January 5, 2016

Sam highlights the top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for 1/5/16. These are the top value and sleeper plays for your DraftKings NBA DFS lineups.

On tap for Tuesday is a schedule that features several teams that play a style of basketball that relies on several players eligible to score at any given time when on the floor. The Mavericks, Warriors and Kings are three of the teams that feature several players that offer great value for DraftKings in their respective matchups. And then there’s the Lakers, a team that relies on Kobe Bryant’s farewell tour to generate income for their ownership. (In case you haven’t noticed, I love picking on the Lakers).

In this article, I will be providing you with Daily NBA picks for DraftKings for 1/5/16. The picks will range from some of the elite players, to mid-priced options, and value plays.

Without wasting anymore time, let's get down to it!

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DraftKings DFS Point Guards

J.J. Barea (vs SAC, $5,700)

Given the small slate, there is bound to be some positions in which fantasy owners will not be paying up. The point is a good place to start cheap. As long as Deron Williams and Devin Harris continue to deal with their injury problems, Barea will need to be considered in every format. Meanwhile, the Kings are a DFS dream team that plays at a breakneck pace but defends worse than the Maginot Line. I like Barea to bounce back strong and I like him even more should Williams and/or Harris not dress.

Shaun Livingston (at LAL, $4,500)

Although I am not an NBA coach (yet), I don’t think there is any way the Warriors will play Steph Curry. He is listed as questionable as of this writing, but Golden State will be on the back end of two straight and will most likely be favored by about a million points. Even if Curry does go, Livingston is a great play against the league’s second-worst perimeter defense to the point guard position. Livingston should fit in nicely with the up-tempo first unit and his wingspan oozes big rebound potential against the undersized Laker backcourt.

DraftKings DFS Shooting Guards

Lou Williams (vs GS, $5,700)

The Warriors may be a supremely defensive efficient team, but there are holes that can be exploited. Like the two and the swing, for example. Klay Thompson is an average defender at best, while Harrison Barnes and Brandon Rush will be working their ways back from injury. Though Sweet Lou has been playing some point as of late, he is at his absolute best this season in up tempo games, especially as we get deeper into the NBA season. Since December 1st, he has gone for 34.5 DraftKings points (DKP) against Washington, 37.8 DKP against Minnesota, 31.5 DKP in a 40 point loss to the Thunder, and 32.5 DKP against Denver. He has been even better over the Lakers’ last three, dropping 31, 37.5 and 50.8 DKP in close to 35 minutes per game. It’s tough trying to put a stamp on Byron Scott’s rotations, but it appears Williams is safely guaranteed 30-plus minutes.

Wesley Matthews (vs SAC, $5,000)

Let’s just make it official- you will notice a theme here. It’s called, pick on the Kings. Sacramento has allowed a blistering 45 DKPPG to opposing shooting guards over the last five games, which ranks them last out of every team during that span. Matthews hasn’t exactly been lighting it up over his last ten games, but he has shown some flashes of getting back into the groove as of late. After a six game shooting slump, Matthews has gone 22-of-41 from the field over his last four. Ideally he needs to fill the stat sheet a little more, but a high-paced team like Sacramento allows for plenty of chances to grab a couple extra boards.

DraftKings DFS Small Forwards

Carmelo Anthony (at ATL, $8,200)

Melo has the highest floor of any swing/small forward on the slate for Tuesday. Sure, picking him comes with some baggage. He is having his worst shooting year of his career since his rookie season and his usage rate is the lowest it has been in 10 seasons. Still, I’ll have no problem using a guy who is averaging 21.5/7.5/3.6 on the season, good enough for almost 38 DKP per game.

Chandler Parsons (vs SAC, $5,400)

Melo is the safe play, but if you’re feeling like you want to take on the wild side with Lou Reed, then roster Parsons. There is not really a whole lot of evidence to support a Parsons roster. In fact, there is almost none. The dude hasn’t reached 20 DKP in three games with over 92 total minutes of play. But doesn’t that mean that he is due, especially against an up-tempo, defensive deficient squad that is playing their second straight game in as many nights?

DraftKings DFS Power Forwards

Paul Millsap (at NY, $8,100)

After a couple rough games, Millsap has bounced back like a bully on the school yard. Over Atlanta’s last four games, Millsap has averaged 21.75/9/4.75/1.75/3.25, which is good enough for 49.6 DKP per game during that span. Silly. He should have no problem attacking Kristaps Porzingis and all of his defensive inefficiency.

Larry Nance, Jr. (vs GS, $4,400)

I guess it’s about time the fantasy basketball world starts paying attention to Nance. Not because of his athletic talent, but because Byron Scott is more or less shoving him down our collective throat. His 109 DRating ranks among the league’s worst for starters, but he has shown some flashes of being a serviceable starter. He has recorded 14 rebounds in each of his last games while going 11-for-18 from the field. The main reason Nance deserves at least a consideration to roster in GPPs is that he continues to rack up minutes and he is available at a cheap price.

DraftKings DFS Centers

Zaza Pachulia (vs SAC, $5,900)

Normally this space is reserved for Pau Gasol and some type of comment where I write, “he’s the most consistent player out there,” followed by a corny joke. Not this time. Well, the corny joke may still come, but the favorite at center is Zaza in a run away. The guy has dropped exactly 36.25 DKFPPG over his last three while his price has stayed consistently in the mid to high $5k range. Pachulia has turned into an absolute darling of a pick up for the Mavs after the whole DeAndre Jordan fiasco in the off-season. For the record, although Jordan is averaging nearly one point, three boards and two blocks per game more, Pachulia is crushing the former Aggie in assists, steals and non-decommitments.

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