Fantasy Basketball: DraftKings NBA Picks for January 24

Jan 24, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; General view of Draft Kings logo on an advertising LED screen during the Denver Broncos game against the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship football game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos defeated the Patriots 20-18 to advance to the Super Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

DraftKings NBA Picks for January 24

We are again at nine games for the main DraftKings tournament tonight. We have plenty of stars on display. There are several top tier players on back to backs tonight. Giannis, Harden, Teague, Kemba, and Conley….and that is just the point guards! Be on the lookout for resting players and declining output.

Don’t forget to follow @fantasycpr on Twitter for lineup updates as we get them leading to the tipoffs of the games! I am not always able to get back in here and fix my picks when someone sits for the night, but we will update it on Twitter.

Point Guards

Best Bets:

Isaiah Thomas ($9,300): Thomas put up 98.25 DraftKings points in thwo games against Washington earlier this year. That is significantly better than Wall’s numbers against Boston. Thomas has topped 5x value in six of the last seven games. He has been one of the most consistent high scorers on the board lately, and definitely the best going tonight at any position if Leonard sits again.

Eric Bledsoe ($8,900): Minnesota has been much improved at defending the point, but if Rubio is out again, they aren’t nearly as good. Bledsoe put up 91.25 DraftKings points in two games against Minnesota earlier this year. He has also been under 40 DraftKings points just once in the last seven games. He wont be held under that here, which gives him a floor of near 5x value and the potential for a whole lot more.

Honorable Mention:

John Wall ($9,400): Wall has eight straight games with more than 40 fantasy points. He would seem like a lock, right? Well, Boston has contained him this year. Wall has averaged 38.5 DraftKings points in two games against Boston this year. That likely wont be enough to put us in the money. Do you go with his hot streak, or against the two previous games against Boston?

Kyle Lowry ($8,800): Lowry had one of the worst games of his career against the Spurs in their first meeting this year. That said, Tony Parker is likely out again, which gives Lowry a bit of a reprieve. Mills is still a good defender, so I will be surprised if he has a really good game, but he wont be highly owned and we all know he has the talent to put up big numbers.

Dark Horses:

Raymond Felton ($5,600): Felton has been over 23 DraftKings points in every game with Chris Paul out. He doesn’t have the huge upside that Rivers has, but Felton has been the more consistent choice so far. He is seeing around 30 minutes a game with Paul out, so he is a cheap source of sure points.

Patty Mills ($4,200): Dejounte Murray has started the last couple of games with Parker out, but Popovich prefers to rely on the veteran Mills. Mills has been over 6x value in the last two games. He doesn’t have the ceiling that Murray has, but he is the safe pick if Parker sits again.

My pick: Thomas(PG); Bledsoe(PG)

Dec 6, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade (3) against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons won 102-91.Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

Shooting Guards

Best Bets:

Dwyane Wade ($6,800): With DeRozan out and Devin Booker having a tough time with the Timberwolves this year, Wade is the best option at SG tonight. He went nuts on Sacramento over the weekend, and while the Magic aren’t nearly that bad on the perimeter, they aren’t that good either. They are bottom five on the perimeter if Evan Fournier is out again. Wade could have another nice game.

Zach LaVine ($6,500): LaVine has been nothing short of awful lately. He has failed to reach even 4x value in five of his last seven games, and hasn’t hit 5x in any of them. So why take the chance? The Suns are a considerably better matchup for him. He will need to do more than just shoot to make value though, so you are still taking a risk using him.

Honorable Mention:

Austin Rivers ($5,900): It is a rather weak night as SG, so the fact that Rivers is eligible here gives us some nice flexibility. The Sixers have toughened up on the perimeter lately, but with the way Rivers has played, I’m not all that worried. Rivers has nine straight games of at least 4x value, with most of those topping 5x. He is picking up a lot of the scoring with Paul out.

Marcus Smart ($5,800): Avery Bradley will be out at least the rest of this week, which means Smart has a few more starts left in him. Smart’s output has not been all that consistent, but in good matchups, he hasn’t disappointed. Washington is not a great matchup, but it isn’t a bad one either. He is a solid play tonight.

Dark Horses:

Joe Ingles ($4,900): Ingles was mostly shut down by the Thunder last night, but tonight he has a much better matchup against the Nuggets. He has averaged 15.1 DraftKings points per game over 19 minutes in three games against Denver this year. When you project that out of the 30 minutes he has been playing with Rodney Hood out, Ingles should be somewhere around 5x value.

Terrence Ross ($4,200): This is what all of us have been waiting for. DeMar DeRozan is out for at least the next too games, which means that Ross is criminally underpriced right now. Ross is capable of putting up a lot of points in a little time. There will be plenty of shots to go around with DeRozan out, and he has a great matchup against the Spurs. Expect Ross to hit at least 7x value tonight.

My pick: Rivers(SG), Smart(G), Ross(UTIL); Ingles(SG), Smart(G)

Jan 19, 2017; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard (2) reacts after a shot during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /

Small Forwards

Best Bets:

Kawhi Leonard ($9,200): Leonard was a late scratch last night because of a sore hand. There is speculation that he will be back on the court tonight. It would be good for us DFS players who actually have the money to afford him tonight. Kawhi has a great matchup with Toronto. He put up 45.5 DraftKings points in the first meeting with the Raptors, and has been over that total in each of the last six games. If he plays, use him!

Jimmy Butler ($9,000): Butler has had a couple of off games lately, but he has a nice matchup with an Orlando team that he scored 43.25 DraftKings points on in just 30 minutes earlier this year. Butler’s minutes should be higher than that if the game stays close. He is a suitable option if Kawhi sits and you don’t want to reconstruct your whole lineup.

Honorable Mention:

Gordon Hayward ($7,200): Hayward has been under 5x value in three of his last four games, which should help temper his ownership percentage. Hayward has averaged 40 DraftKings points over three meetings with the Nuggets already. This is not a fluke. He is a significant threat to do it again.

Andrew Wiggins ($7,000): Wiggins has topped 5x value in five of the last six games, so he seems to have broken out of the early January swoon. The game that he missed it was against the Spurs, who are in the top three defensively against small forwards. Wiggins has 71.25 DraftKings points in two games against the Suns this year, which puts him right at 5x value.

Markieff Morris ($6,300): Morris has been on quite a tear lately. He has topped 5x value in eight of his last nine games, and was over 6x in half of those. Morris has struggled with his shot in two games against Boston (8-27 from the floor) this year, but with the way he is playing now, it’s hard to ignore what he could do.

Dark Horses:

Aaron Gordon ($5,700): Gordon is not all that consistent yet, but he is still pretty raw. He put up 30 DraftKings points on the Bulls in the first meeting, and has topped 30 twice in the last three games. He is trending upward right now, and has nice upside if you are looking for a low owned GPP play.

Jae Crowder ($5,600): Crowder put up 35 DraftKings points on the Wizards the first time around. He is part of the reason that Morris has struggled with his shot against Boston, but Morris hasn’t been much of a deterrent for Crowder. Do you play the hot Morris, or the consistent Crowder?

Danilo Gallinari ($5,400): Shockingly, Utah is in the top ten defensively against every position. That said, Gallinari put up 55 DraftKings points on them over two games. That puts him firmly at 5x value against one of the best defensive teams in the league. Most DFS players will look elsewhere, but Gallinari could have a very nice game tonight.

My Pick: Hayward(SF), Crowder(F); Wiggins(SF), Morris(F)

Dec 16, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; LA Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) runs down court during the second half against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. The Clippers won 102-98. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

Power Forwards

Best Bets:

Blake Griffin ($7,600): This is a stab in the dark, but Blake is very cheap. It is still unknown if and how much Griffin will actually play, but this is a good matchup for Griffin. The Clippers will welcome back his scoring with Chris Paul out. He only needs 38 DraftKings points to reach 5x value. He is averaging 42, and is going against a bottom ten defense against power forwards.

LaMarcus Aldridge ($6,900): Aldridge put up 42.75 DraftKings points on the Raptors in the first meeting, and that was with Pau Gasol in the lineup. Aldridge has picked up over 40 DraftKings points in three of the last four games, and has played well with Gasol out. He could be in line for another big game tonight.

Honorable Mention:

Ersan Ilyasova ($6,000): The luster goes off of Ilyasova on nights when Embiid plays, but he has still proven to have a high floor. He has only been held under 20 DraftKings points once since his trade from Oklahoma City. He has been over 28 DraftKings points in nine of the last 11 games. Embiid will sit out tonight and tomorrow with a bruised knee, so Ilyasova is still a lock for 6x value, even if Griffin plays.

David Lee ($5,900): Lee has scored 102.25 DraftKings points in the three games since Pau Gasol went down. That is well above 5x value at this price, which went up $2,600 in three games. Lee will be a big part of the game against Toronto as well. Another double-double looks imminent.

Dark Horses:

Gorgui Dieng ($5,200): Deing has found himself in foul trouble in each of the last two games, but Phoenix should provide a bit of a break from that. Dieng has 64 DraftKings points in two games against the Suns this season. The potential is here for 6x value once again.

Marquese Chriss ($3,300): Chriss seems to play about 18-25 minutes per game consistently now, but his output is not consistent yet. He has 36 DraftKings points in 40 minutes against Minnesota so far this year. If that holds true again, Chriss should be right around 18 DraftKings points, which is almost 6x value.

My pick: Ilyasova(PF), Lee(C); Ilyasova(PF), Lee(UTIL)

Oct 15, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Karl-Anthony Towns (32) dunks against Miami Heat forward Willie Reed (35) during the second quarter at KFC! YUM Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports /

Center

Best Bets:

Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,500): I will admit that it is hard to spend this much salary on a player taking on a top five positional defense. That said, he has 100.5 DraftKings points in two games against the Suns already this year. He has proven that he can handle Phoenix in the middle, and has rattled off back to back 60+ DraftKings points games. Fade at your own risk.

More from FanSided

Nikola Jokic ($8,600): The only thing that can stop Jokic is his coach. He has only played 48 minutes over the last two games after playing more than 28 in each of the previous five. It could be because of the ankle he rolled against the Spurs or because of foul trouble against Minnesota, but it still makes is a little harder to take the chance. Jokic only has 51 DraftKings points in two games against Utah this year, but he only played 43 minutes in those two games. If you project that out to his 30 minutes, that will put him right at 5x value.

Honorable Mention:

DeAndre Jordan ($8,100): On paper, this is a good matchup for Jordan, but the value in this pick takes a huge hit if Griffin plays. Jordan has been playing very well up front, and has taken on a lot of scoring with both Griffin and Paul out. However, Embiid is out, so the Clippers could really dominate this game up front. Jordan is still in play tonight.

Tyson Chandler ($5,700): Chandler only has 36.25 DraftKings points in two games against Minnesota this year, but he is playing his best basketball of the season right now. In those two games, Chandler played a combined 42 minutes. He has played at least 28 minutes in each of his last eight games, averaging 34.4 DraftKings points a game over that span.

Dark Horses:

Jahlil Okafor ($5,200): With Joel Embiid out, Okafor is in line for big minutes over the next couple of games. Okafor has topped 5x value in each of the last five games that Embiid has missed. Make sure to check out the status of his sore knee prior to tip, but he is listed as probable. If he plays, he should definitely be in your lineup.

Robin Lopez ($4,500): Lopez has topped 5x value in each of the last six games. He has carved out a consistent role for the Bulls up front, and is more a part of the game than he was in the first meeting with Orlando when he was held to 18.75 DraftKings points in 20 minutes. He plays around 30 minutes per game now, which would put him over 5x value again.

My pick: N/A; Okafor(C)

Next: FanDuel NBA Picks

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