DFS NBA Lineups for January 12, 2017 at Draftkings.com & Fanduel.com

DFS NBA is fast-paced, high-scoring, and the right work and research, an incredibly fun variant of daily fantasy that can be quite profitable.

Each day that there’s a good slate of games, we’ll give you the game totals, spreads, and pertinent injury news for NBA daily fantasy, as well as some players that we’re considering for our lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel. Be sure and monitor any of the injury news that comes out throughout the day, as value plays can arise in a moments notice.

PLAYERS RULED OUT

Jimmy Butler (illness), Nikola Mirotic (illness)
Jeremy Lin (hamstring)
Larry Nance Jr. (knee)
Jon Leuer (knee)

INJURY NEWS TO MONITOR

Anthony Davis (hip)
D’Angelo Russell (hand)
Trevor Booker (hip)
Andrew Bogut (hamstring)

NBA GAME SPREADS, TOTALS & START TIME FOR TODAY’S GAMES

Pelicans -5 @ Nets (7:30p):216.5
Bulls @ Knicks -3 (8:00p): 204
Lakers @ Spurs -14.5 (8:30p): 211
Mavericks -1.5 @ Suns (10:00p): 205
Pistons @ Warriors -13.5 (10:30p): 218

Best NBA Picks for January 12, 2017

Anthony Davis ($11.8k DraftKings, $11.8k FanDuel)
While he’s listed as questionable with a hip injury, Davis is fully expected to suit up tonight after declaring that he was “good” after taking a hard fall in his monstrous performance at Madison Square Garden on Monday. His injury history will make many DFSers wary of paying up for The Brow, but he should provide excellent returns as long as he stays out there for four quarters tonight. The Nets are still giving up the most PPG (114.1) in the NBA while ranking 26th in total rebounding, and they cough up the most FPPG (53.67) to opposing centers by far this season. Davis is playing more at the 5 with Donatas Motiejunas and Terrence Jones sharing time at PF and he should make mince meat of the slow-footed Brook Lopez this evening.

Steph Curry ($8.8k DraftKings, $9k FanDuel)
It may appear as though Curry’s numbers spiked in his last appearance because Klay Thompson (rest) was out, but in reality the two-time MVP has been heating up regardless with averages of 30.2 PPG, 5.2 RPG and 6.2 APG over his last 5 appearances. The Warriors are giving up 113 PPG during that span and they might wind up another shootout against a feisty young Pistons team that is surging right now. Detroit is playing better offensively, but Reggie Jackson is somewhat of a liability, as they’re giving up the sixth-most FPPG (45.75) to opposing PGs over the last month and will have a real tough time containing the Chef in his kitchen.

Andre Drummond ($7.5k DraftKings, $8.2k FanDuel)
Most of the high-priced options on this 5-game slate come with some risk and Drummond is no exception. He’s been an inconsistent player throughout his short career and hasn’t always given a suitable effort on the defensive end, but he was everywhere in Detroit’s road loss to Sacramento on Tuesday, as he finished with 7 blocks and 3 steals while narrowly missing a double double. He draws a good individual matchup tonight against stout center Zaza Pachulia and a Warriors team that is allowing the tenth-most PPG (23) and RPG (14.92) to opposing centers over the last month. The Warriors are second in the league in pace and should provide Big Dre with a ton of rebounding opportunities as long as this game stays relatively close.

Mid Tier NBA DFS Picks

Dwyane Wade ($6.8k DraftKings, $6.9k FanDuel)
With Jimmy Butler and Nikola Mirotic ruled out, D-Wade will return to the Bulls lineup as the unquestioned leader of that offense. He’s sporting a ridiculous 45% Usage Rate and averaging 1.17 FPs per minute when both of those players are off the floor this season and his outlook is further boosted with Rajon Rondo far from guaranteed to see consistent playing time. Wade’s matchup is appealing against a Knicks team that is reeling, having lost 9 of their last 10 games and falling to 25th in terms of defensive rating on the year, so he should keep the Bulls competitive and carry the load with their superstar inactive.

Dirk Nowitzki ($5.8k DraftKings, $5.5k FanDuel)
The old veteran proved that he still has something left in the tank with a 26-point performance in Minnesota on Monday and he’s had two days off to prepare for another plus matchup against a young team that he can also take to school. Phoenix ranks 25th in defensive rating, coughs up the second-most PPG (111.9) this season and allows the fourth-most PPG (24.08) to opposing PFs over the last month. Dirk has terrorized the Suns throughout his career and produced a solid 13 points and 7 boards over 27 minutes when he last faced them, but now he’ll be asked to do more down low with Andrew Bogut (hamstring) doubtful and he also seems healthier at this point in the season.

Buddy Hield ($4.7k DraftKings, $4.2k FanDuel)
Everyone on the Pelicans could receive a boost if Anthony Davis is held out of tonight’s game for precautionary reasons and his teammates are certainly capable of torching the league’s worst defense whether he plays or not. Hield is thriving with defenses doubling down on The Brow, as the rookie is shooting 47.2% from the field and averaging 14.6 PPG over his last 7 appearances. He’ll face a Nets team tonight that ranks 24th in opponents FG shooting (.461%) and is a good bet to meet value at the very least.

Bargain Tier NBA DFS Picks

Tyreke Evans ($4.2k DraftKings, $4.9k FanDuel)
You can target the Nets porous defense with several Pelicans and Evans is worth a look as one of the cheaper options on DK. He played a season-high 21 minutes on Monday and met value with 12 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists against the Knicks. Evans is slowly ramping up after missing the beginning of the season due to multiple knee injuries and he shouldn’t have much trouble navigating the league’s worst defense on the road tonight.

Kyle O’Quinn ($3.3k DraftKings, $3.9k FanDuel)
Even though he only played 24 minutes last night, O’Quinn was clearly the most productive player for the Knicks with 10 points, 15 boards and 41.75 DK points (38.5 FD points) in a one-point loss. With Kristaps Porzingis seemingly struggling due to the Achilles injury that kept him out for a few games last week, HC Jeff Hornacek turned to KOQ down the stretch and the big-bodied center provided some of the toughness that the Knicks have been lacking lately. They’ll need more of that in a matchup against the physical Bulls tonight and that makes O’Quinn worth a look as a punt play with the potential to produce 8x value once again.

Denzel Valentine ($3.3k DraftKings, $3.8k FanDuel)
Even with Dwyane Wade expected to return, Valentine should retain some value due to the ongoing struggles of Doug McDermott and the continued absence of Mirotic. The rookie out of Michigan State is the closest thing to a replacement that the Bulls have for Jimmy Butler on the defensive end and his offensive game continues to improve, as he came back from an ankle injury to drop 19 points on 7-of-15 FG shooting on Tuesday. The Bulls roster is still chalk full of appealing value plays with two of their best scorers out and Valentine is the cheapest of the bunch on DK.

If, Then Player

If Anthony Davis (hip) misses tonight’s game or happens to check out early with one of his trademark contusions, Terrence Jones, Donatas Motiejunas and Dante Cunningham would fill the void. Jones is a great value on FD, but a little expensive on DK, while D-Mo has the best per dollar value on either main DFS site.