Friday’s NBA slate is an expansive 12-game behemoth, with the main contests locking at 7 p.m. ET and six different in-slate tip-off times on DraftKings and FanDuel. There are several options in the player pool that we’ll be analyzing to find the top NBA DFS building blocks for DraftKings and FanDuel lineups.
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NBA DFS Picks: Friday, Jan. 6
Core Play of the Day — James Harden: Philadelphia 76ers-Chicago Bulls
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 52.84 | FanDuel: 50.28
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings 14.1% | FanDuel: 10.9%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $10,100 | FanDuel: $10,200
Even with a plethora of injury news still pending among a player pool consisting of two dozen teams, James Harden stands out as one of the better building blocks of the day. Joel Embiid (foot) is going to miss a second consecutive game, and that means there will be extra offensive opportunities and rebounds for the remaining 76ers.
Tyrese Maxey rejoined the starting lineup on Wednesday, and given he saw 37 minutes, we should feel comfortable that he is back to a full workload after missing six weeks with a foot fracture. While Maxey will absorb some of the production vacated by Embiid, there is still plenty to like about Harden.
Chicago has been mercurial over the last 15 games, with an 8-7 record and three of its losses coming in overtime. During this stretch, the Bulls have been the seventh-worst defensive team, allowing 116.9 points per 100 possessions. Looking at NBAWOWY, we can see that Harden sees his per-minute fantasy production go from 1.2 when sharing the court with Embiid to 1.4 when the Cameroonian is on the sidelines. Tonight a triple-double is in play, and anything less than 50 fantasy points should be considered a disappointment.
LeBron James: Los Angeles Lakers-Atlanta Hawks
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 57.26 | FanDuel: 55.17
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings 19.5% | FanDuel: 8.2%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $10,700 | FanDuel: $11,200
Though LeBron James missed Wednesday’s matchup with a non-COVID illness, he has indicated that he will be good to go tonight. FanDuel has kicked his salary back over the $11,000 threshold, which likely will dissuade some gamers from rolling with the future Hall of Famer. Plus the longer he is saddled with the questionable tag, the more gamers are likely to look elsewhere on a slate loaded with superstars.
Over the last 10 games, Atlanta has the ninth-worst defensive efficiency rating (115.9) while recording the fourth-fastest pace, with 102.1 possessions per 48 minutes. This game has a lofty 242.5 projected total, with the Lakers installed as 2.5-point home-dogs. Lonnie Walker IV and Anthony Davis remain out, and tonight Austin Reaves (hamstring) will be joining them on the sidelines. James is averaging just over 1.5 fantasy points per minute with Davis off the court this season, and James has been racking up with points, with 90 in his last two games as he continues working his way up the leaderboard.
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Additional NBA DFS Building Blocks Picks Today – Sports Betting Opportunities
Tyrese Maxey looks appealing in the betting markets, with a 1.5 over/under on made 3-pointers prop for his matchup against the Bulls in Chicago tonight. In his three games back from his foot injury, despite playing limited minutes in two of the outings, he has attempted a dozen from beyond the arc. Prior to his absence, the third-year guard was averaging 6.4 3-point attempts per game at a 40% conversion rate for 2.7 makes per game.
The NBA Bet Pro projections have him splashing 2.7 triples for a 66% likelihood of surpassing this milestone at -175 on BetMGM. To help increase the 4% xROI (expected return on investment), we can utilize this wager as part as a leg in a straight or same-game parlay for extra upside.
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Brooklyn Nets-New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans are 4-point underdogs as they host the Nets in New Orleans. Zion Williamson is going to be out for the next couple of weeks with a hamstring injury, and Brandon Ingram is still sidelined with a toe issue. That means increased opportunities for CJ McCollum and Jonas Valanciunas as the main beneficiaries.
Jose Alvarado should have a safe floor, and he is going to play alongside McCollum and be the main distributor whenever the former Trail Blazer is on the bench. Dyson Daniels, Herbert Jones and Trey Murphy III will also benefit from a minutes trickledown, as head coach Willie Green is likely to look to his wings to pick up additional rotations.
Brooklyn will be looking to start a new winning streak after the prior one ended at 12 victories with a loss in Chicago on Wednesday. The Pelicans have a mediocre defense, and the Nets should be able to dictate what they want to do tonight.
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are always in play, though this looks like an excellent rebounding environment for Ben Simmons and Nic Claxton. The only risk with Simmons is that he often falls out of the closing unit in close games, as his lack of offensive contributions can be detrimental.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks Building Blocks Today
Tonight looks like a marathon, with tipoff times spanning 3.5 hours from beginning to end. There will be no shortage of news, so be sure to tune into the Stokastic NBA Deeper Dive and Live Before Lock shows at 4:45 p.m. ET on YouTube, courtesy of No House Advantage.
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