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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on January 12, 2023. Mike Marteny provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
The Association is upping their Thursday usage with the NFL confined to weekends and college football done with for the season. We have six games tonight and plenty of injuries to open up value with more likely opening up before tipoff. NBA DFS isn't for the faint of heart anymore.
With both FanDuel and DraftKings having multi-position eligibility players, we'll have to attack slates accordingly to make our lineups as optimal as possible. That's where I come in! I'll look to find my personal top plays and values for tonight's slate. Things can change during the day as well, so I'll do my best to update as news comes out!
Here are my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on 1/12/23. Keep an eye on RotoBaller’s NBA injury news and also our full NBA injury report today to stay up to date before lineups are locked.
DraftKings and FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Luka Doncic - at LAL (FD: $12,200, DK: $12,800)
Luka bombed against Boston last week, but in the two games since, he has been up to his old tricks again. Luka has 138.75 DraftKings points over the last two games. This is another smash spot against the corpse of the Lakers. Even in blowouts, Luka has been hitting value. I prefer the price on FD for once, but in cash games, I think it still begins with Luka as the first click. Harden is the obvious GPP pivot.
Terry Rozier - at TOR (FD: $7,500, DK: $7,300)
Kelly Oubre is still out and Gordon Hayward is doubtful, so that leaves LaMelo and Rozier as the only truly accomplished scorers on the entire team. Rozier is averaging 23 points per game over the last eight contests and topped 35 DraftKings points in each of the last five games. Rozier should continue to see a lot of extra looks with Oubre and Hayward still sidelined.
Victor Oladipo - vs. MIL (FD: $5,800, DK: $5,900)
The Heat are still down a ton of players, notably Kyle Lowry and Tyler Herro, so there is some good value amongst the Miami guards. Gabe Vincent will likely start in place of Lowry, but it was Oladipo who put up the much better stat line on Tuesday night with the Heat also rolling out a M*A*S*H* unit in that game. If you're feeling a salary pinch, Vincent is still going to put up good numbers. If I can afford it, I'm rolling with Oladipo.
Also consider: James Harden (FD: $10,500, DK $10,400); Gary Trent Jr. (FD: $7,200, DK $6,200); Gabe Vincent (FD: $4,100, DK: $4,000)
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DraftKings and FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
LeBron James - vs. DAL (FD: $11,000, DK: $10,900)
LeBron may be past his prime, but he's still better than most of the league when he has to be. With Anthony Davis still out and Austin Reaves and Lonnie Walker joining him, it will be the Westbrook and LeBron show. Emphasis on LeBron because, well...it's his team, and he's not afraid to let anyone know it. The ceiling on LeBron is still as high as anyone's when his usage rate is going to be astronomical again.
OG Anunoby - vs. CHA (FD: $6,900, DK: $6,600)
OG has turned into one of the most consistent DFS options in the worst DFS sport for consistency. NBA DFS is like trying to crawl through the Sinai desert without tripping a land mine. That's why I value the consistency of OG in any format. He has at least 30 DraftKings points in eight straight games. He's not going to win you a tournament, but he can help.
Jalen McDaniels - at TOR (FD: $5,900, DK: $5,300)
Here we have another guy thrust into the starting rotation thanks to injury that is going to be really hard to take out when the listed starters are healthy again. McDaniels doesn't score like Oubre or Gordon Hayward (or Rozier, for that matter), but he contributes more across the board than those players do. That gives him a great floor for a value pick and he has scored in double figures in eight straight games now.
Also consider: Jayson Tatum (FD: $10,700, DK: $10,500), Christian Wood (FD: $8,200, DK: $8,300), Jalen Williams (FD: $5,800, DK $4,900)
DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Joel Embiid - vs. OKC (FD: $11,500, DK: $11,000)
The Thunder are weak in the middle again. No surprise there. If you think a blowout will ruin Embiid's upside, you might be wrong. Philly trounced Detroit by 31 points on Tuesday with Embiid playing only 24 minutes. He still racked up 55.75 DraftKings points. That's right...Embiid got 5x value while playing just half the game. If this game stays close, his ceiling might rival Luka's.
Ben Simmons - vs. BOS (FD: $6,800, DK: $5,400)
Simmons won't clog up your C spot on FD, but his price is the deterrent there. Still, with Kevin Durant out for the foreseeable future, Simmons is going to get every opportunity to get back to his 2019 form. For the price on DraftKings, I'll take that chance. His position is likely going to change with Durant out, but for now, you can use him at PG or PF on FD and PF or C on DK. Take your pick!
Also consider: Pascal Siakam (FD: $9,600, DK: $10,300); Thomas Bryant (FD: $7,100, DK: $6,900)
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