Saturday’s NBA action is a frontloaded six-game featured slate tipping off at 7 p.m. ET on both DraftKings and FanDuel. There are several options in the player pool worth analyzing to find the top NBA DFS building blocks and NBA DFS picks for DraftKings and FanDuel lineups, including a resurgent Kawhi Leonard.
NBA DFS Picks: Saturday, Jan. 14
Core Play of the Day — Jayson Tatum: Boston Celtics-Charlotte Hornets
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 56.51 | FanDuel: 53.83
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings 26.7% | FanDuel: 18.6%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $10,600 | FanDuel: $10,800
Boston won’t have Jaylen Brown (adductor) for at least a week and Malcolm Brogdon (personal) may miss this game as well. This is an island game for the Celtics, who are 8.5-point road favorites against Charlotte tonight. They’ll stay in Charlotte for a rematch on Monday, so we should see full run from Jayson Tatum tonight.
The C’s have rattled off five consecutive victories and they are 9-2 over the last 11 games. The Hornets won’t have Kelly Oubre Jr. Gordon Hayward is also doubtful. But with a backcourt led by LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier launching loads of 3-pointers, the Hornets have a reasonable chance of at least keeping this game within reach.
Since the beginning of last year, Tatum has averaged nearly 1.4 fantasy points per minute when Brown is off the court. The 24-year-old star is averaging nearly 50 fantasy points per game and it is hard to see him falling below that mark tonight as a baseline expectation.
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Philadelphia 76ers-Utah Jazz
The 76ers will play the Utah Jazz tonight, the Los Angeles Lakers tomorrow and the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday. Tobias Harris could get tonight off — he is listed as questionable with a knee issue. If he sits, Joel Embiid, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey are all coveted options. Utah eschews defense and Philadelphia has been installed as a 4.5-point road favorite with an implied team total of 120 points.
Paul Reed, Montrezl Harrell, Georges Niang and De’Anthony Melton would be interesting tournament options on the late slate if Harris sits. NBA DFS players need not force them in on the main slate with so many discount dandies provided by the Indiana Pacers.
Kelly Olynyk will sit for Utah and Collin Sexton could get the night off with the Jazz playing a back-to-back. Friday’s action was Sexton’s first game back in nearly two weeks as he has been out with a hamstring injury. Mike Conley did not play against Orlando and it makes sense that he was held out in anticipation of tonight’s matchup. Conley and Jordan Clarkson are good plays along with Malik Beasley, assuming Sexton is a no-go.
Lauri Markkanen has reached the 50 fantasy point plateau in each of his last two outings. He could even make it three in a row. Walker Kessler and Jarred Vanderbilt are receiving strong point-per-dollar marks, but they are both foul-risk candidates against Embiid.
Additional NBA DFS Building Blocks Picks Today – Sports Betting Opportunities
Evan Mobley looks like a strong option tonight with a 7.5 total for his rebound prop against the Timberwolves in Minnesota. Mobley is averaging 8.8 rebounds per game, which is slightly ahead of last year’s pace. He has also recorded an impressive 13.1 rebounds per 36 minutes. The 21-year-old has played at least 31.8 minutes in his last five outings and logged eight or more rebounds in four of those appearances.
The NBA Bet Pro projections have Mobley for 9.1 rebounds and a 61% likelihood of surpassing his line of 8.5. We can utilize this wager as part of a parlay to increase the upside potential of the 6% expected return on investment at -135 on BetMGM.
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Dallas Mavericks-Portland Trail Blazers
NBA DFS players must monitor interviews and soundbites from coach Jason Kidd. Dallas plays again tomorrow and the team is coming off a double-overtime victory against the Lakers in Los Angeles on Thursday. Fortunately, Sunday’s game is also in Portland, but it would not be a surprise to see Luka Doncic get a break for one of these matchups. If he plays tonight, he is a core building block. However, this is also the last game on the docket, so we will need to have a contingency plan with all the salary that is tied up in Doncic.
Christian Wood is questionable after suffering a sprained ankle in the second overtime on Thursday. Dorian Finney-Smith, Maxi Kleber and Josh Green all remain out as well. If Wood is a go, then he is a nice option, if he is out, then Spencer Dinwiddie would see additional offensive responsibilities.
Damian Lillard (ankle) is questionable, but word is he plans on playing tonight. He has 50 fantasy points in two of his last three games and scored 50 actual points on Thursday against Cleveland in a 119-113 loss. Anfernee Simons, Jerami Grant, Josh Hart and Jusuf Nurkic are all solid options who become coveted plays if Lillard it out.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks Building Blocks Today
Of the 12 teams in tonight’s player pool, four played yesterday and three will take the court again tomorrow. To get ready for all the moving parts, be sure to tune into the Stokastic Live Before Lock show at 6 p.m. ET on YouTube, courtesy of No House Advantage.
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