Tuesday, Jan. 14 provides a steady six-game main slate for all the big daily fantasy sites. Before you lock in your NBA DFS lineups and NBA DFS picks on DraftKings, FanDuel, Yahoo and FantasyDraft, make sure to check out check out Awesemo’s NBA DFS rankings and projections. Let’s dig into some NBA DFS Picks, including Trae Young, Kevin Huerter and more.
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Don’t forget to check out the NBA Strategy Show featuring Josh Engleman and Adam “ShipMyMoney” Scherer as they break down the NBA DFS slate and give out their thoughts on injury news and other NBA DFS analysis.
Also, be sure to read Chris Spags’ Switch and Hedge for more NBA DFS picks and analysis.
NBA DFS Picks: Prime Time Players
James Harden: Houston Rockets at Memphis Grizzlies
DraftKings $13,000, FanDuel $11,700, Yahoo $58 Ownership Rating (preliminary run): DraftKings 25.0%, FanDuel 28.0% Yahoo Fantasy 20.0%
This is the front end of a back-to-back for the Rockets who play again tomorrow when they host the Portland Trail Blazers on ESPN. It has been announced that Russell Westbrook will be out tonight in preparation for Wednesday. Houston is then off until Saturday when they host the Lakers.
It is nice that DraftKings has boosted the price for James Harden, but with a dozen teams on the docket, we should have enough wiggle room that we can make Harden a priority. In the last two games that Westbrook has missed and Harden has played (Jan. 8 at Atlanta and Dec. 14 vs. Detroit), he has averaged 39.0 minutes, 40.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 3.0 combined blocks/steals and 4.0 made 3-pointers for 70.0 fantasy points. This also includes his second triple-double of the season. Keep in mind that both Harden and Westbrook were out on Dec. 29 in New Orleans.
Luka Doncic would be the direct pivot away from Harden, but he is only a $400 savings on DraftKings and a dollar less on Yahoo. The $800 savings on FanDuel is the largest, but it is also the most palatable price for Harden at $11,700.
When Westbrook is off the court, Harden averages a 47.0% usage with 1.84 fantasy points per minute. In the last two games Westbrook missed, Harden tallied 34 and 33 field goal attempts.
NBA DFS Picks: Good Value
Houston Rockets Understudies at Memphis Grizzlies
In the interest of time, I am going to group this crew together. Tonight’s matchup has the highest implied point total at 238.0 with the Rockets five-point road favorites. Over their last 10 games, Memphis has allowed 111.4 points per 100 possessions, which is a lot, but also middle of the pack for this stretch. During this same time frame, Houston is playing at the fourth-fastest pace and Memphis is second.
Ben McLemore stands out on DraftKings at $3,500 and Yahoo $10, while still a fine discount dandy on FanDuel at $4,100. It would not be a surprise to see most sites projecting him for 30-ish minutes tonight, though his 0.68 fantasy points per minute this season leave a little to be desired.
Eric Gordon, regardless of his starting status, should get 28-30 minutes if healthy. While he has been shooting poorly, he is not lacking for shot attempts and a hefty portion are from behind the arc. He is much better on FanDuel $4,100, but still in play on DraftKings $4,800 and to a lesser extent Yahoo $14.
P.J. Tucker is a heap way to get a lot of minutes in this game DraftKings $3,700, FanDuel $3,900 and Yahoo $10. He is never exciting, but a fast-paced game has lots of opportunities for turnovers, blocks and rebounds. Tucker played only two minutes in his last game after needing to leave early with a shoulder stinger. Houston won that game by 30 points against Minnesota, so he was not needed back on the court.
Despite starting 16 straight games, Danuel House Jr. came off the bench in the last one. Over his most recent four games, he has averaged 31.4 minutes but only a paltry 4.0 field goal attempts. If he gets double-digit shots up, he is viable. If not, he is a massive trap.
Austin Rivers, Chris Clemons and Isaiah Hartenstein all need mop-up duty, aka blowout run, to have hope of being productive unless someone else is out in addition to Westbrook.
Yahoo Discount Dandies
Ben McLemore, P.J. Tucker and Danuel House at MEM – $10
Dwight Powell at GSW – $12
De’Anthony Melton vs. HOU – $11
Mikal Bridges at ATL – $10
NBA DFS Picks: Risky Value
Draymond Green: Golden State Warriors vs Dallas Mavericks
DraftKings $6,000, FanDuel $5.900, Yahoo $24 Ownership Rating (preliminary run): DraftKings 19.7%, FanDuel 24.1% Yahoo Fantasy 8.9%
The main issue with Draymond Green is motivation this season: well, that and a lack of reliable healthy shooters on the receiving end of his passes. Green has a career-worst 38.7 field goal percentage with a meager 45.9% from inside the arc and 27.2% outside. He also has his lowest rebound and block rates since becoming a full-time starter seven seasons ago. Finally, for those of you excited that he is listed as a point guard, he is averaging 5.6 assists per game which is the fewest over the last five years. Just say no.
FantasyCruncher Tip of the Day
Use promo code PRIMETIME to receive 50% off any one-week premium subscription (including FantasyCruncher options).
With the incredibly user-friendly and flexible rules creation feature on FantasyCruncher, we can take our lineup construction to the next level.
Today, we are going to talk about the FantasyCruncher roster display settings. By clicking on the gear icon after you have run your initial crunch, you can access a variety of display settings.
When you choose the gear, you will see the following menu appear.
Final Thoughts
This looks like a fun slate where we should have some decisions to make. However, with a dozen teams in the player pool, there is likely to be an illness or unexpected injury that turns things sideways leading up to lock.
Tune in to the Deeper Dive/Live Before Lock shows on YouTube beginning at 5:30 p.m. EST tonight for all of the up-to-date information.
As always, you can reach out to me in Awesemo.com Premium Slack or on Twitter @EMacDFS if you have any NBA DFS questions about DraftKings, FanDuel, Yahoo or FantasyDraft.
Good Luck NBA DFS Gamers! ~ EMac
If you haven’t signed up for Yahoo Fantasy DFS, click this link and use the promo code Awesemo when making your first deposit and you will be eligible for $30 of free play, which Yahoo will match through the first $30 of your deposit (this bonus will be received in Yahoo Sports Rewards Points, aka YSRP, which can be used to enter any paid contest immediately).
