FanDuel daily picks: Fantasy basketball lineup-January 18

High Value C

Amir Johnson-Boston Celtics (5,400): An ankle issue may have cost him a few minutes against the Wizards on Saturday, but it isn’t expected to hold Amir Johnson back tonight against the Mavericks.  Johnson has been playing extremely well in his growing role with Boston and has posted at least 24 fantasy points in seven of his last nine games.  After an 18.1 fantasy point performance on Saturday, some may be ready to jump ship on Johnson, but I’m staying on the bandwagon and think he’ll bounce back with a good game tonight.  The only reason he doesn’t get more stars is that he does have a higher risk than other options and isn’t as much of a value as he was before his price rose. ∗∗

Cole Aldrich-Los Angeles Clippers (4,300): Aldrich has been a huge boost for the Clippers while DeAndre Jordan has been out.  He has scored 19 points in each of his last two games and added ten rebounds on Saturday for his first double-double of the season. He finished with 42 fantasy points in Saturday’s game and is a must-play if Jordan is out again tonight.  Even if DeAndre Jordan does return, Aldrich should have earned himself a larger role as his backup especially as Jordan recovers from pneumonia which could affect his stamina in his first few games back. Aldrich is a great way to save the money you need to get stars at other spots, even though I wouldn’t be surprised if his numbers come back to earth a little bit tonight as he takes on Dwight Howard and the Rockets. ∗∗∗∗∗

Next: My Lineup