FanDuel Daily Picks: Fantasy Basketball Lineup, January 19

Shooting Guard

High Salary: A high-end producer in a matchup to exploit tonight, Jimmy Butler hasn’t been crushing teams like he was earlier in the month, but he has continued solid production.  I think he has a good chance to go off tonight as he takes on the Cavs who have allowed more FanDuel points to opposing shooting guards than any team in the league in their last ten games and only the 76ers have allowed more on the season. Butler is a solid multi-category producer so he is pretty low-risk with big upside in this plus matchup tonight.

High Salary: With Jrue Holiday still ailing, Tyreke Evans will likely get another start at the point for the Pelicans.  He struggled against the 76ers on Friday, but bounced back yesterday with a 37.5 FanDuel point game against the Raptors as he scored 26 points to go with five rebounds and five assists.  Evans has posted 30 or more FanDuel points in four of his last five games and is in a nice matchup tonight against the Knicks who have struggled to defend both point guards and shooting guards all season long.  Look for Evans to have another solid game this afternoon.

High Value: I’m not the biggest fan of J.R. Smith‘s demeanor, but he definitely offers fantasy value in his new role with the Cavs.  Smith has started and played heavy minutes since arriving in Cleveland and has been able to put up 20 FanDuel points or more in four of his five games in the lineup.  He can be a streaky shooter, but his extended minutes have helped limit his risk since he has added assists and steals in the last few games to help keep his value up even when his shot isn’t dropping.  Smith is a solid play at just 5,900 against the Bulls tonight who will focus on shutting down the big three and may leave some room for Smith to hit some shots.  He has huge upside, but there is definitely risk that he’ll put up a dud.  The reason that I like him better recently is that his “duds” have been not quite as empty since he’s been adding the peripheral numbers.

High Value: A frequent feature in our FanDuel daily picks, an even less expensive SG option to consider is Eric Gordon who continues to play well for the Pelicans since his return from an extended injury layoff. Gordon has scored in double-digits in six straight games and has added either five rebounds, five assists, or both in his last three games.  He hasn’t gone off for over 30 FanDuel points, but he has consistently produced over 20 which makes him worth considering at his 4,900 price tag.

Bonus Bargain-Basement Option: Another cheap option playing well lately is Courtney Lee of the Grizzlies who has posted double-digit scoring in four straight contests.  He’s not exactly filling up peripheral categories, but he is grabbing a few boards and assists while playing extended minutes for Memphis.  He has been over 20 FanDuel points in each of his last four contests, so he’s a cheap option worth a look as the Grizzlies host the Mavs today.

Next: Small Forward