Wednesday, Jan. 22 brings a massive 12-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 James Harden, Darius Garland and more.
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Don’t forget to check out the NBA Strategy Show featuring Josh Engleman and Sal Vetri 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
Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell: Los Angeles Clippers at Atlanta Hawks
Williams: DraftKings $7,300, FanDuel $6,300, Yahoo $27 Ownership Rating (preliminary run): DraftKings 32.3%, FanDuel 46.1% Yahoo Fantasy 43.0%
Harrell: DraftKings $6,800, FanDuel $5,900, Yahoo $27 Ownership Rating (preliminary run): DraftKings 29.5%, FanDuel 46.1% Yahoo Fantasy 34.6%
While Paul George is with the team, he is likely to miss a seventh game with his hamstring injury. This is a back-to-back for the Clippers, so it is highly unlikely that Kawhi Leonard plays tonight. The final piece of news, Patrick Beverly suffered a groin injury last night and is also likely to be out. That is going to leave some heavy lifting opportunities for Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell.
On the season with both Leonard and George off the court and with each other on, Williams and Harrell are averaging 1.40 and 1.25 fantasy points per minute respectively over 451.5 minutes. Over the last month, Atlanta has been in the middle of the pack allowing 110.6 points per 100 possessions, but they are playing at the second-fastest pace during this stretch. On a fun note, Williams actually grew up in the Atlanta area and was Georgia’s Mr. Basketball in 2005.
If Beverley is out, Landry Shamet becomes an excellent option as a secondary facilitator. I cannot understand how Maurice Harkless has fallen off the cliff this season from a fantasy perspective. JaMychal Green and/or Ivica Zubac would be better discount dandy dart throws in my humble opinion.
NBA DFS Picks: Good Value
Marvin Bagley III: Sacramento Kings at Detroit Pistons  Bagley out with a foot injury
DraftKings $6,500, FanDuel $5,100, Yahoo $20 Ownership Rating (preliminary run): DraftKings 21.6%, FanDuel 50.5% Yahoo Fantasy 53.2%
This is more of a FanDuel/Yahoo recommendation with the way pricing is shaking out. Kent Bazemore and Anthony Tolliver should be available to play after the Portland trade is official. Richaun Holmes is still out, so we should see Marvin Bagley III in the mix for 30-32 minutes tonight against Detroit. The Pistons have been a bottom-10 team from a defensive perspective allowing 112.2 points per 100 possessions over the last month. Keep in mind that in the Kings last game, Bagley played nine seconds shy of the full overtime, so that works out to just over 33 minutes in regulation and 30-plus for the third straight game.
Yahoo Fantasy Discount Dandies
Monte Morris at HOU – $12
Landry Shamet at ATL – $10
Daniel Theis vs. MEM – $12
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).
NBA DFS Picks: Risky Value
Zion Williamson: New Orleans Pelicans vs. San Antonio Spurs
DraftKings $5,000, FanDuel $4,500, Yahoo $27 Ownership Rating (preliminary run): DraftKings TBA%, FanDuel TBA% Yahoo Fantasy TBA%
It will be interesting to see what type of buzz rookie Zion Williamson generates throughout the day as he gets ready to make his NBA regular season debut. Speculation is that he will play around 20 minutes, so he theoretically is in play on DraftKings and FanDuel at the low price point and on SuperDraft with a 2.0 multiplier. The other impact he is going to have will be on the usage and opportunity for his teammates. In this case, the recently returned Jrue Holiday and the surprisingly steady Brandon Ingram are likely to take noticeable hits to their production. Have fun in tournaments or just watching the game, but this is a risky option with the upside likely capped around 30 fantasy points (i.e. a double-double with a couple blocks).
NBA DFS Picks: SuperDraft
Michael Porter Jr: Denver Nuggets at Houston Rockets – 1.8x multiplier
Our standout SuperDraft recommendation for today is Michael Porter Jr. This season, he has played in 32 games with one start and is averaging 12.8 minutes per game. Over his last four games, he is averaging 27.3 minutes per game and with the injuries to Paul Millsap, Jamal Murray and Gary Harris, that is likely to continue. Clearly the multiplier has not caught up to his new baseline and this is one player we will not want to miss out on tonight.
If you haven’t signed up for SuperDraft DFS, click this link and use the promo code Awesemo when making your first deposit of at least $100 and you will be eligible for $20 of free play. That will be provided in SuperDraft Cash which can be used to enter any paid contest immediately.
Final Thoughts
Tonight appears to be a wide-open slate and with only one game yesterday, the tournaments seem to be a little larger than our typical Wednesdays.
Be sure to tune in to the Deeper Dive/Live Before Lock shows on YouTube, Twitch and Periscope beginning at 5 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 SuperDraft DFS, click this link and use the promo code Awesemo when making your first deposit of at least $100 and you will be eligible for $20 of free play. It will be provided in SuperDraft Cash which can be used to enter any paid contest immediately.
