NBA DFS Lineup Advice: Bennedict Mathurin Is Finally Here (January 18)

What’s up all, Lindy here! This article series will walk you through the key parts of the main NBA DFS slate every evening. Unexpected news could always come from nowhere to rattle a slate, so don’t take this as gospel. But here are a handful of key decision points for tonight’s slate that I’ll be factoring in so you are better prepared for what’s to come and can optimize your lineups accordingly. Let’s get right into today’s NBA DFS lineup advice! Need more NBA DFS lineup advice? Check out our NBA DFS lineup generator or our industry-leading NBA DFS simulation tools.

NBA DFS Lineup Questions: Key Decisions for Today

React App

NBA DFS Lineup Advice: What We Learned From Toronto Last Night

Due to the Pascal Siakam trade, I talked at length about the Raptors’ potential starting lineup and rotations in yesterday’s article. And wouldn’t you know it: They’re back on tonight’s main slate, and there’s going to be some pretty pronounced chalk based on what just happened.

Let’s pull up the box score from their bajillion-point win over the Heat last night courtesy of PopcornMachine.net:

Gary Trent Jr. was tabbed as the fifth starter, Scottie Barnes shifted to the 4, and a murder ensued. In the aftermath of Trent’s success (28 points, 8-for-9 from 3), we should fully expect him to start yet again tonight. So at $4,300 on DraftKings and $4,700 on FanDuel, he’ll be one of the evening’s go-to chalk pieces as a result. Do we expect him to go freakin’ 8-for-9 from deep again? No, but there’s a lot of wiggle room for an average performance at those salaries and 30 minutes of court time.

Trent is obviously there to chuck, and he’s an easy plug-and-play tonight, so let’s move to more specific observations. To assists we go: Nine for Quickley with 13 potential assists jumps out to me in just 30 minutes, which is especially impressive considering his last rotation was obsolete. He and R.J. Barrett are clearly part of this new Raptors nucleus.

But the whole reason I’m writing about this column comes down to what we’re seeing from the frontcourt minutes with Thaddeus Young and subsequently his optimal percentage in Stokastic’s Boom/Bust tool:

He had 28 minutes off the bench on Wednesday, with the obvious quick hook tendency for Jontay Porter continuing to be a thing. But due to the perceived volatility in his minutes, Young has way too low of ownership for his chances of paying off on tonight’s slate. At just $3,900 on DraftKings and $4,500 on FanDuel, he’s my favorite play on the Raptors relative to ownership as of writing this.

NBA DFS Lineup Advice: Nuke of the Night

Oh, hello Benedict Mathurin secure minutes! Nice to finally meet you!

The Arizona product has run hot and cold in his second NBA season, and subsequently so has his court time. But on the heels of his first start since Nov. 19, the departure of Bruce Brown Jr. to Toronto and Tyrese Haliburton being ruled out for tonight’s fast-paced matchup against the Kings, the time is now to jam Mathurin before he’s consistently playing minutes into the 30s for the first time all year. He’s third in scoring for the Pacers behind Haliburton and Myles Turner, and even though Buddy Hield’s back to playing a prominent part of this rotation, I expect slightly more usage for Mathurin tonight.

Eric Lindquist hails from Sioux Falls, South Dakota (yes, that’s the one with Mount Rushmore). A steady diet of three SportsCenters a day at an early age led to his obsession with sports, one that 30 years later is paying dividends for him as a successful DFS player and sports bettor. Despite over half a million dollars in net career earnings, he’s most passionate about helping others achieve their financial goals, an energy you can witness on the daily in his current role as a host and analyst at Stokastic. He’s a former Division I golfer at Iowa State, wishes he was a former Minnesota sports fan, and is a proud father to a 100-pound Bernese Mountain dog named Duke that wishes he could just eat people food instead of the crap he and his wife feed him on the daily.

Premium Data

NBA DFS Ownership: Night Slate

Single-Game & Showdown NBA DFS Ownership

NBA DFS Ownership – Express Slates

FanDuel NBA DFS Ownership

Yahoo! NBA Ownership

NBA DFS Ownership – Main Slate

NBA DFS Boom/Bust Probability

Stokastic’s NBA DFS Rankings

NBA DFS Projections

DFS Winners from the Stokastic Community

Subscribe to the Stokastic newsletter

DFS advice, exciting promos, and the best bets straight to your inbox

Stokastic.com - Daily Fantasy Sports and Sports Betting Data, Tools, & Analytics

Please play responsibly. Only customers 21 and over are permitted to play. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.