situation, while NAW’s ceiling has been consistently higher than Daniels’ all season. Daniels typically grades out better on FanDuel, where you get 3 points for blocks/steals.

We’re projecting Christian Koloko to draw a second straight start in Okongwu’s place after logging 25 minutes in that role against Houston. Koloko isn’t a great per-minute producer for a center, but he is affordable and in a good matchup. He’s playable but not a priority, though he’d look a little better if Johnson were to miss another game. We’re projecting Risacher to start if he returns. If Johnson and/or Risacher remain out, you can look to Corey Kispert and/or Vit Krejci for value, as they should start and have paths to 25-30 minutes.

Indiana Pacers (vs. ATL)

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