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MLK Day is always a momentous one on the NBA calendar, and the majority of the games are usually in the earlier portion of the day. This year is no different, as there is a five-game main slate on DK and a six-game ledger on FD, with the latter including the Suns-Grizzlies evening matchup.
There are still plenty of appealing options across each position and the salary cap despite the modest number of games on tap, and a pair of sub-$5K selections on DK that especially stand out as value plays.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picksfor the respective main slates on DraftKings and FanDuel on 1/16/23. Remember to monitor the NBA injury report as the slate can completely change before lineups lock, which is at 3:00 pm ET on DraftKings and 2:30pm ET on FanDuel. Good luck, RotoBallers.
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DraftKings and FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Jalen Brunson - PG, NYK vs. TOR ($8,500 DK, $8,900 FD)
Brunson has frequently provided returns befitting a salary in the high four figures or even the five-figure range, with his last five games being a fitting example. The veteran guard is averaging 50.8 DK/50.4 FD points in that stretch while shooting 50.9 percent, including 50.0 percent from three-point range. Brunson is also averaging 35.8 DK/32.3 FD points in two games against the Raptors thus far while notably averaging 10 dimes in those contests.
Toronto checks in allowing the seventh-highest offensive efficiency rating to point guards (27.9), along with 47.4 percent shooting to the position. The Raps have also been especially vulnerable to ones recently, giving up 52.5 DK/49.2 FD points to PGs in the last seven games while surrendering 10 assists per contest to the position in that span as well.
Jordan Clarkson - PG/SG, UTA at MIN ($7,200 DK, $7,700 FD)
Clarkson is another guard that's amply proven capable of outperforming his current salaries, averaging 34.4 DK/32.1 FD points for the season and 40.2 DK/37.8 FD points in the last six games specifically. Clarkson is shooting a blistering 49.5 percent during that stretch, and he checks into Monday's favorable matchup having hit or eclipsed 40 DK points in three consecutive games.
Clarkson has already mustered an average of 38.1 DK/35.5 FD points per contest in two prior games against the Timberwolves, who come into Monday's clash allowing the 10th-highest offensive efficiency rating to shooting guards (23.0) and 39.6 percent three-point shooting to the position as well. Minnesota is also surrendering over 43 DK and over 42 FD points to twos in the last 15 contests, furthering Clarkson's case.
Monte Morris - PG, WAS vs. GSW ($4,800 DK, $5,600 FD)
Morris is one of the aforementioned two sub-$5K plays on DK that stand out Monday. The veteran is averaging 24.2 DK/23.8 FD points per game for the season, and he's been especially efficient of late with a 53.3 percent success rate from the field in the last seven games. Morris now draws a favorable matchup against a fatigued Warriors team that was just walloped by the Bulls on Sunday afternoon and has been vulnerable to point guards all season.
Golden State has conceded the fourth-highest offensive efficiency rating to ones (29.0), along with 51.7 DK/50.6 FD points per game to the position. The Dubs have been even more vulnerable against ones recently, surrendering 54.8 DK/52.9 FD points to PGs in the last 15 games. Golden State is also yielding the second-highest three-point shooting percentage (41.1) on the road, making Morris one of the best potential fantasy-point-per-dollar value options on the slate.
ALSO CONSIDER: Jordan Poole - PG/SG, GSW at WAS ($7,900 DK, $7,500 FD)
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DraftKings and FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Jimmy Butler - SF/PF, MIA at ATL ($9,000 DK, $9,100 FD)
Butler will once again take the floor without Kyle Lowry (knee) on Monday, a scenario in which he's averaging 49.8 DK/51.5 FD points per 36 minutes. The talented wing is coming in off a couple of quieter games, but he'd averaged over 45 DK/FD points per contest in the previous seven games. Butler has also shown an ability to overdeliver on his current salaries, going over 50 DK and FD points on seven occasions already this season.
The Hawks make for good potential facilitators of similar success for Butler, considering they're allowing the 10th-highest offensive efficiency rating to small forwards (23.1), along with 42.9 DK/41.9 FD points per game to the position in the last 15 games. Atlanta has also surrendered the third-most rebounds per home game (54.8), which helps make even more of a case for Butler.
Evan Mobley - PF, CLE vs. NOP ($6,300 DK, $6,900 FD)
Mobley checks into Monday's interconference battle averaging over 30 DK and FD points per contest in the last seven games, shooting 50.7 percent in that span. The second-year big is averaging a well-rounded 13.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.0 steals in the sample and he's shot 55.9 percent overall across 21 home contests.
The opposing Pelicans have been a bit more vulnerable down low without Zion Williamson (hamstring), who'll remain out of action on Monday. New Orleans is allowing 51.1 rebounds per road contest and the eighth-most points in the paint in that split as well (51.9), while Mobley is averaging a career-high 8.8 boards per game and is scoring 72.6 percent of his points in the painted area this season.
De'Andre Hunter - SF/PF, ATL vs. MIA ($4,700 DK, $5,900 FD)
Hunter makes for an intriguing value option on the other side of the Hawks-Heat clash, as Miami has allowed an NBA-high 27.8 offensive efficiency rating to small forwards. The Heat are also surrendering 47.9 percent shooting, including 39.2 percent from three-point range, to threes, and Hunter checks into Monday's contest draining 44.7 percent of his attempts from behind the arc in the last seven games.
Hunter is also averaging 18.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in the sample while also shooting 81.5 percent from the free-throw line. Additionally, Hunter scored 29.3 DK/29.6 FD points in one prior meeting against Miami, and he's shooting a sizzling 43.0 percent from three-point range on the road. In turn, Miami is giving up the fourth-highest three-point shooting percentage of any team on its home floor (37.8), furthering Hunter's chances of outpacing his modest salaries.
ALSO CONSIDER: Mikal Bridges, SF/SG, PHO at MEM (FD-only) ($8,100)
DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Kristaps Porzingis - C/PF, WAS vs. GSW ($9,100 DK, $8,600 FD)
Porzingis has scored over 20 actual points in seven of his last eight games, and he's posted four double-doubles over the entirety of that span. The big man could be in for one of his higher-percentile performances Monday, considering the 7-foot-3 power forward owns a significant height advantage over the Warriors' frontcourt duo of Draymond Green (6'6") and Kevon Looney (6'9"). Porzingis has also been at his best at home, averaging 43 DK/42.2 FD points per contest in that split.
Porzingis is also shooting 47.5 percent, including 45.4 percent from three-point range, in his 18 home contests while averaging 23.6 points per game there. Then, the Warriors are allowing over 49 DK/over 46 FD points per game to power forwards in the last 15 games, and Golden State is also surrendering an elevated 55.3 rebounds per contest in the last three. The Dubs also rank in the bottom 10 with 8.0 steals per road contest allowed on the season, giving Porzingis another path to fantasy production.
Bam Adebayo - C/PF, MIA at ATL ($8,700 DK, $8,700 FD)
Adebayo put up 44 DK/43.1 FD points in his one prior meeting with the Hawks, and he's averaging just under 50 fantasy points on either site in the last nine games. The big man has six double-doubles in that span, with five of those coming in the last six contests. Adebayo also sports a robust 27.5 percent usage rate and averages 45.4 DK/FD points per 36 minutes without Kyle Lowry (knee) on the floor this season.
The Hawks make for excellent targets, allowing the second-highest offensive efficiency rating to centers (35.7), along with over 59 DK/FD points per game to the position in the last 15 games. Additionally, Atlanta's propensity for allowing rebounds at home already enumerated in Butler's entry could also benefit Adebayo, as could the fact the Hawks are giving up the fourth-most points in the paint per home game (54.3) -- Bam is scoring just under 73% of his points in that part of the floor.
Jarrett Allen - C, CLE vs. NOP ($5,900 DK, $7,400 FD)
Allen's salary on DK is especially eye-opening, considering he's putting up 32.2 DK points per game on the season. The big man has also scored over 30 fantasy points on five occasions in the last nine games on DK and in seven instances during that span on FD.
The Pelicans come into Monday's contest allowing the seventh-highest offensive efficiency rating to centers (34.0), along with over 55 fantasy points per game to the position in the last 15 games. The fact New Orleans is also giving up a Western Conference-high 6.0 blocks per game suits Allen's prospects well, considering he's averaging 1.2 rejections per contest.
ALSO CONSIDER: Mitchell Robinson - C, NYK vs. TOR ($5,300 DK; $6,300 FD)
FD-only: Jaren Jackson Jr., PF/C, MEM vs. PHO ($8,100)
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