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It's time for another enticing Sunday slate, RotoBallers. We have a larger-than-usual eight-gamer on tap tonight and there are a ton of ways to approach this slate with value still abundant and a solid mix of appealing DFS environments in play. The SAC/POR and MEM/LAL matchups project as exciting late-slate games to target, while MIN/HOU, NOP/TOR, and CHI/DAL are also looking like spots we can tap into for DFS plays. As always, we have a few critical injury/COVID situations to monitor. Be on the lookout for news on Doncic, Morant, Fox, Brooks, and Beverley.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 1/9/22. Remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before lineups lock. As always, feel free to follow my Twitter (@RING_DFS) - I post about a variety of things but mainly NBA DFS with my K-Rate and Positional K-Rate model. Instead of meticulously trying to comb through the rest of the myriad of injury and "health and safety protocols" issues in play, just be sure to check out our NBA Injury Roundup as well as NBA Player News for updated information.
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DraftKings and FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Luka Doncic - PG/SG, DAL vs. CHI ($10,600 DK, $10,000 FD)
Doncic is too cheap, plain and simple. He's questionable with an ankle injury and missed the Mavs' last game on Friday, but as long as he suits up, he's a great pay-up option at this price. It's a bit of a sneaky spot as the game holds a low implied total and the Bulls generally do a pretty good job on the defensive side of the ball, but they are allowing the 11th-most FPPG to opposing PG's over their last 15 games and we all know what kind of upside Doncic brings to the table. He can explode for 60-70+ FPTS on any given night, and I'm willing to roll him out in a lot of lineups at his $10k salary on FanDuel. Brunson is a no-doubt smash play if Doncic is ultimately ruled out, and he's still a great play over on FanDuel if Doncic is active.
Jalen Brunson - PG/SG, DAL vs. CHI ($5,300 FD) | FanDuel-only play
D'Angelo Russell - PG/SG, MIN vs. HOU ($7,800 DK, $7,600 FD)
You're absolutely going to want some pieces of this game as it rates out as the top game environment on the entire slate. It has the highest implied total (230 points), fastest projected pace, and the highest average fantasy points allowed per game. Most of the fantasy points allowed are coming from the Rockets side of the ball as they're allowing the most fantasy points per game to opposing teams for the season and over their last seven, 15, and 30 games. Additionally, they also rank dead last in fantasy points allowed to opposing PG's, which obviously bodes well for DLo's chances at a high output tonight. Russell returned from his five-game absence (COVID) to put up 52.25 DK points against OKC on Friday. He missed just one shot and it was his second time scoring at least 50 DK points in his last three contests. I love his chances to continue his heater in this prime matchup tonight, and he shouldn't be too popular from a rostership standpoint.
De'Anthony Melton - PG/SG, MEM vs. LAL ($4,600 DK, $6,200 FD) | DraftKings-heavy play
Melton's price is way too high on FanDuel (if Morant plays), but he's a guy I'm very interested in at his salary over on the DraftKings side. There are plenty of fantasy points to be had in this game as it holds the second-highest implied total and second-fastest projected pace on the slate, and the Lakers' struggles against opposing guards have been very well documented. They're currently giving up the third-most FPPG to opposing SG's and the second-most FPPG to opposing PG's on the season. Morant is questionable (and more likely doubtful) to play, so we could easily see some combination of Desmond Bane, Melton, and Tyus Jones post monster outings in this one. I like Melton the most at his DraftKings salary as he's been in great form with at least 34.75 DK points in two of his last three contests. He needs just 23 DK points to reach 5x value and he has exceeded that total in five of his last contests.
Others to consider: Desmond Bane ($6,400 DK), Tyus Jones ($4,200 DK), Nickeil Alexander-Walker ($3,700 DK, $4,200 FD), Garrett Temple ($3,400 DK, $4,000 FD), Will Barton ($5,700 DK), Gary Trent ($5,200 FD), Anfernee Simons ($6,500 DK)
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DraftKings and FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
LeBron James - PG/SF, LAL vs. MEM ($11,600 DK, $11,500 FD)
LeBron has been the hottest player in the league as of late, putting up at least 68 FPTS in five of his last seven games and scoring at least 30 points in nine of his last 10 games. The game environment is elite as the matchup holds a high implied total (226 points) and the second-fastest projected pace on the slate. The Grizzlies are a middle-of-the-pack team in terms of fantasy points allowed to opponents, but that doesn't really factor in with a player like James. The Lakers are currently four-point favorites at home, which means the game is very likely to stay competitive throughout and give James a chance at another monster of an outing tonight. His form is just too incredible to get away from - he's averaging a 33.7% usage rate and 1.71 FPTS/min over his last 10 games. 'Bron is going to keep his dominance rolling tonight and he's a staple of my DFS lineups in all formats.
Christian Wood - PF/C, HOU vs. MIN ($7,300 DK, $7,500 FD)
This Rockets-Wolves game is one of the top-two matchups to target for DFS production tonight, so it makes a lot of sense to try to get exposure to the top players in the game. This is especially true when they're underpriced, as DLo and Wood are tonight. The Wolves frontcourt defense has surprisingly improved as of late, but they're still allowing the sixth-most FPPG to opposing C's for the season and the 11th-most FPPG to opposing teams overall. Combine that with the fastest projected pace and highest implied total on the slate, and you have to get excited about rostering players from this game. Wood needs just 36.5 DK points to hit 5x value and he's averaging 36.6 DK points per game this season - it's safe to project him to see a boost with the delicious matchup he's faced with tonight. He leads the team at 1.18 FPTS/min with Alperen Sengun inactive and a 40-50+ FPTS outing is well within reach as long as he gets his full complement of minutes.
Jarred Vanderbilt ($5,600 DK, $5,800 FD)
Jaren Jackson Jr. ($6,300 DK, $6,200 FD)
Maxi Kleber ($4,400 DK)
Others to consider: JaMychal Green ($3,400 DK), Brandon Clarke ($5,000 DK, $5,400 FD), Nassir Little ($5,000 DK, $5,500 FD), Robert Covington ($5,200 FD)
DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Jusuf Nurkic - C, POR vs. SAC ($7,200 DK, $7,300 FD)
Nurkic has been consistently exceeding value in his recent stretch, posting an average of 42.4 DK points over his last three games. Usage-hog Damian Lillard remains out and with Nurkic actually (finally) seeing minutes in the low-to-mid 30's on a regular basis, he's simply priced too low for his expected production. Nurk's rates see a huge boost with Lillard, McCollum, and Nance off the floor as he's averaging a 27.3% usage rate and 1.22 FPTS/min in that split. The icing on the cake here is the glorious matchup he's gifted tonight. The Kings are allowing the fifth-most FPPG to opposing C's this season, and they're allowing the sixth-most FPPG to C's over their last seven games. This game rates out as the best game environment on the slate, and the Blazers rank as the third-best team to target. I'd start with Nurkic and then mix in Little, Covington, Simons, and Powell.
Others to consider: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl ($3,200 DK), Nikola Jokic ($12,200 DK, $11,300 FD), Mo Bamba ($5,800 DK, $5,900 FD - if WCJ is inactive)
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