Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Wednesday, January 21st

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2026-01-21 21:39:15 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 Wednesday!

You know how everyone says time goes by so much faster as you get older? Well, that’s actually true. As you age, you have fewer novel experiences. The more information and experiences your brain processes, the slower time seems to go. Additionally, as you get older, one year gets proportionally smaller to your total amount of time lived, so it feels shorter and shorter. The best way to combat this feeling of time flying by is to enjoy new experiences and to savor the small moments.

It seems like my daughter was born yesterday, and she’s already 8 months old. I’ve been doing a deep dive into the perception of time because I want to slow it down as much as possible. This has nothing to do with tonight’s NBA slate, but I find it very interesting, and I’m sure some of you will as well. Anyway, there are 7 games on the schedule, but only the first 5 games are included on the main slates for FanDuel and DraftKings.

I’ll be on Crunch Time tonight with Roth and Beer to answer any questions that you have about tonight’s slate.

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 on DraftKings and FanDuel: Core Plays LIVE for Wednesday, January 21st

Slate Overview

• 7 games total, 5 games on the main slates
  - 7:00 pm ET – Cleveland Cavaliers at Charlotte Hornets
  - 7:30 pm ET – Indiana Pacers at Boston Celtics
  - 7:30 pm ET – Brooklyn Nets at New York Knicks
  - 8:00 pm ET – Detroit Pistons at New Orleans Pelicans
  - 8:00 pm ET – Atlanta Hawks at Memphis Grizzlies
  - 9:30 pm ET – Oklahoma City Thunder at Milwaukee Bucks (not on main slate)
  - 10:00 pm ET – Toronto Raptors at Sacramento Kings (not on main slate)
• NBA DFS Optimizer
• NBA Starting Lineups
• NBA Injury Report
• Scroll to FanDuel and DraftKings Rankings & Core Plays

News Updates

12:40 PM ET

Day’Ron Sharpe will play tonight for the Nets. This makes Brooklyn’s frontcourt a lot less interesting against the Knicks.

Team Previews

Cleveland Cavaliers (at CHA)

We kick off tonight’s small slate with the Cavaliers, who face the slow-paced Hornets in Charlotte. It’s still a decent matchup, as the Hornets are below the league average in 3-point percentage allowed, points allowed per game, and defensive rating. Cleveland’s team total is nearly identical to their season average. Darius Garland, Max Strus, and Sam Merrill are all out.

Let’s see who benefits the most with Garland, Strus, and Merrill off the floor:

I’m a little surprised Donovan Mitchell isn’t featured on the screenshot above, but we can still expect him to see an uptick in usage. The matchup is solid, the price isn’t prohibitive, and he projects well. He’s viable in all formats. Craig Porter Jr. has played extremely well when given the opportunity. He’s typically the chalk in these situations, but he’s priced up a bit for tonight’s slate. This is the best-case scenario for his ownership.

Jaylon Tyson has been hot and cold this season, but he should draw the start and push for minutes in the 30s. He’s seen a sizable uptick in per-minute production with Garland off the floor. The Hornets are actually an elite rebounding team, which limits the appeal of Jarrett Allen. I’m fine with Evan Mobley, but he’s my fourth favorite target on the Cavaliers tonight. De’Andre Hunter is in a similar boat. He’s a decent lineup filler, but he’s far from a priority.

Charlotte Hornets (vs. CLE)

The Hornets draw a favorable matchup against the Cavaliers, who are 5th in pace and 20th in points allowed per game this season. Charlotte’s team total is a point higher than their season average. Mason Plumlee and KJ Simpson are out, but all of the key players should be available for the Hornets.

Moussa Diabate has the highest RGValue of anyone on the roster, but his upside is limited with Ryan Kalkbrenner back from injury. I much prefer guards and wings against the Cavaliers anyway. LaMelo Ball continues to have his playing time limited, but he’ll randomly pop for 60 fantasy points when you least expect it. He’s not going to make my small-field tournament lineups, but he’s certainly worth a look if you are building 20+ lineups in large-field tournaments. Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller are my favorite targets here. They are both capable of scoring 45+ fantasy points in this favorable matchup at home. They are currently hitting the optimal at high rates.

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