Fantasy Basketball: Early FanDuel Lineups For January 18th

Jan 2, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz guard Trey Burke (3) tries to shoot the ball over Atlanta Hawks forward Elton Brand (7) during the second quarter at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

There are only three games today, including the early one, so get your lineups in early!

More from FanDuel

Here are my FanDuel lineups for January 18th:

Point Guards:

Bargain:

Trey Burke, Jazz ($6,000): Burke against the Spurs is a good matchup. Burke has averaged 30 fantasy points per game over his last ten games, and seems to be shedding some of that unbecoming inconsistency that has kept daily leaguers away from him. On a day like today, you can give Burke a whirl with only six starting point guards.

Worth The Cost:

Russell Westbrook, Thunder ($10,600): Westbrook had a monster game against the Warriors on Friday. Tonight he has an even better matchup against Orlando. Now, I am not saying that he will rack up 65 fantasy points again, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he was over 50.

Risky Play:

Elfrid Payton, Magic ($5,300): Payton lit up the Grizzlies on Friday, but they were without Mike Conley. I wouldn’t look too much into this performance. The Thunder will be an entirely different story. Payton may have a decent game, but I wouldn’t count on more than 20 fantasy points from him today.

My Lineups:

A: Westbrook and Payton ($15,900)

B: Burke and Payton ($11,300)

Next: SG Is The Place To Go Cheap

Jan 15, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dion Waiters (23) dribbles the ball against the Houston Rockets in the second half at Toyota Center. The Rockets won 112 =101. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Shooting Guards:

Bargains:

Eric Gordon, Pelicans ($4,800): Gordon’s best days are behind him, but if he is still getting you around 25 fantasy points a night at under 5k, you should be very happy with that kind of production.

Dion Waiters, Thunder ($5,200): The change of scenery has clearly done wonders for Waiters. He is averaging 28.4 fantasy points per game over his last three games, and is shooting at will without disrupting the offense. That is something that he couldn’t do in Cleveland. This was a trade that many people thought did not make sense for the Thunder, but it is sure looking good for them right now. And its has turned Waiters back into a solid fantasy option.

Worth The Cost:

DeMar DeRozan, Raptors ($7,500): I don’t particularly like his matchup against New Orleans, but on a light day, you have to go with the best option. DeRozan is still the best option even though he may still be on a minutes limit, and he is playing a solid defense. Tyreke Evans did not do so well manning the point on Friday. if Jrue Holliday misses another game, that is where Evans will be again, making him a bit of a risk.

Risky Play:

Manu Ginobili, Spurs ($5,600): Ginobili is only playing around 20-25 minutes a game, so that alone makes him a risk. He does have 66.9 fantasy points in his last two games, but he didn’t come near that in the past three games combined. He doesn’t see enough minutes anymore to be a consistent, reliable option. However, he has shown that he can still be productive at times.

My Lineups:

A: Gordon and Waiters ($10,000)

B: Gordon and Ginobili ($10,400)

Next: You Must Include Durant Tonight

Jan 16, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard (2) reacts after a shot against the Portland Trail Blazers during the second half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Small Forwards:

Bargain:

Kawhi Leonard, Spurs ($7,800): Leonard had an outstanding return against Portland on Friday, so I like him against the Jazz today. Well, at least compared to the other mid-range options.

Worth The Cost:

Kevin Durant, Thunder ($10,600): Durant was a monster against the Warriors. He is a must-play against the Magic tonight. I like Durant to outscore Westbrook if you are comparing them to each other, and can only take one.

Risky Play:

Gordon Hayward, Jazz ($7,300): Hayward is a superb play against weaker teams. The problem is that I wouldn’t consider the Spurs a weaker team. Hayward has had under 26 fantasy points four times in the last ten games. This is a pretty big risk, but there aren’t much for options tonight.

My Lineups:

A: Durant and Leonard ($18,400)

B: Durant and Hayward ($17,900)

Next: Is Anthony Davis Healthy Enough To Trust?

Jan 7, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (9) dunks the ball against Sacramento Kings forward Derrick Williams (13) during the first quarter at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Power Forwards:

Bargain:

Channing Frye, Magic ($3,900): Frye has averaged 26 fantasy points since he took his starting job back from Kyle O’Quinn. As long as he keeps playing like this, the Magic will let him have a good run. He might have some trouble against Serge Ibaka tonight, but I would still expect him to be around 20 points.

Worth The Cost:

Serge Ibaka, Thunder ($7,000): Ibaka scored a career high 27 real points on Friday night en route to a 39.1 point fantasy night. Of course, the Thunder were firing on all cylinders against Golden State on Friday, so I may take it with a grain of salt. Still, I wouldn’t bet on Ibaka going under 30 fantasy points.

Derrick Favors, Jazz ($7,800): Favors has had over 35 fantasy points in five of his last six games. It doesn’t appear that his leg is bothering him. He may not hit 35 against Tim Duncan and the Spurs, but he should be close.

Risky Play:

Anthony Davis ($11,100) and Ryan Anderson ($5,500): As of now, it looks as though Davis will be held out. Still, there is nothing concrete. On the surface it appears as though Anderson is an outstanding value play, but he did not play well on Friday with Davis out. Anderson only had 15.6 fantasy points against the 76ers on an atrocious 2-11 shooting night. He likely won’t be that bad from the field again tonight.

My Lineups:

A: Frye and Amir Johnson ($9,200): Amir Johnson has averaged 25.5 fantasy points over his last four games while he is being given significant minutes. On a lighter night, Johnson is worth the gamble.

B: Ibaka and Frye ($10,900)

Next: Can You Afford Vucevic?

Jan 16, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) dunks against the Memphis Grizzlies during the first quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Center:

Bargain:

Rudy Gobert, Jazz ($6,500): Enes Kanter is still the starter, but Gobert has outplayed him. He has seven games of more than 25 fantasy points in his last ten games. He also had four of those games above 30 points. Gobert is a bit of a risk considering that he won’t get big minutes, but he has done nothing but produce whenever he is on the court.

Worth The Cost:

Nikola Vucevic, Magic ($9,300): Vucevic has averaged 41 fantasy points per game over his last seven games. His matchup against Steven Adams is a great one for Vucevic. He could be back over 50 tonight after a one game hiatus.

Risky Play:

Jonas Valanciunas, Raptors ($6,400): He has amassed only 30.6 fantasy points over his last two games after erupting against the Pistons. Yeah, it doesn’t make sense to me either. This just enforces the belief that Valanciunas is a very inconsistent player. It is not an unfounded belief.

My Lineups:

A: Gobert ($6,500)

B: Vucevic ($9,300)

More from FanSided