DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks (1/18/21): NBA DFS Lineups

January 18, 2021

The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on January 18, 2021. Eric Moody provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.

The NBA schedule has four games on the main slate for Monday. All of them have an implied point total of 220 or more. One game you will want to have exposure to is between the Bucks and Nets. This game has an implied point total of 236.5. Here are three tips on how to attack the overall slate.

First of all, it’s important to look at the pace and Vegas lines. Second, it’s also useful to understand the number of fantasy points a team gives up to a specific position. The final tip is to identify value plays which is critical on a slate of any size. You don’t have to necessarily go for the cheapest value, but you want to identify players who have a high floor and a high ceiling. 

This article will supply you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for the DraftKings on 1/18/21. You can also check out today’s FanDuel lineup picks. It’s also important to monitor injury news as a result of COVID-19 as the slate can completely change before line-up lock. Without further ado, let’s dive into the picks! 

DraftKings DFS Guards

Luka Doncic - PG, DAL vs. TOR ($11,000)

Yesterday Doncic scored 36 points, accumulated 16 rebounds, 15 assists, and two steals in 38 minutes. Did you know that he surpassed Michael Jordan on the all-time list with his 29th triple-double? He leads all players with a 39% Usage Rate. This metric is an estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while he was on the floor. Doncic (31.6) also has the ninth higher Player Efficiency Rating. This metric sums up all a player's positive accomplishments, subtracts the negative accomplishments and returns a per-minute rating of a player's performance. Doncic is well worth his salary and an excellent player to build a lineup around.

Fred Vanvleet - PG/SG, TOR vs. DAL ($7,900)

Dennis Schroder - PG/SG, LAL vs. GS ($6,400)

Schroder's averaged 30.5 minutes, 12 points, 4.5 rebounds. 4.8 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks over the last four games. He's scored 30 or more DraftKings fantasy points in three of the last four games. The Warriors have allowed a high number of fantasy points per game to guards this season.

Bonus Guards: Stephen Curry ($9,800), Kyle Lowry ($7,700), Eric Gordon ($5,200)

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DraftKings DFS Forwards

Giannis Antetokounmpo - PF/C, MIL vs. BKN ($10,400)

Antetokounmpo scored 31 points, accumulated nine rebounds, one assist, and one block in 30 minutes last Friday against the Mavericks. It is worth noting that this was the fifth time in his last six games that he did not record a double-double. As a reminder, Antetokounmpo did so in five of his first six games to start the season. He has the third-highest Usage Rate among all players being Doncic and Bradley Beal.

Khris Middleton - SF, MIL vs. BKN ($8,000)

Middleton scored 25 points, accumulated eight rebounds, and six assists in 37 minutes last Friday against the Mavericks. He's scored 40 or more fantasy points in eight games this season. Middleton has a Usage Rate of 25% and a Player Efficiency Rating of 27. He has one of the highest ceilings of any forwards on the slate.

Otto Porter Jr. - SF/PF, CHI vs. HOU ($5,700)

Porter scored 14 points, accumulated nine rebounds, two assists, and a steal in 23 minutes against the Mavericks on Sunday. He has the ability to accumulate statistical production on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Porter is not the starter, but sees a steady dose of minutes as the first option off of the bench. He's a great value if you are looking to save salary at the forward position.

Bonus Forwards: Andrew Wiggins ($6,600) Lauri Markkanen ($6,700), and Chris Boucher ($7,100), 

DraftKings DFS Centers

Christian Wood - C, HOU vs. CHI ($8,900)

Wood scored 24 points while adding 18 rebounds, three assists, and three blocks in 41 minutes against the Spurs last Saturday. The Rockets will continue to lean on him due to the departure of James Harden to the Nets. Wood's Usage Rate for the season is 28% and he has a Player Efficiency Rating of 26.3. He has the highest ceiling of any center on the slate.

Pascal Siakam - C, TOR vs. DAL ($7,100)

Siakam's has averaged 36.3 minutes, 20 points, nine rebounds, six assists, one steal, and 0.8 blocks per game over the last six games. The Mavericks have allowed the 12th most DraftKings fantasy points per game to centers this season.

Bonus Centers: Montrezl Harrell ($5,700), Wendell Carter Jr. ($6,500)

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis