NBA DFS Picks and Fantasy Basketball Building Blocks: It’s All About Deni Avdija Now (January 24)

Coming off an injury-filled, seven-game slate on Monday, the NBA runs it back with seven more games on Tuesday. Using Stokastic’s NBA DFS projections, let’s take a deeper dive into the player pool to discuss the top NBA DFS building blocks for both DraftKings and FanDuel. Be sure to check out the Stokastic NBA DFS & Fantasy Basketball home page, where you can find fantasy basketball picks and analysis for each slate of games.

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NBA DFS Building Blocks Today: Tuesday, January 24

Core Play of the Day — T.J. McConnell: Chicago Bulls-Indiana Pacers

  • Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 36.95 | FanDuel: 36.70
  • Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings: 44.80% | FanDuel: 53.90%
  • DFS Salary: DraftKings: $6,100 | FanDuel: $6,600

T.J. McConnell is a clear core building block in all formats, with Tyrese Haliburton still sidelined. After McConnell retained a bench role in the first five games of Haliburton’s absence due to a left knee bruise and left elbow strain, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle opted to start him for the first time this past Saturday against the Suns. McConnell certainly made the most of the opportunity, posting his third career triple-double — 18 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds — in a 112-107 loss to Phoenix. While his price has risen on DraftKings, he’s still too cheap at $6,100, as McConnell is averaging a robust 38.3 DraftKings points per game over the past six games with Haliburton sidelined. While he’s a bit more expensive on FanDuel, McConnell is still one of the top points-per-dollar plays on the entire slate, and it makes sense just to plug him in everywhere and move along.


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Core Play of the Day — Deni Avdija: Washington Wizards-Dallas Mavericks

  • Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 26.64 | FanDuel: 25.91
  • Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings: 44.30% | FanDuel: 33.40%
  • DFS Salary: DraftKings: $4,000 | FanDuel: $5,000

While McConnell is the top overall play on the board, Deni Avdija is not far behind at $4,000 on DraftKings and $5,000 on FanDuel. Avdija averages just 21.7 DraftKings points per game, but he should see a massive boost in both minutes and usage with Kristaps Porzingis hurt and Rui Hachimura traded to the Lakers. Avdija has been OK for the Wizards since being drafted in 2020, but with Porzingis out for at least a week and Hachimura completely out of the picture, this sets up as Avdija’s best opportunity to shine. While the matchup against the Mavericks could be better, Avdija is way too cheap for his presumed role, and plugging him in next to McConnell as the second core building block is a smart move.

Additional NBA DFS Building Blocks Picks Today – Sports Wagering Opportunities

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Charlotte Hornets-Phoenix Suns

There’s a lot to like on both Charlotte and Phoenix tonight. Starting with the Hornets, point guard LaMelo Ball remains questionable due to a left ankle sprain. While Ball would certainly be in play were he to suit up, players like Dennis Smith Jr. and Terry Rozier stand to see huge bumps in both minutes and usage if he’s out. Gordan Hayward returned to action on Saturday after an eight-game absence due to a hamstring injury, and at only $5,100 on DraftKings, he’s worth a look in tournaments. Lastly, rookie Mark Williams continues to get the bulk of the Hornets backup center minutes and at $3,200 on DraftKings he’s a solid value play in all formats.

For the Phoenix side, veteran point guard Chris Paul returned to action on Sunday after missing seven games with a hip injury. Paul dazzled in his return, putting up 22 points, six rebounds, 11 assists, three steals and one block in 38 minutes as the Suns got a huge win against the suddenly slumping Memphis Grizzlies. At $7,500 on DraftKings, Paul stands out as one of the top guard options on the board. After missing the past two games with an illness, center Deandre Ayton has been upgraded from out to doubtful ahead of tonight’s game. While the doubtful tag isn’t that encouraging, the upgrade is worth noting since he will be an elite play in all formats if he suits up. If Ayton sits, however, both Bismack Biyombo and Jock Landale will settle in as elite value plays in both cash games and GPPs. Last, but certainly not least, Mikal Bridges has stepped his game up big time recently, as he has 40 or more DraftKings points in each of the Suns’ past five games.

Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks Today

There are 14 teams on the main slate tonight, so there will surely be news leading up to and past lock. Be sure to check out Stokastic’s Starting Lineups page to see who is in and who is out on tonight’s slate.

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Matt Belman graduated from Tulane University with a degree in Consumer Behavior. He has been playing and analyzing DFS full time since 2018. He has qualified for the 2023 DraftKings NBA World Championship (5x), the 2023 DraftKings MLB World Championship (2x), the 2023 FanDuel MLB World Championship (2x) and the 2023 DraftKings NFL World Championship. You can find him on X at @fantasytipsmatt.

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