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DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks (1/3/19): NBA DFS Lineups

The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on January 3, 2019. Leonard Francis II provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.

Another three-game slate on tap in the NBA tonight which means finding value on DraftKings is a bit like Sandra Bullock blindfoldedly navigating the rapids in Bird Box. She made it, though. Hopefully, we do too.

Kings/Nuggets has the highest implied point total of the night at 227 with the Rockets/Warriors coming in second at 224.5 and Spurs/Raptors rounding out the group at 217. None of which are overly suggestive in either direction, but we do know the Kings and Warriors rank in the Top-10 in pace with the Spurs and Rockets joining the Kings in the Bottom-12 in terms of defensive efficiency. In other words, we're not likely to see three defensive struggles. Good news for our chances at finding a few value plays.

Per usual, I'll be focusing on the mid-to-lower-priced options here in hopes of providing you the essential lineup fillers needed to optimize your DraftKings lineup. I find no value in detailing the ways in which Nikola Jokic is good at playing basketball.

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DraftKings DFS Guards

Malik Beasley - PG/SG, DEN at SAC ($4,900)

The return of Gary Harris has a negative impact on Beasley's value overall. However, Harris saw a smidge under 20 minutes in his return Tuesday night and with the Nuggets on the verge of their first playoff berth since the 2012-2013 season, prematurely parading him out there for 30 minutes a game in January would not be the most astute of decisions. That said, I'd imagine the 25 minutes Beasley averaged during Harris' 11-game absence will slowly begin to make their way back down to the 18-20 range - especially once Will Barton returns. Slowly being the key here.

The Nuggets draw a Kings team tonight who likes to get up and down the floor, and with Harris likely still on a minutes restriction, both Beasley and Monte Morris figure to continue to see run in Denver's crowded backcourt. Expecting a repeat of his career-high 23 points against the Knicks Tuesday night seems overly optimistic, but he should produce enough to justify his salary given the dearth of options on the board.

Derrick White - PG/SG, SA vs. TOR ($4,700)

Danny Green returns home tonight so get your popcorn ready!

What? You thought I'd mention something about the Kawhi Leonard/DeMar DeRozan script?

White has put up double-digit points in three-straight and capitalized on Rudy Gay being out of the lineup Monday night by scoring a career-high 22 points. Gay is listed as doubtful again tonight, and while that does not guarantee another 20-plus point outing, it does suggest he'll get a few additional shots up than he may otherwise. Scoring aside, White's ability to fill up the box score is what makes him a valuable asset tonight. He's pulled down at least three boards in eight of his last 11 games, Bryn Forbes has found his stroke over the Spurs last seven -- shooting 53-percent from the field and 46-percent from deep -- which helps in the assist department, and he's a solid defender who contributes both steals and blocks almost nightly.

 

DraftKings DFS Forwards

Draymond Green - PF/C, GS vs. HOU ($5,900)

You'll rarely find a guy who's a triple-double threat every time he steps on the floor priced under $6K, and while I don't completely understand why Draymond continues to be priced this low, I'll just continue to take advantage instead of complaining.

As the fourth, at best, scoring option in this offense, Green's point totals disappoint more often than not. However, he leads the team in rebounds, assists, and steals and the success of both the offense and defense alike can directly be attributed to his play on most nights. The Warriors should have no problem getting up for James Harden and co. -- even with the Rockets at less than full-strength -- and while P.J. Tucker's main job is to play D and rebound, I don't think he's enough to prevent Green from outperforming his salary.

Davis Bertans - SF/PF, SA vs. TOR ($3,800)

Bertans logged 31 minutes off the bench with Rudy Gay out for the Spurs Monday night and could be in for similar run tonight against the Raptors as he provides a much more favorable matchup for Pascal Siakam and Serge Ibaka than Jakob Poeltl. Our options at forward tonight are much deeper than that of the guards with several candidates in the mix to land here (e.g. Serge Ibaka, Nemanja Bjelica, Paul Millsap, et al), but Bertans' ability to stretch the floor and rebound provide him more than enough upside -- along with the savings -- to justify the risk.

 

DraftKings DFS Centers

Pascal Siakam - PF/C, TOR at SA ($6,200)

There's really not much to say here... He's been balling lately. Ride the wave.

More Fantasy Basketball Analysis




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REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Malik Monk

Kings "Not Actively Engaged" in Trade Discussions Involving Malik Monk
P.J. Washington

Mavs Likely to Offer P.J. Washington a Contract Extension
Kenny Pickett

Raiders Acquire Kenny Pickett From Browns
Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals Give Trey Hendrickson a Raise
Amari Cooper

Signs One-Year Deal With Raiders
NHL

Jan Rutta Lands in Switzerland
Kirby Dach

Skates on Monday
COL

Tyson Barrie Retires From NHL
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Back in Toronto's Lineup
Joe Mixon

to Start Season on Non-Football Injury List
Jaylen Wright

Not Expected to Play in Week 1
Jakobi Meyers

Requests Trade
Jauan Jennings

Not Practicing on Monday, has Avoided IR for Now
Matthew Stafford

Taking 11-On-11 Reps on Monday
Zhang Mingyang

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Johnny Walker

Gets Back In The Win Column
Brian Ortega

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Aljamain Sterling

Proves Too Much For Brian Ortega
Chris Sale

Penciled in to Start on Saturday
Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Suffers Unanimous-Decision Loss
Sergei Pavlovich

Wins Decision At UFC Shanghai
Terry McLaurin

Signs Three-Year Extension with Commanders
Kevin Borjas

Drops Decision At UFC Shanghai
Sumudaerji

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Kiefer Crosbie

Still Winless In The UFC
Taiyilake Nueraji

Gets His First UFC Win
Ryan Blaney

Earns his Second Daytona Cup Series Win
Tyler Reddick

Locks Into the 2025 Playoffs Despite Underwhelming Daytona Performance
Erik Jones

Misses the 2025 Playoffs Despite Top-Five Run at Daytona
Justin Haley

Best Performance of 2025 Falls Short of Victory at Daytona
Chase Burns

To Throw Bullpen on Tuesday
Kyle Larson

Enters Playoffs As Co-Points Leader
Alex Bowman

Advances to Playoffs Despite Crashing at Daytona
Cole Custer

Finally Shows Signs of Life at Daytona
Daniel Suarez

Lame-Duck Daniel Suarez Delivers Clutch Second-Place Finish
Logan Gilbert

Punches Out 13 in Victory
Randy Rodríguez

Randy Rodriguez Battling Arm Soreness
Marcus Semien

Out 4-6 Weeks, Could Miss Rest of Season
Ranger Suárez

Ranger Suarez Strikes Out 11 in Win
Cal Raleigh

Sets Catcher Home Run Record
Yordan Alvarez

Likely to Return on Tuesday
Jacob deGrom

to Start on Monday
Kyle Tucker

Homers Twice in Win
Chris Sale

Likely to Return Next Weekend
Brian Robinson Jr.

to be RB2
Najee Harris

to be Ready Week 1?
De'Von Achane

Making Good Progress
Jaylen Wright

Considered "Week-to-Week"
Marcus Semien

Placed on Injured List
Jackson Merrill

Heads to 10-Day Injured List
Jordan Love

Says He'll Play in Week 1
Brice Turang

Absent on Saturday, "Touch-and-Go" With Wrist Injury
Chase Elliott

Despite Being Winless at Daytona, Chase Elliott is Probably the Best DFS Option
Ryan Blaney

Will Likely Lead a Lot at Daytona
Kyle Larson

a Poor DFS Option at Daytona
Christopher Bell

Consistent Enough to Consider for DFS
Chris Buescher

Now Must Win His Way Into Playoffs
Ryan Preece

Being One of the Slowest-Starting Fords Makes Ryan Preece a Strong DFS Option
Ross Chastain

Leads a Lot on Drafting Tracks
Daniel Suarez

Now in Desperation Mode With his Career on the Line
Chase Briscoe

Tendency to Finish Better Than He Runs May Reap Dividends at Daytona
Lamar Jackson

Should Practice on Monday
Carson Hocevar

Hard to Forecast Since He's Rarely Given 100 Percent at Daytona
Michael McDowell

has a Solid Drafting Record
AJ Allmendinger

A.J. Allmendinger Arguably Starting Too Well for Place-Differential Points
Austin Dillon

Will Likely Be Too Conservative for DFS Consideration
Matt Chapman

Activated and Starting on Saturday
Moses Moody

Warriors Not Interested in Trading Moses Moody
Kevin Durant

Rockets Expected to Agree on New Contract
Trey Murphy III

Warriors, Spurs Interested in Trey Murphy III
Zack Wheeler

to Undergo Season-Ending Surgery
Yoán Moncada

Yoan Moncada Hits a Pair of Home Runs on Friday
Willy Adames

Belts Two Solo Home Runs on Friday
CAR

Luke Kunin Joins Panthers on One-Year Deal
Auston Matthews

Says His Health is "Good" Before Start of Season
Roope Hintz

"Feeling Good" Ahead of New Season
Matthew Tkachuk

Recovering From Surgery
Marco Rossi

Wild Re-Sign Marco Rossi to Three-Year Deal
Bubba Chandler

Records Four-Inning Save in Debut
Walker Buehler

Officially Moving to Bullpen
NBA

Malik Beasley Now Drawing Interest from Teams
Brian Robinson Jr.

Traded to 49ers
Zhang Mingyang

Set For UFC Shanghai Main Event
Johnny Walker

In Dire Need Of Victory
Brian Ortega

An Underdog At UFC Shanghai
Aljamain Sterling

Set For UFC Shanghai Co-Main Event
Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Sergei Pavlovich

A Favorite At UFC Shanghai
Kevin Borjas

Set for UFC Shanghai Main-Card Bout
Sumudaerji

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kiefer Crosbie

Set To Open Up UFC Shanghai Main Card
Taiyilake Nueraji

Set For His UFC Debut
Connor Ingram

Clears Player Assistance Program
Frank Nazar

Inks Seven-Year Extension With Blackhawks
COL

Victor Olofsson Signs One-Year Deal With Avalanche
Tee Higgins

has Injury Scare on Thursday
Dallas Cowboys

Micah Parsons Expected to Play in Week 1
Chris Godwin

Expected to be Activated from the PUP List
Dru Smith

Aims to Be Healthy for Training Camp
Jayson Tatum

Provides Injury Update
RJ Barrett

Considered a Trade Candidate
Golden State Warriors

Warriors "Remain Very Confident" About Signing Al Horford
Jahmir Young

Agrees to Deal With Heat
Devaughn Vele

Traded to Saints
Demarcus Robinson

Issued Three-Game Suspension
Hideki Matsuyama

Looks to Bounce Back at Tour Championship
Corey Conners

Looking to Reverse Struggles at East Lake
Cameron Young

Stays Hot Ahead of Tour Championship
Harris English

Aims for Complete Game at East Lake
Sepp Straka

Back in Action at East Lake
Ben Griffin

a Strong Value Play at East Lake
Rory McIlroy

Chasing Another Win at East Lake
Patrick Cantlay

Finishes Tied for 30th at BMW Championship
Ludvig Aberg

Finishes Tied For Seventh at BMW Championship
Collin Morikawa

Finishes Tied for 33rd at BMW Championship
Keegan Bradley

Finishes Tied for 17th at BMW Championship
Robert MacIntyre

Finishes Second at BMW Championship
J.J. Spaun

Finishes Tied for 23rd at BMW Championship
Scottie Scheffler

Wins BMW Championship
Harry Hall

Hot at the Right Time for Tour Championship
PGA

Sungjae Im Wants to Rebound at Tour Championship
Jacob Bridgeman

has One Weakness Heading to Atlanta
Nikola Vučević

Nikola Vucevic Not Expecting to Be Moved Before the Season
Nick Taylor

a Long Shot to Win Tour Championship
Josh Giddey

Bulls Not Interested in Sign-and-Trade Deal Involving Josh Giddey
Brian Harman

Trying to Crack Top 20 at Tour Championship
Andrew Novak

Attempts to Bounce Back in Atlanta
Oscar Tshiebwe

Signs New Two-Way Deal With Jazz
Justin Rose

Seeks Even More Success at Tour Championship
Washington Wizards

Alondes Williams Joins Wizards for Training Camp
Washington Wizards

Wizards Add Skal Labissiere for Training Camp

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP