FanDuel daily picks: Fantasy basketball lineup-January 2
High Value PG
Ishmael Smith-Philadelphia 76ers (5,800): A change in scenery back to the 76ers where he was last season has been great for Smith who has a big role in the Philadelphia offense and has emerged quickly as a legitimate fantasy producer once again. He had a downer last night against the Lakers playing just 25 minutes and finishing with 15.3 fantasy points, but before that had posted back-t0-back games with at least 40 fantasy points. Yesterday’s letdown was due to foul trouble and a woeful 3/19 shooting game. He should be able to bounce back tonight against the Clippers, so don’t give up on Ish to come through for you tonight even if he burned you last night in a great matchup. ∗∗∗∗
Trey Burke-Utah Jazz (5,000): Burke stepped up for my FanDuel daily picks on New Year’s Eve with 27 points against the Blazers in just 29 minutes. He finished with 34.7 fantasy points giving him back-t0-back games with over 30 fantasy points. He’ll continue to get more playing time and scoring responsibility while Alec Burks remains sidelined, so look for Burke to continue to produce solid numbers. He has scored at least 13 points in four of his last five games and has at least 21 fantasy points in each of those four contests. ∗∗∗∗
Mario Chalmers-Memphis Grizzlies (4,400): Of the backup PG under 5K, Chalmers is on that offers a pretty good amount of upside. He has put up two solid stat lines in his last couple of performances with 27.5 fantasy points on Sunday against the Lakers and 26 fantasy points on Tuesday against Miami. In those two games he has averaged 11.5 points, 5.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.0 steals. If he keeps getting over 20 minutes off the bench like he did in those two contests, ‘Rio will be able to produce solid numbers and Memphis’s primary backup point guard. ∗∗
Norris Cole-New Orleans Pelicans (4,000): Chalmers former backcourt-mate in Miami Norris Cole is also picking up some nice playing time for his new team the Pelicans. He has played at least 30 minutes in three of his last four games and comes into today’s game off of back-t0-back 15+ point performances that resulted in 27 and 29.1 fantasy points. New Orleans is in a good matchup tonight against the Mavericks, so give Cole a look if you think he’ll keep getting the playing time for the Pelicans. ∗∗∗
Ty Lawson-Houston Rockets (3,800): Another cheap filer worth a look is Lawson who is the best sub-4K play for tonight as the Rockets visit the Spurs. Lawson has played more minutes lately for Houston and has at least 14 fantasy points in each of his five games back from his DUI suspension. He had 20 or more fantasy points in back-t0-back games before playing only 18 minutes against Golden State on Thursday night. He and Patrick Beverley are sharing the PG responsibilities alongside James Harden, so Lawson is worth a gamble if you have to take a total flier under 4K. ∗∗
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