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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on January 5, 2022. John Brubaker provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
Happy Wednesday, RotoBallers, and Happy New Year! I hope this week of NBA DFS has treated you well. I'm continuing to work on my NBA model, trying to gather more information to make sure all of you are as armed as possible going into each slate. Even with the small adjustments I've made so far, it seems to be working. I'm trying to implement different factors to separate cash options against GPP options. I'll continue to keep you all updated with the adjustments I make, and with all of that said, let's get to tonight!
Tonight we have a nice big slate, with 11 games on tap. With now both FanDuel and DraftKings having multi-position eligibility players, we'll have to attack slates a bit differently 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 1/5/21. Keep an eye on RotoBaller’s injury news to stay up to date before lineups are locked.
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DraftKings and FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Donovan Mitchell - at DEN (FD: $8,600, DK: $9,400)
I'll start today's slate off with Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell has been hot lately, including a 29 point, three rebounds, and five assists performance against the Pelicans on Monday night. Mitchell has a GTD tag coming into this one, as well as a slew of other Jazz starters. Joe Ingles has already been ruled out in this one, and Mitchell is averaging a solid 1.23 FanDuel and 1.35 DraftKings points per minute with him off the floor. He draws a decent matchup against the Nuggets who rank 19th in shooting guard efficiency, and if you remember back to the bubble, he always puts on great performances against Denver.
Josh Giddey, at MIN (FD: $6,800, DK: $7,900)
Josh Giddey is coming off an incredible game against the Mavericks where he logged a triple-double, going for 17 points, 13 rebounds, 14 assists, and four steals. While it's impossible to expect a repeat performance from him tonight, he should fare well without teammates Lu Dort and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, who are both already ruled out for this one. He averages 1.06 FanDuel and 1.1 DraftKings points without those two on the floor and should see around 35 minutes in this one. The matchup isn't spectacular against Minnesota, who come into this one 11th in shooting guard efficiency, but we'll ride the "hot hand" here and roll with the rookie.
Dennis Schroder, vs SAS (FD: $5,800, DK: $5,800)
Schroder had a strong performance on Sunday after missing four games, logging 21 points, four rebounds, and seven assists in 40 minutes against the Magic. He'll look to continue playing well in a matchup with the Spurs, with the Celtics looking to get back to .500. The Celtics have a few guys who are game-time decisions, but no one has been ruled out as it stands. Schroder will likely come off the bench in this one, so I wouldn't recommend this as a cash play, but it's a solid play regardless as the Spurs come into this one ranked 19th in point guard efficiency.
Also consider: Tyler Herro (FD: $6,500, DK: $6,900), Marcus Smart (FD: $6,600, DK: $6,300)
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DraftKings and FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Bobby Portis, vs MIL (FD: $5,700, DK: $6,400)
Bobby Portis has been a DFS "cheat code" for a few years now. A high fantasy point per minute player, his upside has always been determined by how many minutes he would play. I have him projected for around 27 minutes tonight, and the Bucks will be short-staffed tonight with the likes of Grayson Allen, Pat Connaughton, Donte DiVincenzo, and Brook Lopez already ruled out. With those four off of the floor, Portis is averaging 1.06 FanDuel and 1.1 DraftKings points per minute. While he's only "forward" eligible on FanDuel, Portis will line up at center tonight for the Bucks in a solid matchup against Toronto, who comes into this one ranked 17th in center efficiency.
Harrison Barnes, vs ATL (FD: $5,300, DK: $5,800)
Harrison Barnes and the Kings will be on a back-to-back after taking on the Lakers last night. Barnes had a solid performance on Tuesday, logging 14 points, six rebounds, and five assists in 30 minutes. The Kings will be a bit shorthanded tonight with Terence Davis, Richaun Holmes, and Chimezie Metu already ruled out for this one. With those three off of the floor, Barnes averages 0.87 FanDuel and 0.9 DraftKings points per minute. I have him slated for 34 minutes tonight, and hope he can power through a tough matchup with the Hawks, who come into this one ranked 9th in small forward efficiency.
Gary Trent Jr., at MIL (FD: $5,100, DK: $6,100)
Trent had a solid bounce-back performance on Tuesday night against the Spurs, where he logged 21 points, three assists, and two steals in 31 minutes. After being massively shorthanded for what felt like a month, the Raptors are now relatively healthy but are still missing role players Goran Dragic, David Johnson, Svi Mykhailiuk, and Yuta Watanabe. With those four off of the floor, Trent averages 0.84 FanDuel and 0.82 DraftKings points per minute. He only has "forward" eligibility on FanDuel here, and he'll be in a tough spot against the Bucks who come into this one ranked 4th in shooting guard efficiency. I prefer him on FanDuel tonight regardless, as his price is just too cheap.
Also consider: Tobias Harris (FD: $7,100, DK: $8,000), Al Horford (FD: $6,800, DK: $7,400)
DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Nikola Jokic, vs UTA (FD: $11,400, DK: $12,000)
Jokic had a solid fantasy outing, relative to his standards of course, against the Mavericks on Monday. In 34 minutes, he logged 27 points, 16 rebounds, and three assists in Dallas. With rotation players Vlatko Cancar, Jeff Green, Markus Howard, and Monte Morris all ruled out tonight, it's hard to expect Jokic not to play at least 34 minutes in what should be a back-and-forth showdown with the Jazz. With those four aforementioned players off of the floor, Jokic averages 1.69 FanDuel and 1.74 DraftKings points per minute. The Jazz come into this one ranked 13th in center efficiency. Jokic will look to build on his last performance against Utah, where he logged 24 points, six rebounds, and six assists in just 15 minutes back in October.
Wendell Carter Jr., vs PHI (FD: $7,500, DK: $7,600)
He's back! It feels like it's been forever since I wrote up WCJ in one of these articles, and in that span, his price has jumped up nearly a full $1,000. Rightfully so, as he's been on a tear, most recently logging 21 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists in 35 minutes against the Bulls on Monday. While Mo Bamba has returned to the Magic lineup, they're still shorthanded and will be without Robin Lopez and Jalen Suggs tonight. With those two off the floor, Carter averages 1.13 FanDuel and 1.14 DraftKings points per minute. He draws an interesting matchup against the Sixers, who rank 21st in power forward efficiency but 6th in center efficiency, but I'll be backing my guy once again tonight.
Also consider: Jusuf Nurkic (FD: $6,000, DK: $6,800), Joel Embiid (FD: $10,800, DK: $11,200)
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