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We have five games today, but even though the NBA wants to go international, DraftKings and FanDuel both lopped that game off the schedule. And then there were four. It's four interesting ones, to be sure. We have Minnesota on game 2 of a back-to-back set and the M*A*S*H* unit known as the Phoenix Suns. What could possibly go wrong?
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 1/19/23. 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.
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DraftKings and FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Damian Lillard - vs. PHI (FD: $10,000, DK: $10,000)
Every game has been Dame time of late for the Blazers' superstar. Lillard has topped 60 DraftKings points in three of the last four games with 56.25 against Dallas being the low mark. That's including the 29 minutes against Dallas the game before that. He is performing at an elite level right now and started this streak against a pretty good defense in Cleveland. He probably won't hit 60 against Philly, but I can't definitively rule it out with the way Lillard is cooking right now.
Fred VanVleet - at MIN (FD: $7,900, DK: $8,100)
VanVleet played huge minutes in the back-to-back set to open up the week and responded with the best basketball that he has played all season. He topped 60 DraftKings points in both games while scoring 72 real points in those games. The Raptors still have three more games this week, so VanVleet's workload is worth monitoring. However, he has the highest ceiling on the slate and comes in significantly cheaper than Lillard.
Damion Lee - vs. BKN (FD: $4,800, DK: $4,600)
Chris Paul practiced yesterday, so the Suns might not be as thin in the backcourt as they were to start the week. The return of Paul would hurt Washington a lot more than Lee. The Suns are still down Devin Booker, Cameron Payne, and Landry Shamet. Lee has played at least 26 minutes in five straight games and should make it six here. He has had varying levels of success, but the floor on him is 5x value and he has topped 40 fantasy points once and 30 one other time. He's about as good as it gets for a value play on this slate.
Also consider: Stephen Curry (FD: $9,500, DK $10,100); Tyrese Maxey (FD: $6,500, DK $6,200); Duane Washington (FD: $4,300, DK: $5,000)
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DraftKings and FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Scottie Barnes - at MIN (FD: $8,200, DK: $7,600)
VanVleet isn't the only one cooking north of the border. The Raptors still stay in the frozen tundra, but they cross into the United States to do it. Barnes, like VanVleet, has played heavy minutes lately, but he has done so for more than a week already. Barnes has at least 45 DraftKings points in four straight games. Don't overthink this one. He's far and away the best option at forward tonight unless Jaylen Brown can't make his return.
Ben Simmons - at PHX (FD: $7,400, DK: $7,100)
Ben Simmons proved that he is a more athletic version of Draymond Green, but is that such a bad thing? The Nets were without both Kyrie and KD on Tuesday, but Simmons still scored just ten points. Hey, he got a triple-double. That counts for something (more on DraftKings). Simmons will continue to see big minutes and will continue to stuff the stat sheet. He just won't score much. The fact that he is doing everything else should be celebrated after the last two seasons. He's at least back to being the player he was.
Kyle Anderson - vs. TOR (FD: $6,500, DK: $5,600)
Anderson fell just two assists shy of back-to-back triple-doubles. Who saw this coming? The absence of Rudy Gobert has led to a massive uptick in usage for Anderson. If Rudy returns tonight, which seems unlikely, I'll move off of Anderson to someone like Draymond or Tobias Harris. If Rudy remains out, Anderson is a lock once again. Once might have been a fluke, but twice feels like a pattern.
Also consider: Jayson Tatum (FD: $11,000, DK: $10,800), Mikal Bridges (FD: $7,100, DK: $6,800), Draymond Green (FD: $6,600, DK $6,000)
DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Joel Embiid - vs. OKC (FD: $11,500, DK: $11,000)
Embiid is like Godzilla with the way Portland is against centers. He might eat Portland and crap out Seattle. Embiid has scored at least 30 points in six consecutive games. There is no better option in cash games tonight.
Naz Reid - vs. TOR (FD: $5,000, DK: $4,600)
I'm writing this with the assumption that Gobert is out. Reid didn't put up his normally huge output with both KAT and Gobert out, but that's life now with Kyle Anderson posting triple-doubles. Reid is still doing enough to be a great value at this price point. He turned in 6.5x value last night. I'll buy that for a (well...$4,600) dollar!
Also consider: Pascal Siakam (FD: $9,300, DK: $9,700); Deandre Ayton (FD: $7,400, DK: $7,700)
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