FanDuel NBA DFS Lineup Picks (1/8/21): Daily Fantasy Basketball Advice

Stan Son highlights the top FanDuel NBA DFS lineup picks for 1/8/21, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building daily rosters.

We've got a robust ten-game slate for Friday after Thursday's tease. Three teams are playing on the second leg of a back-to-back: BKN, MEM, and LAL.

The action gets started at 7:00 PM with the Suns visiting the Pistons. There are three games at 7:30 PM (WAS@BOS, OKC@NY, and CHA@NO), three games at 8:00 PM (ORL@HOU, BKN@MEM, and UTA@MIL), and the late-night hammers are TOR@SAC, CHI@LAL, and LAC@GS.

Here are my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 1/8/21. You can also check out today's DraftKings lineup picks. Keep an eye on Rotoballer’s injury news to stay up to date before lineups are locked.

FanDuel DFS Guards

Cole Anthony, PG - @ HOU ($5,000)

With Markelle Fultz done for the year with a torn ACL, Anthony will step into the starting lineup to replace him. He played 32 minutes after Fultz exited Wednesday's game. Now, the shooting efficiency has been awful through eight games, as he's converted 30% of his field-goal attempts and 19% of his shots from beyond the arc. With that said, he's averaging 0.94 FD points per minute, and he should get a ton of those on Friday.

Bradley Beal, SG - @ BOS ($10,100)

Beal is averaging 1.39 FD per minute and 51.81 FD points per game. He's scored 73.9, 50.5, and 45.1 in the past three games with a usage rate of 39! He is on fire right now and will get his, regardless if Russell Westbrook plays or not.

Jaylen Brown, SG - vs. WAS ($8,000)

This game has the highest total on the slate at 234.5 with the Celtics favored by 5.5 points. If the Celtics are going to score points, it's a good probability that many of them will come from Brown. He's scored in double figures every game this season and has a high of 42 points. Brown is not a one-dimensional player, though, as he will grab rebounds, dish out some assists, and get some defensive stats. On the season, he's averaging 1.24 FD points per minute and 42.42 FD points per game.

Also consider: Caris Levert ($6,800), Tyrese Haliburton ($5,400)

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FanDuel DFS Forwards

LeBron James, SF - vs. SA ($10,200)

LeBron has scored at least 50 FD points in each of the past three games and he gets a matchup against the Bulls, who are third in pace and 25th in defensive efficiency. A good combo for fantasy goodies. Now, there are some risks, as this will be the second leg of a back-to-back and the Lakers could crush the Bulls, limiting his minutes. LeBron did play in an earlier back-to-back situation and if the Lakers blowout the Bulls, there's a good chance LeBron had something to do with it.

Jayson Tatum, SF - vs WAS ($9,400)

Jaylen Brown can't score all the points, right? Tatum also has a high of 40 points this season and has scored at least 20 points in every game but one. The rebounds are robust and he also contributes assists, steals, and blocks. On the season, he's averaging 1.29 FD points per minute and 44.57 FD points per game. If this game does what Vegas thinks it will do, then both Tatum and Brown should get busy and provide fantasy goodness.

RJ Barrett, SF - vs. OKC ($6,500)

Barrett is only averaging 0.86 FD points per minute but he's playing 39.8 minutes per game over the last three. All hail, Thibs! Now, Barrett is inconsistent, especially with his shot, so the floor is low but he has a ceiling, as shown by the 50-burger he posted against the Hawks on Monday. OKC isn't the greatest of matchups, as they are middle of the pack in both pace and defensive efficiency, but they do boost the fantas points per minute to small forwards by 5.37%.

Also consider: Anthony Davis ($10,400), Zion Williamson ($7,800), and Chris Boucher ($6,200)

FanDuel DFS Centers

Mitchell Robinson, C - vs. OKC ($5,800)

Robinson played 41.4 minutes on Wednesday. Thibs!!!! It really is all about the minutes and staying out of foul trouble for Robinson. On the season, he's averaging 0.98 FD points per minute and 29.05 FD points per game but over the past three games, Robinson has produced 34.3, 33.4, and 40.8 FD points!

Also consider: Jonas Valanciunas ($6,700), Nikola Vucevic ($8,800)

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis