DraftKings daily picks: Fantasy basketball lineup-January 15

High Salary SF

Kevin Durant-Oklahoma City Thunder (9,800): After his running mate Russell Westbrook was tossed from Wedensday’s game against Dallas, Durant finished with 29 points, ten boards, and four assists for a total of 51.5 fantasy points. He has at least 41 fantasy points in each of his last six games with half of those six resulting in at least 50 fantasy points. Tonight, he’ll face the T-Wolves who he scored 30 points against just last Tuesday.  While he may not go off for a monster game since the game could not be close, he’s a safe bet to hit 40+ fantasy points making him a solid option for tonight if you can afford his 10K salary. ∗∗∗

Paul George-Indiana Pacers (8,800): George hasn’t had more than 40 fantasy points in four of his last five games, but he is in a great matchup tonight against the Wizards who have allowed more fantasy points to opposing SF than any other team in the NBA. George lit them up for 40 points the first time these teams played and added eight boards, four assists, and two steals for good measure.  George has been in a shooting slump lately, but maybe this matchup is exactly what he needs to shake it off.  He’s high-risk given his current form, but his matchup is good enough that he also offers tantalizing upside. ∗∗

Danilo Gallinari-Denver Nuggets (7,200): Maybe it’s because he plays in Denver or because he has a long injury history, but Gallinari seems wildly underpriced to me at just 7,200.  Gallo has played six games since returning from an ankle injury and is averaging 26.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists. and 0.8 steals in those contests.  He has at least 38 fantasy points in four of those contests and no less than 34 fantasy points in any of them. Tonight, he and his Nuggets will welcome in the Heat as they look to build on their recent wins over Charlotte and Golden State. ∗∗∗∗

Jae Crowder-Boston Celtics (6,400): Crowder has been one of the most consistent Celtics options lately with at least 16 points in eight of his last nine games and at least 28 fantasy points in seven of those nine contests.  He usually puts together plenty of non-scoring numbers and produces balanced lines.  Tonight, he is in a good matchup against the Suns who allow the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing SF. My only hesitation with Crowder is that I liked his value much better when he was about 1,000 cheaper.  His price has crept up to the point where he is much less of a value, but he’s still an option to look at in this matchup. ∗∗

Kent Bazemore-Atlanta Hawks (6,300): Bazemore got off to a hot start on Wednesday, but he ended up only playing 25 minutes as the Hawks were completely blown out by the Hornets in Charlotte.  He finished with only 21.5 fantasy points on nine points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals.  He’s still an option to check out tonight, though, since the Bucks give up the third-most fantasy points in the NBA to opposing SF.  Bazemore has the ability to produce big and balanced stat lines, and he has been able to post at least 30 fantasy points in four of his last seven contests. ∗

Next: High Value SF