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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on January 7, 2021. Euan Leith provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
Happy Thursday, Rotoballers! The season feels like it is starting to hit its groove, with football entering the playoffs and basketball becoming the sporting world's priority on Thursday nights. There will be some terrific offenses on display this evening, and it should make up for the small five-game slate.
Fortunately, Las Vegas thinks there will be several high-scoring affairs. Four of the five games have an over/under on the right side of 220 points. The highest total is the Minnesota Timberwolves-Portland Trail Blazers matchup at 232 points. The Blazers are 10-point favorites in that game and gives them the highest implied total (121 points) among the 10 teams scheduled to play. Although no Nets players make the recommendations tonight, they have the sixth-fastest pace in the league right now (105.6). It should allow some ancillary players to rack up valuable fantasy points at a reasonable rate, with Kevin Durant still sidelined due to COVID-19 protocols.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 1/7/21. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. With COVID-19 a significant factor globally, remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before line-up lock.
DraftKings DFS Guards
C.J. McCollum - PG/SG, POR vs. MIN ($8,500)
Another game, another 20-point outing for McCollum. It's become the norm for the co-star in Portland, and his blazing start to the season will continue against Minnesota. The eighth-year guard has topped 25 points in each of his last four outings and hasn't scored below 20-points all year. The Timberwolves allow 44.73 fantasy points per game (FPPG) to shooting guards, and that is just below McCollum's season average (47.3 FPPG). The 29-year old's worst game was a 36-point performance on opening night, so at $8,500, he is a lock to return at least four times his value.
D'Angelo Russell - PG/SG, MIN at POR ($7,700)
On the other side of the court, D'Angelo Russell is coming off a season-high 59.25 DK points against the Denver Nuggets. On Tuesday, the 2015-first round pick dropped 33 points, 11 assists, three rebounds, two steals, and was 4-for-9 from downtown. It was just the second game this season that Russell attempted 20 or more field goals, and he should be looking at a third game with that workload this evening. Portland allows a league-high 58.16 DK points to opposing point guards. The 24-year old is saddled with his highest price tag of the season tonight, but a 45-point performance is well within reach against this struggling Portland defense.
Patty Mills - PG/SG, SA at LAL ($4,300)
Patty Mills stepped up with Derrick White on the sidelines with a toe injury and filled in admirably against the Los Angeles Clippers. The veteran guard posted 27 points and made eight three-pointers in 29 minutes on Tuesday. His salary sat at $3,700 for that contest, and he returned almost ten times his salary. It'll be tough to expect that on Thursday against the Los Angeles Lakers, but the Australian's price is cheap enough that he is still valuable as a one-trick pony. L.A. allows the ninth-most three-pointers per game to point guards, and with the hot hand Mills showed last game, he should at least reach the 20-point mark on DK and return nearly five times his value.
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DraftKings DFS Forwards
Michael Porter Jr. - SF/PF, DEN vs. DAL ($7,100)
Michael Porter Jr. is eligible to return for tonight's game against the Dallas Mavericks after sitting out a few games due to the COVID-19 health protocols. Before he was sidelined, the 22-year old was off to a great start. In his last game on Dec. 29, Porter had season-highs with 30 points, 11 rebounds, four made threes, and 18 shot attempts. The $7,100 price is a little surprising given that Michael Malone could (and likely will) limit his budding star's minutes tonight, but that's why I'll have MPJ in a few lineups. That last performance against the Sacramento Kings produced 51.5 DK points, and a repeat with a lower roster percentage would be a great addition to lineups.
Kyle Anderson - SF/PF, MEM vs. CLE ($6,400)
Kyle Anderson keeps producing, and DFS managers should keep rostering him in their lineups as a result. Small Forward is deep on tonight's five-game slate, and it keeps Anderson's price deflated. He's shown that he has a great ceiling with three games over 40 DK points this year and should be a primary option in the Memphis offense against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Tonight should be a slower-than-usual matchup for the Grizzlies. Cleveland plays at the sixth-slowest pace in the league, and it's resulting in the lowest over/under (211.5 points) on the schedule. I like the over and Anderson to maintain his solid start to the season. He makes a great GPP option if most DFS players decide to fade this game with the low projections coming out of Las Vegas.
Cedi Osman - SF/PF, CLE at MEM ($5,700)
I like Osman more than his teammate, Larry Nance Jr., because $1,300 cheaper, and he is becoming a regular part of the Cavaliers offense. In the first five games of the season, the man from Macedonia took 9.8 shots per game. However, over his last three contests, that number rose to 12.7 shots. Unfortunately, he has been a little cold recently, but the workload is encouraging, and I'll hang my hat on that for this evening's matchup with Memphis. The Grizzlies come in allowing the second-most DK points per game to small forwards. It's another piece of a low-scoring affair, but it's essential to look for a difference-making angle on a five-game slate. I believe Osman will be one of those difference makers this evening and have a fair return on his $5,700 cost.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Jarred Vanderbilt - PF/C, MIN at POR ($3,800)
We end this edition of DFS picks with another piece of the highest-scoring projected game of the evening. Vanderbilt had an excellent revenge game against the Nuggets on Tuesday with 11 points, five rebounds, two assists, three steals, and two blocks in 23 minutes. Minnesota is willing to see what else they have at the center position with Karl-Anthony Towns still on the mend, and Vandy should stand to benefit again tonight. Portland gives up 56.83 DK PPG to centers, the seventh-highest mark in the league. If the 21-year old can crack the 20-minute barrier for the second-consecutive game, he has a great shot at a massive return on his salary for tonight's slate.
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