RADIO
A three game slate means the options are limited and we need to be perfect with all our picks. Since stacking is guaranteed for small slates, make sure you distribute the wealth so you aren't banking on just one game. The Rockets and Warriors are pretty much guaranteed to engage in a shoot-out, giving Steph Curry, James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson justifiable upside tonight, so be careful on taking value in this game because it has a very good chance of getting completely overshadowed by production coming directly from the top players on each team.
There is much more value in the Raptors-Spurs contest, mainly with bench players like Fred Vanvleet, Bryn Forbes, Pau Gasol, and O.G. Anunoby. There are still some injury updated that will be announced that cement some of these picks so make sure you are keeping track of all three games.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 1/3/19. These DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on FanDuel. You can also check out today's DraftKings lineup picks. Find me in the NBA Chat Room or @HalfCourtJester on Twitter with questions.
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FanDuel DFS Guards
Patty Mills – PG, SA vs TOR (FD - $3,500)
So, there are a few different directions you can go in this game. If Kyle Lowry doesn't play, and he shouldn't, the Raptors backcourt will be anchored down defensively by just Delon Wright. While Patty Mills is undersized even for a guard, he's still the same player we've watched live up to the moment and play his best when the team needs him. The Spurs have struggled for a good portion of this season but it's still dumb to count them out of any game based on recent performances. If the other Spurs can manage to find their rhythm, it will open the floor for Mills and his ability to playmake only increases his overall upside. The Raptors should still control this game through Kawhi Leonard, Serge Ibaka, and Pascal Siakam, but I'm confident if there is any Spur playing well tonight, it will be Patty Mills.
Danny Green – SG, TOR @ SA (FD - $4,200)
Did I forget to mention this is a revenge game for both Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green? Seeing how the Spurs are similar to the Raptors in that they lack backcourt defense, the rest of the team manages to pick up the slack, turning a very skeptical defense into a more than respectable 16th ranked squad versus opposing shooting guards. That number should fend off the casual player looking for those perfect matchups, but this game has production written all over it. Both teams will be expecting Leonard to dominate this entire game, and assuming that does happen, you can guarantee he will find Green sitting in the corner like he has been for years. This game will have a ton of energy and pace and I expect Green to use that to his advantage.
FanDuel DFS Forwards
Gerald Green – SF, HOU @ GS (FD - $3,700)
With only three games tonight, you know all six teams will be ready to put up a fight against high-quality opponents. Not only do I expect the shooters to come out, but I expect them to thrive. James Harden get more than his fair share of shots, and being on the road makes it easy to roster Gerald Green. The Warriors have not been playing at their championship level and rightfully so, it's the regular season. Houston will be able to get up shots and won't be running into that stingy of a defense, but still expect the Rockets role players to struggle to actually convert. Green might not have the highest of ceilings tonight, but I can already see him hitting multiple threes late in the shot clock, carrying him over his projected.
Paul Millsap – PF, DEN @ SAC (FD - $6,200)
This one is more risky and I also wanted to take this time to note Gary Harris' slow return to the his normal spot in the rotation. While both players are going to see fewer minutes than usual, playing against the Sacramento Kings gives them the most potential. We saw Jusuf Nurkic post a ridiculous statline last outing against Sacramento, so it's dumb not to expect the same from players that are on a better team and are more talented. The Kings lack a true defensive piece in their frontcourt and it will allow both Nikola Jokic and Paul Millsap to play however they want. While I do expect this game to turn into a blowout, both Millsap and Harris should use this game as a stepping stone to working their way back into the rotation. Luckily, both are high IQ players that know when to step up and when to assume the role, so realistically their potential is very high versus a younger team. Even with blowout potential looming, Millsap and Harris should seea good portion of minutes and usage.
FanDuel DFS Centers
Clint Capela – C, HOU @ GS (FD - $8,600)
The Warriors don't have many weakspots and even though Clint Capela is a pretty dominant big-man, I don't have much confidence in his ability to produce in this situation. It will depend more on his teammates ability to pull Capela's defender away from him, which will happen. The only problem is that his price demands a fairly solid outing. With other players available, Capela still offers risk at a high price, but James Harden can single-handedly alter the box score in favor of Capela, which is why I am so hesitant to completely fade Capela. Even if he struggles to rebound, which he shouldn't, Capela is good for 10-15 points coming directly on alley passes from Harden.
