The NBA Daily Plays for Friday, January 22nd breaks down the best Stud, Value and GPP plays at each position for FanDuel and DraftKings daily fantasy sports contests. The Stud & Value plays should be considered relatively chalky and are ideal for cash games. The GPP plays dig a little deeper to hopefully find some low owned talent who could pay off big in a tournament. Make sure you check out our NBA projections page to help in your DFS research. We have also added an NBA Injury News page which monitors all injury news and offers pivot plays to consider if the injured player ends up sitting.
Game Lines
Point Guard
Studs
Russell Westbrook (FD $10,700, DK $10,600) –
This pick was between Westbrook and Curry. You can’t really go wrong with either one, as each have ceilings that are sky-high and their ceilings are endless. With that being said, I’d roll with Westy on FanDuel and Curry on DK, because those two are cheaper on those respective sites. The little extra cash you get from rostering the cheaper stud should allow you to pay up for some better players in other positions. Not much needs to be said about Russell, he’s a stud every time he’s out on the court. He takes on the Dallas Mavericks in what should be a high scoring affair. Don’t think too hard on this one, just start the man.
Values
Jeremy Lin (FD $5,200, DK $5,100)-
Linsanity will be in the Hornets starting lineup tonight, as he’ll step in for injury Nicolas Batum. Vegas doesn’t have this one being a very high scoring game, but I think it could be one of the sneakier games to target. Lin should easily reach value in tonight’s matchup against the Magic and should be a player on your radar for tonight’s slate.
GPP Plays
Isaiah Thomas (FD $8,400, DK $7,800) –
This man get’s no respect. He performs night in and night out, but his price has actually dropped on these sites. Tonight, IT is going to take advantage of DRose and his paper mache knees. There are several players that I will be targeting in this one, but IT is by far my favorite GPP play.
Shooting Guard
Studs
James Harden (FD $9,900, DK $10,000) –
This man had a triple-double the last time he laced his shoes up. Harden went off for 33 points, 17 rebounds and 14 assists against the Pistons. If you didn’t play him the other night, you probably didn’t cash. Harden had to take over the game large in part because Howard left last game with an ankle injury. If Dwight misses tonight’s game, it’s even more reason to ride the Harden train.
Values
Joseph Young (FD $3,800, DK $3,500)-
Young has been playing admirably with the extended minutes he’s getting because of George Hill’s absence. He has a tough matchup against the Warriors tonight, but he could see a ton of minutes, and minutes mean fantasy points.
GPP Plays
Kris Middleton (FD $7,400, DK $7,000) –
Middleton has been playing out of his mind lately. He is averaging over 37 fantasy points a game in his last five games. If his current play hasn’t convinced you to play him, maybe his matchup will. He gets to take on the Houston Rockets and the James Harden defense. What’s not to love about this guy now?
Small Forward
Studs
Kawhi Leonard (FD $7,600, DK $8,200) –
If the Spurs sit some of their stars like they did last night, I love love love love love Kawhi tonight against the Lakers. The Lakers are one of the worst teams in the league, but one of my favorite teams to target against in DFS. Leonard is a superstar and should be able to rack up stats in Tinseltown.
Values
Justise Winslow (FD $3,700, DK $4,000) –
If you haven’t already heard, but the entire Miami heat team is out with some sort of injury. Who’s left you ask? Justice. He is going to get a ton of playing time tonight, as the Heat have only 8 healthy players tonight. Like we always say, minutes means fantasy points. He is one of the best values tonight, and it’s hard to overlook him if you want to pay up for some studs.
GPP Plays
Jae Crowder (FD $6,800, DK $6,500) –
Crowder has one of the best matchups of the night and has been playing great recently. He’s one of the SFs that I frequently target as he gets all sorts of stats and his price never rises too high. There aren’t a lot of attractive small forwards on this slate, so it’s easy to lock Crowder into a lineup or two.
Power Forward
Studs
Pau Gasol (FD $8,500, DK $8,400) –
I will continue to target big men that play the Boston Leprechauns. Boston has some major issues with big men, which is great news for Pau. Pau had a tough outting against the Warriors the other day, but that shouldn’t scare you away. Gasol been nothing short of amazing so far this year and should be one of the easiest locks in your lineup tonight.
Values
Clint Capela (FD $4,800, DK $5,600)-
With D12 out for tonight, that means Capela will fill in as the starting center. The Bucks are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league and Capela should have the opportunity to rack up double digits boards tonight. At his price and the amount of minutes he should see, he is a great play on every site.
GPP Plays
Chris Bosh (FD $7,600, DK $7,600) –
Bosh is the last talented basketball player left on the Heat tonight. With Wade, Deng, Dragic and Whiteside out, Bosh should put up a ridiculous amount of shots. He has been know to put up some stinkers in a friendly matchup, so that’s why he’s a GPP only for me.
Center
Studs
Greg Monroe (FD $7,700, DK $7,000) –
The ‘Moose’ takes on the Bulls and their middling defense against the center position. Monroe has been fairly consistent lately, especially in plus matchups. There are a lot of centers that I like in tonight’s slate, but if I were to pay up for one, Monroe is the guy.
Values
Whoever starts for the Spurs or just Boban
Seriously! The Lakers are down right awful and you should try to play as many Spurs who you think will get the most minutes. Boban Marjanovic is starting to become a DFS favorite. He doesn’t get a lot of playing time, but when he does get on the court, he racks up the rebound and dunks. Make sure that Tim Duncan is out again tonight, and if he is, it’s Boban time.
GPP Plays
Rudy Gobert (FD $7,000, DK $6,400) –
The Stifle Tower gets a juicy matchup against the Nets tonight. Rudy should easily gobble up every rebound in Brooklyn tonight. I will be rostering him in several of my lineups, as the matchup and his price is just too good to pass up.
