NBA Daily Fantasy Projections & DFS Picks for DraftKings & FanDuel 1/21

On the schedule for Friday night is a 11-game slate, and with 22 teams competing, NBA fantasy lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel will be flush with high-level talent and value plays. The Awesemo NBA Starting Lineups page will provide breaking news when starters are announced as well as a full injury report on players who might be missing in action. Below are some NBA daily fantasy options that stand out for tonight’s slate using Awesemo’s Boom/Bust Tool and NBA DFS projections.

Boom/Bust NBA Daily Fantasy Projections & Picks

Boom: Ja Morant: $9,300 DraftKings/$9,100 FanDuel

44.8% DraftKings Boom/44.5% FanDuel Boom

With Dillon Brooks out Wednesday due to an ankle injury and Desmond Bane, Kyle Anderson and Tyus Jones unavailable due to health protocols, Morant lit up the Bucks for a season-high 67 DraftKings points across 39.2 minutes. All four of those players will remain sidelined Friday against the Nuggets, and Morant’s usage has increased 7.9 percentage points to 37.7% in the 150 minutes he has played without them since the start of last season. To put in perspective how massive this number is, Joel Embiid currently leads the league in usage rate at 35.9%. Additionally, Morant’s assist rate skyrockets 8.9 percentage points to 41.4%, resulting in an elite 1.6 DraftKings points per minute.

This matchup with Denver presents the fourth highest total on the slate (224.5 points) and a tight spread, with the Nuggets only favored by 3.5 points. In this situation, Morant’s props are set at 27.5 points, 7.5 assists and 5.5 rebounds on BetMGM, which is already 43.75 DraftKings points before defensive stats and bonuses are credited. At sub-$10,000 price tags on both DraftKings and FanDuel, no player is rating higher than Morant in terms of boom score in Awesemo’s Boom/Bust Tool, making him a tremendous option for all formats.

Boom: Joe Ingles: $4,200 DraftKings/$3,700 FanDuel

25.4% DraftKings Boom/29.4% FanDuel Boom

For the second straight game, the Jazz will be without Donovan Mitchell (concussion). With him absent Wednesday, Ingles got the spot start and delivered 28.25 DraftKings points in 31 minutes against the Rockets. Over the last two seasons, Ingles has made 24 starts for Mitchell and has produced 27 DraftKings points in 30 minutes per game on those occasions. Mostly attributed to a 2-percentage-point upgrade to his assist rate, Ingles has scored 0.9 DraftKings points per minute with Mitchell off the court since the start of last season. Tonight the Jazz will be hosting the Pistons, who rank 23rd in defensive efficiency. In this spot Utah’s implied team total is the fourth highest on the board (116.25 points).

Ingles is criminally underpriced for his expected role tonight and is a top-three value on the slate for both DraftKings and FanDuel according to Awesemo’s projections.

Latest NBA DFS Content

Boom: LaMarcus Aldridge: $5,200 DraftKings/$6,000 FanDuel

23.7% DraftKings Boom/12.6% FanDuel Boom

In his second game removed from a from a three-game absence due to a foot injury, Aldridge was not limited in anyway Wednesday and posted 42 DraftKings points in 32 minutes against the Wizards. Both Kevin Durant (knee) and Nicholas Claxton (hamstring) missed this game and will be out again Friday, keeping Aldridge in roughly a 30-minute role as the Nets’ primary big man. In the 228 minutes he has played with Durant and Claxton off the floor this season, Aldridge’s usage has risen 4.5 percentage points to 26.8%, which ranks third on the team, behind only James Harden and Kyrie Irving for this situation. The heavy usage lifts Aldridge to a strong 1.23 DraftKings points per minute, and tonight he will be competing in the highest total on the slate against his former team in the Spurs (232.5 points). Both these clubs rank inside the top eight in pace, and in this up-tempo setting Brooklyn’s implied team total is the third highest on the board (116.75 points). To put a cherry on top, the Nets are only 1-point favorites, which is tied for the smallest spread of this 11-game slate.

Aldridge is providing 32 DraftKings points per game in the nine games he has received at least 25 minutes this season and is an excellent way to attack the top game environment of the night, particularly since he is not expected to gain much attention from DFS players. According to Awesemo’s ownership projections, Aldridge is expected to be less than 3% owned on both DraftKings and FanDuel.

Boom: Jimmy Butler: $9,400 DraftKings/$8,800 FanDuel

18.2% DraftKings Boom/28.1% FanDuel Boom

With Kyle Lowry (personal) and Tyler Herro (health protocols) missing Wednesday, Butler rightfully so was one of the most owned players on the slate. Unfortunately, he was ejected from the game in the second quarter due to two technical fouls, obviously resulting in a low fantasy score. Both Lowry and Herro will continue to be sidelined for Friday’s matchup with the Hawks, and Awesemo is projecting Butler to come with single-digit ownership on DraftKings, making this an outstanding time to invest.

In the 113 minutes he has played with Lowry and Herro off the court this season, Butler’s has contributed 1.4 DraftKings points per minute, thanks to a whopping 9.9-percentage-point boost to his assist rate. Facing this Atlanta defense that ranks dead last in efficiency, he has the potential for a triple-double tonight and is an incredible GPP target on DraftKings.

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