DFS NBA Lineups for January 31, 2017 at Draftkings.com & Fanduel.com
Each day that there’s a good slate of DFS NBA 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.
We have six Tuesday games on the main NBA slate for 1/31/17 highlighted by two DFS studs squaring off as the Kings and Boogie Cousins head to Houston to play James Harden and the Rockets. DraftKings and FanDuel are running it back on Tuesday night, doubling down on their small buy-in, huge guarantee GPPs. At DraftKings, you can again turn $4 into $50,000 in their $4 buy-in, $500k guaranteed 4-Point Play tournament. That tourney will pay out nearly 41,000 entries. On FanDuel, their $4 buy-in, $500k guaranteed GPP is paying out $100,000 to first place and pays out nearly 34,000 positions.
As always, be sure and monitor any of the injury news that breaks throughout the day, as value plays and player upgrades can arise in a moments notice.
PLAYERS RULED OUT
Nikola Jokic (hip)
Enes Kanter (arm)
Pau Gasol (finger)
Julius Randle (illness)
Derrick Rose (ankle)
INJURY NEWS TO MONITOR
Emmanuel Mudiay (back)
Kenneth Faried (hamstring)
D’Angelo Russell (knee)
Cody Zeller (quad)
NBA GAME SPREADS, TOTALS & START TIME FOR TODAY’S GAMES
Knicks @ Wizards -7.5 (7:00p): 217.5
Pelicans @ Raptors -7.5 (7:00p): 214
Kings @ Rockets -12 (8:00p): 225.5
Thunder @ Spurs -8.5 (8:30p): 210
Hornets @ Blazers -3.5 (10:00p): 214
Nuggets -3 @ Lakers (10:30p): 228
Best NBA Picks for January 31, 2017
James Harden ($12.2k DraftKings, $12.5k FanDuel)
It’s always tough to choose between Harden and Westbrook, but the Thunder draw a brutal matchup at San Antonio tonight while The Beard will look to bounce back at home against the Kings weak defense. He’s coming off one of his worst games of the season with 8 assists, 8 turnovers and just 15 points on 3-of-17 shooting from the field in a loss at Indy. However, he should find an offensive rhythm at home tonight against a Kings team that he eviscerated for 36.3 points and 8 assists per game last season. Sacramento coughs up the ninth-most FPPG (38.84) and fourth-most PPG (24.06) to opposing SGs, so Harden is primed for a big game after a rare dud.
DeMarcus Cousins ($11.2k DraftKings, $11.4k FanDuel)
It may be extremely difficult to stack Harden and Cousins in the same lineups ($23.4k of your $50k on DraftKings), yet it might be worth punting some other positions to get exposure to the two best options in the best game to target on this slate. Houston and Sacramento should get into a shootout with both offenses cooking and Cousins is carrying the Kings even more now that Rudy Gay is done for the season. These teams combined for 221 points (225.5 O/U tonight) in a close contest in late November, and Houston beat the Kings 132-98 at home with Cousins inactive last month. But now he’s completely healthy and ready to dominate a team with a serious weakness in the middle of its defense.
Jrue Holiday ($7.7k DraftKings, $7.8k FanDuel)
He’s been on fire over the last couple of weeks and the return of Anthony Davis to the Pelicans lineup did little to cool Holiday off. With averages of 21.6 PPG and 9.6 APG while shooting a scorching 53.8% from three-point range over his last 5 appearances, Jrue is playing like a truly elite point guard yet he’s priced well below the many superstars on this slate. Toronto’s defense has softened this year and allows seventh-most PPG (24.04) to opposing PGs this season, while Holiday just did tremendous damage against the Spurs and red-hot Wizards in his last two appearances. The Pels are 7.5 point dogs in this one, so for the game to stay close, Holiday will have to do his thing.
Mid Tier DFS NBA Picks
Kenneth Faried ($5.4k DraftKings, $6.6k FanDuel)
While he’s listed as probable with a hamstring injury, Faried should be healthy enough to take advantage of his increased opportunities tonight. Nikola Jokic (hip) was doing so much for the Nuggets that he won’t necessarily be replaced by one player, but Faried appeared the primary beneficiary while logging extensive minutes at the 5 on Saturday against the Suns. The Manimal went for 21 points and 13 boards over 37 minutes, which is right in line with his per 36 minute averages. Tonight he’ll face a Lakers team that is in a nosedive and ranks 30th in defensive rating while giving up the second-most FPPG (47.06) to opposing PFs over the last month. He should exceed value as long as he’s healthy enough to play steady minutes.
Brandon Jennings ($5.1k DraftKings, $5.6k FanDuel)
Derrick Rose (ankle) is out tonight for the Knicks and is doubtful for Wednesday. As long as he remains out, Jennings will continue to start and see plenty of opportunities after he logged an absurd 53 minutes in a 4OT loss at Atlanta on Sunday. Jennings is averaging 12.4 points and 7.2 assists per 36 minutes this season, and while he’s not exactly lighting it up, he should serve as a reliable source of production in a high-scoring affair against a Wizards team that’s really been hot at home lately.
Bargain Tier DFS NBA Picks
Evan Turner ($4.7k DraftKings, $4.8k FanDuel)
Turner has long been a cash-game darling for those DFSers who don’t like to take too many chances with their value plays and he should put up another solid line at home tonight. The Blazers (-3) host the feisty Hornets in what should be a game to target with a 214-point Over/Under and two elite offensive backcourts trading blows. Turner is serving as the Blazers backup PG and piling up rebounds with his lengthy frame, so the fact that he’s not looking to score too often isn’t much of a concern. Charlotte happens to give up the eighth-most APG (4.02) to opposing SFs this season and has been hemorrhaging FPs to opposing guards over the last month, which bodes well for Turner’s outlook as a versatile player.
Ty Lawson ($4k DraftKings, $4.6k FanDuel)
You can use both Lawson and Collison in the same lineups because the Kings aren’t hesitating to use their two PGs side by side right now. Lawson played 32 minutes while Collison logged 36 in Sacramento’s solid win at Charlotte on Saturday and starting SG Garrett Temple moved to the 3 for extended periods. Using three guards could be an effective strategy against a Rockets team that coughs up the seventh-most FPPG (46.27) and plays with tons of pace. Lawson will likely torch Houston’s second unit, which is even worse defensively. Lawson has hit at least 5x return on his salary in 6 of his last 7 games.
If, Then Player
If Emmanuel Mudiay remains out, Jameer Nelson should be a solid value, while Will Barton and Gary Harris will be worth a look in tournament formats.
