Friday’s NBA action takes shape with a MEGA 18-team player pool and the featured slate tipping off at 7:00 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 Julius Randle, who continues to be overlooked by DFS gamers.
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NBA DFS Picks: Friday, Jan. 20
Core Play of the Day — Julius Randle: New York Knicks-Atlanta Hawks
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 49.84 | FanDuel: 47.99
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings 13.9% | FanDuel: 8.8%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $9,800 | FanDuel: $9,900
Julius Randle is an intriguing tournament option today who should cap out with a popularity rating in the 15% range given his near five-figure salary. This makes sense, with his point-per-dollar ratio being below that of most of the superstars. That means Randle will be underrepresented in the large-field tournaments.
Mitchell Robinson is going to miss the next couple of weeks with a fractured thumb, so we should see Isaiah Hartenstein be one of the most popular discount dandies of the day thanks to his minimum salary across the main DFS sites. Robinson’s absence does not dramatically impact the fantasy production of Randle, though it does give him the possibility to see more minutes at center, which is a bonus. Obi Toppin is lurking as well, but we know that coach Tom Thibodeau loves “his guys” and trusts Randle.
Randle slipped a little last season after his 2020-21 All-Star campaign; however, he has quietly seen his production ticking up to nearly mirror that season, with career bests including 24.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, 7.7 3-point attempts and 7.2 free-throw attempts. The 28-year-old has a very solid fantasy baseline, and he ranks third in the league with 28 double-doubles in 46 games. In 626 minutes without Robinson, including 408 with Hartenstein on the court, Randle is averaging 1.28 fantasy points per minute.
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Nikola Jokic: Denver Nuggets-Indiana Pacers
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 62.54 | FanDuel: 59.63
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings 20.2% | FanDuel: 12.1%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $11,600 | FanDuel: $11,700
It will be interesting to see how many gamers are dissuaded from looking to Nikola Jokic as the Nuggets are double-digit home favorites against the Pacers, who are without Tyrese Haliburton. The two-time reigning NBA MVP continues to be amazing, and he is averaging 1.67 fantasy points per minute this season. Though that is a tick below his absurd 1.76 rate last year, it is still elite.
Denver has won eight consecutive games and has a 15-2 record since mid-December. In this stretch, Jokic has averaged 1.74 fantasy points per minute, and even if his full services are not needed in the final frame, he should at least have 50 fantasy points to his name.
On a historical note, it is always fun to remember that Jokic has the fastest triple-double in NBA history, which came in a game against the Bucks in the old Bradley Center back in February 2018. Jokic reached his triple-double in just 14:33 and finished the game with 30 points, 15 rebounds and 17 assists. The Serbian led the league with 19 triple-doubles last year, and he already has 14 to his credit this season. Currently Jokic has a points + rebounds + assists line of 47.5 that is available on for -115 on BetMGM.
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Additional NBA DFS Building Blocks Picks – Sports Betting Opportunities
Tre Jones looks like someone to consider tonight, with a 5.5 total for his assist prop. This year, he is averaging 6.7 assists per game as the lead facilitator for the Spurs, and he has 7.9 assists per 36 minutes. Though coach Gregg Popovich has basically put an informal minutes cap of 33 to 34 on his players, Jones has played at least 30 minutes in seven straight games and has a 31.6 average, along with 5.6 assists.
The NBA Bet Pro projections have Jones slated for 6.5 assists and 30.2 minutes of action. While this is likely to be a wager that goes down to the wire, it can be found for -121 on BetMGM, which gives it a solid 6% expected return on investment. It can also be incorporated as part of a parlay for a higher payout potential.
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Golden State Warriors-Cleveland Cavaliers
Last night, Golden State lost 121-118 overtime to the Celtics in Boston. We know that they are all but assuredly going to be resting Klay Thompson since he is not going to play on back-to-backs. Jordan Poole (43), Stephen Curry (43), Andrew Wiggins (40) and Draymond Green (37) all saw heavy minutes as well, and it would not be a surprise if several of them received a night off in a tough matchup against the Cavaliers in Cleveland. Depending on who is available, the Warriors could be a solid source of value.
Cleveland may let Donovan Mitchell (groin) have another game to recover, which would open up all sorts of fantasy goodness for Darius Garland and Caris LeVert. Ricky Rubio is back but expected to be on a 15- to 17-minute cap as he regains his strength after missing the better part of a year with a knee injury. If he is out, Raulzinho Neto is someone to consider on the evening sub-slate, but there will be better value options on the featured slate with an 18-team player pool.
Jarrett Allen is yet another solid center option, and Evan Mobley is popping on both DraftKings and FanDuel with his power forward eligibility. If Mitchell is available, Mobley is really the only fantasy option of interest.
Oklahoma City Thunder-Sacramento Kings
Tonight should be a spirited affair, with this game boasting a 241.5 point total. Both teams are playing at a top-10 pace over the last 15 games, and the fantasy goodness should be available in abundance.
Even though Aleksej Pokusevski and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl are out, the Oklahoma City frontcourt still has been spreading the minutes around. Darius Bazley, Kenrich Williams, Mike Muscala and rookie Jaylin Williams all tend to curb each other’s upside, making it tough to pinpoint playing time and fantasy production.
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The backcourt is far easier, particularly with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander making the leap to superstardom and averaging 50 fantasy points per game. Second-year man Josh Giddey has been locked in over his last five games, and suddenly the Thunder are capable of hanging with any team in the league for at least three quarters.
In his last five games, Giddey is averaging 33.2 minutes and taking 16.6 field goal attempts with a 55.4% success rate. He also is averaging 8.8 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 1.2 combined blocks and steals. The ancillary stats have always been there, but the consistent offense is a new wrinkle and gives the Australian access to the 40-fantasy-point plateau.
Domantas Sabonis missed the last game with a non-COVID related illness, along with backup big man Alex Len, and both are questionable again tonight. If one or both are out, then Richaun Holmes is one of the best value options on the slate. However, if Sabonis is back, Holmes is likely to go back to seeing just a handful of minutes and immediately becomes a fantasy afterthought. This is a situation that should carry uncertainty well beyond the first hour of the slate since it is one of two 10 p.m. ET West Coast games. Holmes is fresh off a 30-fantasy-point game against the Lakers on Wednesday, and during several stretches throughout his nomadic career, he has shown the ability to produce at a fantasy-point-per-minute rate.
De’Aaron Fox goes from a secondary option to a core play if Sabonis is out. Sacramento is hosting Philadelphia tomorrow, so it will be interesting to see if Sabonis gets one more day to recover. Trey Lyles, Harrison Barnes, Kevin Huerter, Malik Monk and rookie Keegan Murray are mix-and-match plays on the late slate, and they would become tournament options on the full slate if Sabonis is out. The savvy gamer should earmark a few lineups to account for these various contingencies tonight.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks Building Blocks Today
Tonight is an expansive slate with nine games tipping off at five different start times. Get all the latest analysis and information by tuning in to the Stokastic Deeper Dive and Live Before Lock shows at 4:45 p.m. ET on YouTube, courtesy of No House Advantage.
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