NBA DFS DraftKings.com & FanDuel.com Lineups & Picks for January 20, 2018
For the 1/20 NBA DFS slate, and for the rest of the fantasy basketball season, we’ll be writing up the best picks for guards, forwards, and centers we’re considering for Cash and GPP lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel. The info below can also be used for crafting your strategy on Draft DFS and WinView Games.
Please note the advice below is relevant for daily fantasy purposes. A player or team might be better or worse from a fantasy perspective than in real life due to matchup, price, and lots of other factors. This is important to consider when constructing a roster.
Injuries play a huge role in NBA DFS on a nightly basis, and value plays at the various daily fantasy sites can arise at a moment’s notice. Always, always check the starting lineups and injury news right before tipoff.
1/20/18 NBA DFS TOURNAMENT PICKS
Excellent 8’s: $8 buy-in, $300k guaranteed (DraftKings) -$50,000 to 1st!
Saturday Spin Move: $44 buy-in, $200k guaranteed (DraftKings)
Sharpshooter: $3 buy-in, $100k guaranteed (DraftKings)
Layup: $7 buy-in, $40k guaranteed (FanDuel)
Clutch Shot: $4.44 buy-in, $250k guaranteed (FanDuel) – $30,000 to 1st!
Slam: $33 buy-in, $60k guaranteed (FanDuel)
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PLAYERS RULED OUT
Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee)
DeAndre Jordan (ankle)
Austin Rivers (heel)
Danilo Gallinari (hip)
J.J. Redick (leg)
Trevor Ariza (suspension)
Gerald Green (suspension)
Mike Conley (Achilles)
Malcolm Brogdon (personal)
Tyler Johnson (ankle)
INJURY NEWS TO MONITOR
Rudy Gobert (knee)
Rodney Hood (leg)
Draymond Green (shoulder)
J.J. Barea (groin)
Shabazz Napier (chest)
Jordan Bell (ankle)
Andre Iguodala (calf)
Best NBA DFS Picks for January 20, 2018
Guards
Chris Paul vs. GSW ($9.4k DraftKings, $9.9k FanDuel)
James Harden (hamstring) will reportedly have his minutes restriction raised to 30 minutes for Saturday’s tilt against the defending champs, but he’s still rusty and is not the primary offensive option for the Rockets quite yet. Chris Paul remains the facilitator for the league’s second-rated offense and he’s going to carry a heavier load as a scorer with Trevor Ariza and Gerald Green suspended for one more game. He’s always gotten up to face Steph Curry and the Warriors, which is obviously the top offensive team in the league and this meeting has a lofty 235-point Over/Under.
Kyle Lowry @ MIN ($7.5k DraftKings, $7.7k FanDuel)
With DeMar DeRozan likely drawing shadow coverage from Wolves elite defender Jimmy Butler, the Raptors could look to feature Kyle Lowry a bit more offensively. He’s been very solid recently with averages of 17.7 PPG, 6.3 RPG and 5.7 APG over six January games and will take on a mediocre defender in Jeff Teague, who is working his way back from a knee injury. Minnesota is allowing the fourth-most PPG (24.79) to opposing PGs over the last month and Lowry produced 45 points and 16 assists over two meetings with the Wolves last year.
T.J. McConnell vs. MIL ($4.8k DraftKings, $5.1k FanDuel)
It may take some time for the 76ers to adjust offensively with their second-leading scorer on the shelf, but the defense was enough to take down the Kyrie Irving-less Celtics, 89-80, on Thursday. T.J. McConnell was a big part of that win on both sides of the ball and he’s now averaging 15 PPG, 5 APG and 3 SPG over his last three appearances. Milwaukee is going to be without Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) and combo guard Malcolm Brogdon (personal), which could make things easier on the Sixers backcourt.
Others to Consider: Steph Curry, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, Milos Teodosic, Wesley Matthews, Rodney Hood, Yogi Ferrell
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Forwards
Kevin Durant @ HOU ($10.3k DraftKings, $10.7k FanDuel)
As mentioned above, the Warriors-Rockets game has one of the highest Over/Unders of the season thus far and is clearly a contest to target this Saturday night. Kevin Durant draws a superior individual matchup to Steph Curry with Trevor Ariza (suspension) unavailable for the Rockets. Durant is clearly a rock-solid cash play and he has tremendous upside when the Warriors (-4) get into close games, so it’s worth noting the close point spread as well. He averaged a lofty 35.5 PPG over two meetings with Houston last year and is rolling right now as a key part of a well-oiled machine.
Khris Middleton @ PHI ($7.9k DraftKings, $7.4k FanDuel)
Along with Eric Bledsoe ($7.6k, $7.0k), Khris Middleton should see a significant rise in usage with both Antetokounmpo and Brogdon expected to sit tonight. He’s rocking a 36.8 percent usage rate (10.8% increase) with both players off the floor this season and has been reliable as always with 44 points on 20-of-38 FG shooting over his last two appearances, logging 41 minutes in each of those games. Philly is playing at the second-fastest pace in the NBA and giving up the fourth-most PPG to opposing SGs (25.75) over the last month, so this is a prime spot for Middleton as he likely plays the role of primary scorer for the Bucks.
Montrezl Harrell @ UTA ($4.8k DraftKings, $6.2k FanDuel)
DeAndre Jordan (ankle) is not expected to return tonight for the Clippers and that will lead to steady run for Montrezl Harrell. A pleasant surprise for Doc Rivers, the Louisville product is averaging 16.8 PPG and 6.6 RPG over his last five appearances and he’s playing big minutes even with Blake Griffin back in the fold. Rudy Gobert returned to action for the Jazz last night but could be held out on the second half of a B2B set and Utah’s struggled defensively without him.
Others to Consider: Anthony Davis, Draymond Green, Dario Saric, James Johnson, Al-Farouq Aminu, Robert Covington, P.J. Tucker
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Center
Joel Embiid @ MIL ($10.4k DraftKings, $10.5k FanDuel)
He was immense in Thursday’s win over the Celtics and Joel Embiid has a great chance to keep rolling in a plus matchup tonight. The Bucks allow the fifth-most FPPG (53.82) and third-most PPG (24.14) to opposing centers this season and the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo can’t be overestimated since he often rotates onto bigs and protects the rim for Milwaukee. John Henson is no match for “The Process,” who dropped 22 points with 13 rebounds over just 23 minutes in a meeting with the Bucks last year.
Jusuf Nurkic vs. DAL ($6.9k DraftKings, $7.0k FanDuel)
If you want to load up on scorers in the Warriors-Rockets game you may not be able to afford Embiid, and perhaps you find Hassan Whiteside (knee) and Marc Gasol (illness) too risky as they respectively battle those maladies on the second half of B2B sets. Jusuf Nurkic is a mid-tier option with upside and a scary low floor depending on the matchup, which is great tonight against a Dallas team that gives up the sixth-most RPG (16.11) to opposing centers this season and fifth-most FPPG (55.52) to the position over the last month. He throttled Indiana’s weak frontcourt for 19 points and 17 boards on Thursday and could post another double-double if this contest stays close.
Others to Consider: Karl-Anthony Towns, Marc Gasol, Dwight Howard, Willie Reed
