RADIO
The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on January 5, 2019. Jake Finnen provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
An ideal seven-game slate is the perfect chance to rebound after a tough loss last night or to keep the momentum going into the weekend. Regardless of how you are feeling about yesterday, the light is shining today. It didn't take long to find the players I want anchoring my lineups tonight and while the value is there, it shouldn't be needed. Per usual, I will stick to lower-priced, hopefully lower-owned players, but do not feel forced into going super risky tonight. Tonight is going to pay out to those who really push the "easy matchup" narrative. It won't be a horrible strategy given the teams playing tonight, so instead of spending up for one or two players, make sure you get five or six top-tier options with one value pick to balance it out. I will gladly throw some value picks your way to help make it easier.
You really shouldn't need to stack any specific teams tonight but if that is just your go-to strategy then look no further than the Kings and Warriors. Pace will be at a very-high level and you can stick to taking the heavy-hitters as best you can. Kevin Durant has the most upside tonight seeing how the Kings have no one to even get in his way. Aside from everything that I have been talking about, I feel it necessary to say that Evan Turner is due for a productive game and I think facing the Rockets will be his chance to capitalize.
For the rest of the article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 1/5/19. These DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on DraftKings. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. As always, don't set your lineups to early and check player statuses before the opening tip. Find me in the NBA Chat Room or @HalfCourtJester on Twitter with any questions.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Ricky Rubio - PG/SG UTA @ DET ($5,800)
Not so much of a value pick, but an anchor nonetheless. So, there are some teams where Ricky Rubio might struggle against. The Miami Heat or Boston Celtic's free-flowing defense. The Grizzlies slow pace and Mike Conley's persistence. Patrick Beverley and the Clippers. Those are just exampled of a few teams that you could fade Rubio against and I would understand. When Ricky Rubio lines up against teams like the Thunder, who have a great defensive ranking versus guards but no real "stopper" outside of Paul George, you have to see nothing but upside. I am just trying to prove the point, that Ricky Rubio is specifically someone you can't just chalk up to bad matchups. There really aren't any outside of one on one situations, which Rubio very rarely finds himself trying to produce. I haven't even talked about the Pistons defense and I shouldn't need to because it won't matter tonight. The Pistons are better suited against the other Jazz players, leaving me to believe that not only will Rubio see increased usage, but he should be taking a fair share of threes tonight as well.
Garrett Temple - SG/SF MEM @ SA ($3,700)
Garrett Temple's minutes are so locked into the Grizzlies rotation that if you don't consider Temple each night then what are you even doing DFS-wise. He doesn't have a strong track record and his ability to produce leaves much more to be desired on an nightly basis, regardless the minutes are there and you know that given the Grizzlies situation, there will be nights where Temple is their best player. He plays great on and off-ball defense giving him upside in those categories, but he really needs to be hitting for him to prove to be a worthwhile pick. The Spurs are usually not one of the teams you directly target, but seeing how the Spurs are lacking backcourt defense aside from Derrick White, you should definitely target them. I do like Marc Gasol's upside as well and he should be the focal point of the offense, which should work into Temples favor in terms of spacing.
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Reggie Bullock - SG/SF DET vs. UTA ($3,900)
This is a similar pick to Garret Temple in that he needs to be hitting his shot to really provide value. With both players prices so low, there isn't all that much downside to these picks because of their roles in the offense, but Reggie Bullock lacks the defensive playmaking to give him upside elsewhere. I would stay away from picking players who struggle to score from the perimeter and although Bullock is streaky in that aspect, he is known for his outside scoring and thats where he feels the most comfortable. Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond, despite facing Rudy Gobert, should be able to get to their spots in the paint. Drummond will have a much tougher time scoring tonight, but if any Piston can draw multiple defenders, it's going to leave Drummond open with a severe mis-match. If you play Bullock, you want the rest of the Pistons scoring early, allowing Bullock to see a wide variety of shot attempts from passes coming from a double-team. The Jazz would rather lose because Bullock wouldn't miss rather than Griffin.
Al-Farouq Aminu - SF/PF HOU @ POR ($5,000)
Even with Moe Harkless and C.J. McCollum playing decently well, tonight should be all about Al...Farouq Aminu. Last night he produced in a loss against the Thunder, but it wasn't enough to secure a win. Aminu is a win-first, stats-second type of player and while it does hurt his overall upside, he carries momentum extremely well and he should have plenty of rebounding upside AGAIN. To be honest, Aminu isn't a strong scorer and these past three games are a testament to how high his floor can be. With a role as minimal as Aminu's, it's hard to expect big games from him every night, but at the same time, there's almost no reason he can't put up double-digit scoring efforts on a nightly basis. He gets the opportunities and the Trail Blazers love his attention to defense. His price somewhat scares me because it hurts if he does in fact flop tonight, but aside from me playing devil's advocate with myself, Aminu is going to be one of the lower-owned pays tonight, hoping that everyone doesn't see him adding another notch to his recent string of productive games.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Serge Ibaka - PF/C TOR @ MIL ($5,800)
Here's my thought process on picking a center tonight. DeAndre Jordan was my initial thought, but playing against Joel Embiid and that his production could be limited by his matchup alone made me think he wouldn't be worth it. Jordan could have a good game, but I want more than just a 10-10 outing with a few blocks. My next thought was Willie Cauley-Stein against the Warriors. Seeing how the Warriors struggled against Clint Capela, maybe it would be the same for Cauley-Stein. Yeah, the Kings aren't the Rockets and they don't have a James Harden so while Cauley-Stein will produce, it's still not at the level we are wanting for tonight. Thus leading me to Serge Ibaka. His price doesn't kill you and as one of the cheaper options at center, his upside is massive. the Milwaukee Bucks have minimal frontcourt defense and outside of Brook Lopez and D.J. Wilson they literally have no shot blockers. Ibaka should dominate this game in the way only Ibaka knows how. Just draining the Bucks in mid-range spacing, then killing them from the outside. Defensively, Ibaka's upside increased because he will be seeing plenty of attempts at the rim. This game will revolve right around Ibaka and his areas of expertise, mid-range and defense. This is my second anchor for tonight.
