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We have a big 10-game slate on tap Monday night, giving us no shortage of options at each price point and position for both cash games and tournaments.
There are a multitude of big names taking the floor, and the injury report doesn't appear poised to rob us of many of those elite players. There are also some solid mid-salary and value-level plays that are appealing due to recently expanded roles that aren't reflected in their current salaries.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 1/25/21. I’ll be providing multiple player suggestions for players at guard, forward and center on FanDuel, aiming to highlight one option apiece at the high, middle and lower end of the salary scale. You can also check out DraftKings lineup picks and injury news before lineups lock. Good luck, RotoBallers.
FanDuel DFS Guards
Luka Doncic, PG – vs. DEN ($10,700)
Doncic already lit up this Nuggets team for an absurd 78.3 FD points over 43 minutes in his first encounter with them back on Jan. 7, and Denver essentially remains just as vulnerable to point guards. The Nuggets check in allowing a Western Conference-high 32.9 percent offensive efficiency to ones, along with a league-high 10.7 assists per contest to the position. Doncic has scored between 50 and 78.5 FD points in seven of his last 10 games as well, bringing a level of upside that outpaces even his elevated salary.
Dejounte Murray, PG – at NO ($7,600)
Murray churned out a triple-double Sunday against the Wizards, racking up 41.2 FD points in the process. That haul means that outside of Murray’s injury-shortened one-minute appearance against the Mavericks on Friday, he’s scored no fewer than 38.3 and as many as 43.1 FD points in five straight contests, leaving him with an opportunity to potentially deliver over 5x his salary Monday. The Pelicans make for potentially good facilitators as well, considering they’ve allowed the seventh-highest offensive efficiency rating (29.5 percent) to point guards and the second-most assists per game (10.4) to the position as well.
Seth Curry, SG – at DET ($4,600)
Curry has returned from a seven-game COVID-related absence with his shot showing no signs of rust, as the veteran wing has drained 12 of 21 attempts across his first two contests while averaging a solid 14.5 points across 27.5 minutes. Curry hasn’t contributed much outside of points yet, but his value salary reflects his scoring-dependent fantasy profile and he’s also likely to start coming around in other categories the more he plays. Monday brings a favorable matchup in the form of a rematch against a Pistons squad Curry posted 24.1 FD points against Saturday, and that’s allowing 49.9 percent shooting, including 41.1 percent from three-point range, to shooting guards. The Pistons are also surrendering the fourth-highest efficiency (26.7 percent) to twos, while Curry is shooting a jaw-dropping 59.6 percent overall, including 56.0 percent from behind the arc.
Also consider: James Harden ($9,800); Damian Lillard ($9,700); Stephen Curry ($9,600); Malcolm Brogdon ($8,000); Devonte' Graham ($6,800)
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FanDuel DFS Forwards
Bam Adebayo, PF – at BKN ($9,600)
Adebayo continues to be listed as a PF on FD, a very favorable development considering it gives you a golden opportunity to roster two centers overall. The big man just racked up 62.5 FD points versus the Nets on Saturday, and he’s also posted another pair of tallies over 50 in his last five games. Those type of numbers make his current salary, elevated as it admittedly is, a potential bargain, especially considering he gets another crack at DeAndre Jordan and a Brooklyn frontcourt that’s allowing NBA-high 37.2 percent efficiency to centers, along with averages of 25.8 points, 16.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.7 blocks per contest to the position.
Gordon Hayward, SF- at ORL ($8,100)
Hayward lit up the Magic for 55.3 FD points Sunday, including a game-winning layup and free throw. The veteran wing also generated 49.2 FD points the game prior versus the Bulls, as well as three other tallies of greater than 40 in his previous seven games. Hayward should certainly enter Monday’s game with plenty of confidence given his numbers Sunday, and he could well find plenty of success again versus a Magic squad ranked in the bottom half of the league with a 36.8 percent success rate allowed from three-point range.
Luguentz Dort, SF – at POR ($4,900)
Dort turned in a dud in a tough matchup against the Clippers on Sunday, posting just 11.7 FD points over 30 minutes after going 2-for-10 from the field. However, that performance is far from the norm for the the second-year-wing, who came into Sunday shooting an impressive 48.9 percent, including 43.6 percent from behind the arc. Dort will have a good matchup with which to bounce back Monday as well, considering the opposing Trail Blazers are allowing 115.9 points per game and the second-highest offensive efficiency (27.5 percent) to small forwards. Portland is also yielding the fourth-most assists per game (5.1) and 38.3 percent three-point shooting to threes, giving Dort multiple paths to a strong return at his modest salary.
Also consider: Kevin Durant ($10,400); Anthony Davis ($10,100); LeBron James ($9,800); Chris Boucher ($6,500); OG Anunoby ($6,200); Evan Fournier ($5,900)
FanDuel DFS Centers
Nikola Vucevic – vs. CHA ($9,400)
Vucevic has been about as steady as they come in terms of high-priced centers this season, and he just posted 40.6 FD points over 34 minutes versus the Hornets on Sunday. That marked Vucevic’s fifth straight game over the 40-mark, a sample that includes one tally over 50 and another north of 60. Vucevic also boasts a 33.0 percent usage rate and averages 1.42 FD points per minute with frontcourt mate Aaron Gordon off the floor this season, and it’s possible the big man misses another game Monday after sitting out Sunday due to hip and back injuries.
Naz Reid – at GS ($5,000)
Reid is slated to draw another start at center for Karl-Anthony Towns (COVID-19/wrist) on Monday, and he’ll be come in having scored 27.1 to 40.6 FD points in his last three games. The second-year big has multiple blocks in two of those contests, and he continues to display impressive efficiency with 55.7 percent shooting, including 41.5 percent from three-point range. The opposing Warriors play at the third-fastest pace in the NBA (107.4 possessions per contest) and rank in the bottom half of the league in multiple categories against centers, including points (22.8), rebounds (16.1) and blocks (2.6) allowed per game.
Cody Zeller- at ORL ($3,900)
Zeller bumped up to 14 minutes and 21.4 FD points Sunday against the Magic in his second game back from a multi-game absence due to a broken hand. It wouldn’t be out of the question for him to log at least 20 minutes Monday while still coming off the bench, a development that could set Zeller up to outpace his very appealing salary once again. The strong production relative to playing time the Magic allowed to Zeller on Sunday isn’t out of the norm, considering Orlando is surrendering the fifth-highest offensive efficiency (45.7 percent) to second-unit players, along with the fourth-most rebounds (17.8) and second-most blocks (2.4) per game.
Also consider: Andre Drummond ($8,700); Montrezl Harrell ($5,300)
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