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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on January 13, 2020. Jesse Borek provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
Seven-game slates always remind me of Goldilocks’ porridge. Bear with me here, you remember the story; our dear Goldilocks can’t have porridge that is too hot, nor too cold. That is essentially where I sit on an NBA DFS day that features precisely seven games – it’s neither too much nor too little.
Breakfast discussions and childhood stories aside, Monday’s slate provides nearly the perfect compliment of intriguing matchups, superstars and injured starters that should pave the way for reserves with upside. Let’s dig in further.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 1/13/20. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. Remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before line-up lock.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
LeBron James - PG/SF, LAL v. CLE ($9,500)
On the heels of just his second absence of the 2019-20 season, James is on track to be the kingpin of the Monday night slate. There are a confluence of factors working in his favor: Both Anthony Davis and Rajon Rondo have picked up questionable designations, which could make his already enormous workload even more prevalent. In addition, Cleveland is yielding the fourth-most DK points to opposing point guards this season (50.9), which is to also mention that James is far from the usual table setter that the team is used to checking. Also factor in that James should be freshly rested and facing his former team and the stage is set for a night that should see the league’s leading assist man pack the stat sheet. With the status of many other stars across the slate in doubt, his exposure is likely to be sky high.
Derrick Rose - PG/SG, DET v. NO ($6,700)
Rose enters Monday’s matchup versus New Orleans having logged five consecutive games with at least 20 points to his credit. While the Pistons are one of the slower teams in the league when it comes to possessions on a nightly basis, the inverse is true of the Pelicans; at 107.1 possession per game, they have the fifth-highest mark this season. Combine that with the fact that the team is yielding a league-worst 52.5 DK points per contest to opposing point guards and Rose’s scoring tear is in prime position to proliferate. With Blake Griffin, Luke Kennard and others all in line to remain sidelined, Rose boasts one of the most stable floors across the slate at his price point.
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Brandon Ingram - SF/PF, NO @ DET ($8,100)
This feels like the perfect opportunity to buy low on a star whose price point has been diminished due to extenuating circumstances. Ingram’s last outing Saturday was capped at just 16 points in 31 minutes; he saw such little run due to the nature of his squad’s blowout loss. While he could be similarly short-handed around him Monday with Jrue Holiday and J.J. Redick both questionable to play, the Pistons are certainly not the Celtics. Ingram has been an absolute star over the last month, averaging 25.4 points per contest while notching three double-doubles and packing the stat sheet in that span. He remains the unquestioned No. 1 scoring option for a team whose offensive pace is discussed above, and he could be in line for an even larger workload should either Holiday or Redick be held back.
Carmelo Anthony - SF/PF, HOU v. CHA ($5,400)
Getting creative with cap space is paramount to any successful top tier GPP lineup, as those who frequent tournament lineups are well aware; as of Monday morning, Anthony projects as one of the higher upside plays on the board. Having collected his second double-double of the year in his last outing Saturday, Anthony has seesawed between stellar and subpar performances for the better part of two weeks. There exists the possibility that center Hassan Whiteside remains sidelined, which would create more opportunities for Anthony on the glass, but even if the big man is still in the mix, Anthony’s high-octane scoring (eight games of 20 or more points this year) represents sizable upside during a game that should feature a slew of points.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Enes Kanter - C, BOS v. CHI ($5,400)
The Monday theme of pestering the Bulls’ inability to slow opposing centers continues this week in the form of Kanter. His inclusion on this list is especially pertinent should Daniel Theis (knee) ultimately be held out, which would pave the way for Kanter to see a considerable increase in workload. Even so, Kanter has been electric off the bench for Boston, but has seen his price tag dip due to three consecutive single-digit scoring outings in the last week. Fortunately, he is on the heels of his best showing of the year (22 points, 19 rebounds) and is set to face a Chicago squad that has been dominated by centers to the tune of 56.3 DK points per contest, tied for the highest mark in the league.
