Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Sunday, January 11th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2026-01-11 17:15:19 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 Sunday!

Once again, I am covering the Core Plays for Taylor. He’ll be back next weekend and potentially a weekday here soon. It’s a big day for yours truly, as the Jaguars are in the playoffs for the first time since 2022. For the first time in 20 years, the Jaguars actually have a path to make the Super Bowl. If they can get past the Bills, I like their chances against any of the other teams in the AFC. Regardless of how it plays out, I’m excited to watch the game and sweat my DFS lineups.

There are 10 games on the schedule today in the association. The 2 earliest games aren’t included on the main slates for DraftKings or FanDuel, and the 6:00 PM ET games aren’t included on the main slate on DraftKings. Let’s dive into the team previews.

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NBA DFS Top Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel: Core Plays LIVE for Sunday, January 11th

Slate Overview

• Slate Size – DraftKings: 6 games, FanDuel: 8 games
  - 6:00 pm ET – Philadelphia 76ers at Toronto Raptors
  - 6:00 pm ET – New York Knicks at Portland Trail Blazers
  - 7:00 pm ET – San Antonio Spurs at Minnesota Timberwolves
  - 7:00 pm ET – Miami Heat at Oklahoma City Thunder
  - 8:00 pm ET – Washington Wizards at Phoenix Suns
  - 8:00 pm ET – Milwaukee Bucks at Denver Nuggets
  - 8:30 pm ET – Atlanta Hawks at Golden State Warriors
  - 9:00 pm ET – Houston Rockets at Sacramento Kings
• 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

Philadelphia 76ers (at TOR)

We start today’s slate with the Sixers, who have a tough matchup on the road against the Raptors. Philly’s team total is a point lower than their season average. Justin Edwards is doubtful, while Joel Embiid is questionable.

This game is only included on the FanDuel slate, and there’s not a single player on the roster with a positive RGValue. If Embiid is active, this will be the healthiest the Sixers have been all season. If he’s out, Andre Drummond will draw another start, while the rest of the lineup will see an uptick in usage. Here’s who benefits the most with Embiid off the floor:

Toronto Raptors (vs. PHI)

The Raptors have a decent matchup at home against the Sixers and enter the game with team total that is 5 points higher than their season average. RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl are out, while Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes are questionable.

With Ingram and Barnes in the projections, the Raptors don’t project well in the context of this 8-game slate. However, if one is out, the other will benefit greatly. Immanuel Quickley would also see a nice uptick in that scenario. If both are out, there will be a ton of value that opens up. For large-field tournaments, I’ll have interest in whoever starts at center. Sandro Mamukelashvili and Collin Murray-Boyles have both had big games as the starting center recently.

New York Knicks (at POR)

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