Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Tuesday, January 6th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2026-01-06 23:39:04 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 Tuesday!

Perhaps I was a tad too confident in Jaylen Brown last night against the Bulls. Despite having one of the top matchups on the slate, he had one of his worst games of the season. If he had continued his streak of 47+ fantasy points, I would have taken down some small-field tournaments. Instead, I fell just short of the cash line in most of my contests. These things happen. We dust ourselves off and look forward to tonight’s slate.

Being a homeowner comes with many challenges. I don’t consider myself a handyman by any means, but thanks to ChatGPT and YouTube, I successfully fixed my furnace this morning. We woke to a freezing house and a furnace that wouldn’t stay on for more than a couple of minutes. ChatGPT helped me identify the issue (dirty flame sensor), and YouTube helped me find it and clean it. Despite getting a late start on this article, I’m feeling awfully good for a Tuesday.

We have 6 games on the schedule, but only the first 5 games are included on the main slates. The final game doesn’t tip off until 3 hours after the 8:00 PM ET games.

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: Core Plays LIVE for Tuesday, January 6th

Slate Overview

• 5-game main slate
  - 7:00 pm ET – Cleveland Cavaliers at Indiana Pacers
  - 7:00 pm ET – Orlando Magic at Washington Wizards
  - 8:00 pm ET – San Antonio Spurs at Memphis Grizzlies
  - 8:00 pm ET – Miami Heat at Minnesota Timberwolves
  - 8:00 pm ET – Los Angeles Lakers at New Orleans Pelicans
  - 11:00 pm ET – Dallas Mavericks at Sacramento Kings (not on the 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

Cleveland Cavaliers (at IND)

We kick off tonight’s slate with the Cavaliers, who draw a nice matchup on the road against the Pacers. On the season, Indiana is ranked 11th in pace and 24th in points allowed per game. Cleveland’s team total is a point higher than their season average. Donovan Mitchell, Larry Nance, and Max Strus are out, while Jaylon Tyson is questionable.

Mitchell being out is a huge boost for the other players on the Cavs. Let’s see who benefits the most with him off the floor:

Darius Garland and Evan Mobley have two of the highest RGValues on the slate. Mobley has seen a 9% usage boost and a 0.22 FP/min boost with Mitchell off the floor, while Garland has seen a 5% usage boost and a 0.14 FP/min boost. Both are elite plays for cash games and tournaments. Jarrett Allen has seen a sizable boost as well, so he makes for an interesting tournament play despite his low minute ceiling.

While Garland and Mobley are the easy clicks here, there are some intriguing lineup fillers for tournaments. Craig Porter Jr. is a good per-minute producer and should see an uptick in minutes. Jaylon Tyson has flashed plenty of upside this season. Sam Merrill has topped 24 fantasy points in 4 of his last 6 games. And last but not least, De’Andre Hunter has scored 30 or more fantasy points in 3 of his last 7 games.

Indiana Pacers (vs. CLE)

The Pacers have a slightly favorable matchup against the Cavaliers, who are 7th in pace and 16th in points allowed per game. Indiana’s team total is 4 points higher than their season average. Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, Obi Toppin, and Isaiah Jackson have all been ruled out.

With so much interest in the Cavaliers, it makes sense to create a small game stack. Andrew Nembhard has quietly scored at least 38 fantasy points in 4 of his last 6 games. He makes for a strong tournament play at middling ownership. Aaron Nesmith is affordable and should see minutes in the low to mid-30s. He’s coming off his best game (47 fantasy points) of the season. T.J. McConnell is always a wildcard, but he should have a clear path to 20+ minutes with Mathurin out.

Pascal Siakam quietly has one of the highest RGValues on the slate. It’s a good matchup; he should dominate usage with Mathurin out, and he has scored over 44 fantasy points in 3 of his last 5 games. Micah Potter isn’t a player that I have rostered yet this season, but he’s been solid in the last 2 games, averaging 28 minutes and 30 fantasy points. With Jackson out again, he projects as a strong value play.

Want to read more? Sign up for NBA Premium!

Here is an example of the DFS tables that are provided to our Premium Subscribers