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NBA DFS sleepers and values plays for DraftKings and FanDuel on January 4, 2023. Juan Carlos Blanco gives you his top NBA DFS picks and lineup targets.
We have our biggest slate of 2023 so far on Wednesday, as there are 12 games on tap.
We also have five games with projected totals of more than 230 points, which is a recipe for what should be a night of very elevated DFS scores thanks to plenty of elite individual performances.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 1/4/23. Remember to monitor the NBA injury report as the slate can completely change before lineups lock, which is at 7:00 pm ET tonight. Good luck, RotoBallers.
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DraftKings and FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Donovan Mitchell - PG/SG, CLE vs. PHX ($9,600 DK; $9,600 FD)
Mitchell will undoubtedly be highly popular after his unforgettable 71-point outburst against the Bulls on Monday night, but at his still reasonable salaries and in his matchup, this is one of those cases where it's okay to ride the chalk and differentiate elsewhere.
The Suns are allowing the most DK (47.0) and FD (46.4) points per game to shooting guards over the last 15 games, and they also rank in the bottom of the league in three-point shooting overall (36.1). Mitchell is now shooting 49.5 percent, including 43.4 percent from behind the arc, across 18 home games, a split in which he's also averaging just under 50 fantasy points per game on either site.
CJ McCollum - PG, NOP vs. HOU ($8,200 DK; $8,600 FD)
McCollum is averaging over 40 fantasy points per game on either site at home this season, and Wednesday he draws a premium positional matchup under a scenario he's already thrived in on multiple occasions this season. Zion Williamson will be sidelined for New Orleans for multiple weeks due to a hamstring strain, and McCollum boasts a 30.5 percent usage rate and averages 43.6 DK/41.4 FD points per 36 minutes with his teammate off the floor this season. The Rockets also make for great targets, as they've allowed the fourth-highest offensive efficiency rating to point guards (29.6) along with an NBA-high 56.5 DK/55.7 FD points per game to the position.
Jalen Brunson - PG, NYK vs. SAS ($7,000 DK; $7,500 FD)
Brunson wasted no time getting back to his usual level of production in his return from a three-game absence due to a hip injury, posting 38 DK/35.8 FD points across 39 minutes against the Suns on Monday night. Brunson now draws an even more favorable matchup against a Spurs team he knows well from his Mavericks days, as San Antonio is allowing an NBA-high 31.1 offensive efficiency rating to point guards.
The Spurs are also conceding a league-high 60.2 DK/59.9 FD points per game to ones over the last seven games, and Brunson checks in averaging 36.4 DK/35.5 FD points per game on the season. San Antonio is also yielding an NBA-high 42.2 percent three-point shooting on the road, furthering Brunson's case.
ALSO CONSIDER: Damian Lillard - PG, POR at MIN ($9,700 DK; $9,200 FD)
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DraftKings and FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Kevin Durant - SF/PF, BKN at CHI ($10,000 DK; $10,400 FD)
Durant is naturally always in play, but his matchup Wednesday could lead to even more stellar numbers than usual. KD already lit up the Bulls for 55.8 DK/53.8 FD points in one prior meeting, and he checks in on a torrid stretch of play that includes averages of 29.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks over his last 15 games.
Durant is shooting an elite 60.9 percent over that span as well, and he now faces a Bulls squad allowing the third-highest offensive efficiency rating to power forwards (29.5). Chicago has also conceded an NBA-high 60.1 DK/57.3 FD points per game to fours, and Durant is also highly capable of capitalizing on the Eastern Conference-high 37.4% three-point shooting the Bulls have surrendered.
Jerami Grant - SF/PF, POR at MIN ($7,500 DK, $7,200 FD)
Grant just capitalized on a favorable matchup against the Pistons on Monday night to score 42 DK/39.4 FD points, and he could be in line for similar results in another appealing scenario. The Timberwolves have allowed the third-most DK (49.4) and FD (47.1) points per game to power forwards in the campaign.
The big man is also well-equipped to exploit Minnesota's weaknesses against three-point shooting at home -- the T-Wolves have surrendered an NBA-high 39% success rate from distance in that split -- and Grant is shooting a career-high 44.6% from behind the arc this season on a robust 6.0 three-point attempts per game. Grant has been even better on the road in that regard, draining 46.6% of his shots from downtown in that split.
Draymond Green - PF, GSW vs. DET ($6,500 DK; $6,400 FD)
Green just went off for 48.8 DK/50.1 FD points against the Hawks in Monday's double-overtime thriller, and while the extra floor time certainly helped boost his production, the veteran is in line for another favorable matchup Wednesday. The Warriors will once again be rolling out a very short-handed roster Wednesday that's particularly thin in the frontcourt, and Green is already averaging 33.7 DK/33.1 FD points per 36 minutes without Stephen Curry (shoulder) and Andrew Wiggins (illness) off the floor this season.
The Pistons have allowed the 12th-highest offensive efficiency rating to power forwards (26.8), along with over 45 fantasy points per game on either site to power forwards. Green is averaging over 30 fantasy points per game on either site at home, and Detroit is conceding the seventh-most rebounds per road game (53.6).
ALSO CONSIDER: Julius Randle - PF, NYK vs. SAS ($10,500 DK; $9,900 FD)
DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Joel Embiid - C, PHI vs. IND ($11,200 DK; $11,600 FD)
Even while dealing with lower-back tightness Monday, Embiid still logged 67.8 DK/64.7 FD points against the Pelicans across 36 minutes. The big man is now averaging over 60 DK points and 59 FD points per game in the last 12 contests, a span during which he's stuffed the stat sheet even more than usual and has even shot 44.1 percent from three-point range.
Embiid now faces a Pacers team that he already racked up 42.3 DK/44 FD points in just 28 minutes in his first encounter with them this season. Indiana also checks in allowing the fifth-most DK (56.9) and FD (55.7) points per game to centers on the season, and the Pacers check in ranked in the bottom half of the league in rebounds (55.6), assists (26.7), and steals (8.1) per game surrendered on the road.
Bam Adebayo - C, MIA at LAL ($8,700 DK; $8,800 FD)
Adebayo compiled 47.5 DK/47.8 FD points against the Lakers in the first meeting with L.A. last Wednesday, and he's averaging just under 50 fantasy points per game on either site over the last four contests overall. The big man has hit the double-double bonus on eight occasions in his last 12 games as well, and the rematch with the Lakers certainly has a good chance of leading to another stellar output.
The Lakers are allowing the fifth-highest offensive efficiency rating to centers (34.2), along with the fourth-most DK (57.2) and FD (56.9) points per game to the position on the season. Los Angeles is also giving up the third-most rebounds per home game (54.4), furthering Adebayo's case at salaries he's already provided over 5x return on in 18 games on DK and 15 contests on FD.
Steven Adams - C, MEM at CHA ($5,400 DK; $6,800 FD)
Adams enters Wednesday's highly favorable matchup with two full days of rest and already running very hot, as he's averaged 11.7 points, 20.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks during that span. The big man isn't anywhere as involved as a scorer as he was for several seasons back in his Thunder days, but his 9.7 shot attempts per contest during that span represent a nice boost over his seasonal figure.
The Hornets make for very likely facilitators of continued success for the veteran, as Charlotte is allowing an NBA-high 35.8 offensive efficiency rating to fives. What's more, Charlotte is surrendering the most DK/FD points per game to centers for the season, including a whopping 62.4 DK/61.3 FD points per contest in the last 15. Those figures are partly constituted of yielding the most rebounds (18.6) and fourth-most blocks (2.5) per contest to the position in that split, two categories that are typically hallmarks of Adams' fantasy production.
ALSO CONSIDER: Wendell Carter Jr. - C, ORL vs. OKC ($6,400 DK; $6,500 FD)
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