FanDuel NBA DFS Lineup Picks (1/5/21): Daily Fantasy Basketball Advice

Jake Finnen highlights the top FanDuel NBA DFS lineup picks for 1/5/21, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building daily rosters.

Tuesday hits us with a five-game slate full of compelling matchups, especially now that Kevin Durant is going to be missing the next four games after entering a seven-day quarantine. Caris Levert, Kyrie Irving, and Taurean Prince all see massive bumps to their value for the next few games, but their defense as a whole is going to be lacking.

With a fairly wide price disparity at power forward, Bojan Bogdanovic is the ideal, cheaper option that will allow you to spend up for someone like Anthony Davis. It's a similar case for centers, with Nikola Jokic as the heavy-hitter and then a significant drop-off that lands at Rudy Gobert. With Jokic facing the Timberwolves defense, it's a no-brainer. He consistently goes off against them and without Karl-Anthony Towns, it's going to be a similar performance to Sunday.

This post will be recommending daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 1/5/21. You can also check out today's DraftKings lineup picks. Keep an eye on Rotoballer’s injury news to stay up to date before lineups are locked.

FanDuel DFS Guards

Coby White, PG - @ POR ($6,200)

The Trail Blazers defense is ranked dead last for a reason, and Coby White is coming off his highest scoring game of the season. There aren't many viable options at point guard aside from the most expensive options, so you have to go with either Patty Mills, hope Ricky Rubio has a solid game, or bank on Tyus Jones having another decent outing, just this time versus the Lakers. White is more expensive, but for good reason. His risk isn't nearly as high as the other three mentioned, but you might have to make sacrifices elsewhere.

Jordan Clarkson, SG - @ BKN ($5,300)

The Nets defense is among the top-five in the league, and adding Taurean Prince to the starting lineup doesn't equate to anything close to Kevin Durant's scoring, but it does soften the damage on defense. The Nets backcourt might be versatile, but Jordan Clarkson falls under the category of professional scorer. Since Clarkson is coming off his best game of the season, expect him to try an attack the Nets when they seem the most vulnerable without Durant.

Luke Kennard, SG - vs. SAS ($3,900)

If Luke Kennard is going to get minutes and actually make the most of them by shooting, there is no reason to pass up on this price, especially going up against the Spurs backcourt. This momentum has been building for a few games, and the way this offense is working, Kennard is being set up for easy shots by his teammates. He'll have upside until it's clear he won't be one of the primary outside shooters.

Also consider: Mike Conley ($7,000), Gary Trent Jr. ($3,800)

FanDuel DFS Forwards

Otto Porter, SF - vs. POR ($5,300)

He's never been the most consistent player, but Otto Porter offers across the board stats every night. As mentioned earlier, the Portland defense is downright bad right now, so exploiting this matchup almost seems unfair. His minutes have gone up over the last week and he's taken at least ten shots in six of the seven games he's played this season. With this price, it's a safe play as long as everyone doesn't roster him.

JaMychal Green, PF - vs. MIN ($3,900)

In just his second game of the season, JaMychal Green has already posted more valuable stats than a good chunk of rotation players around the NBA. Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic had no problems playing to their strengths in the first meeting between these two Sunday night, so as long as Michael Porter Jr. is quarantined, the Nuggets frontcourt is going to take all the help they can get in the hustle department.

Carmelo Anthony, PF - vs. CHI ($4,200)

Imagine thinking Carmelo Anthony won't take shots. He played over 25 minutes for the first time last outing against the Warriors, and if there's anyone that can unload a bunch of points in few minutes, its Carmelo Anthony. The last two times he has played the Bulls, whether home or away, he's scored over 20 points.

Also consider: Will Barton ($5,400), Robert Covington ($5,000)

FanDuel DFS Centers

Nikola Jokic, C - vs. MIN ($10,500)

This is arguably the safest pick of the top-tier players. The Grizzlies-Lakers game isn't lined up to be a showstopper, so both LeBron James' and Anthony Davis' upside is capped depending on how well the Grizzlies play. Jokic just filled the stat sheet against the Timberwolves last Sunday, not to mention if Jamal Murray has drop-off, which he will, Jokic is set to see every bit of what Murray isn't able to convert.

Also consider: Jonas Valanciunas ($6,800)

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis