January 19, 2018

Kevin Luchansky highlights the top FanDuel NBA DFS lineup picks for 1/19/18, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building daily rosters.

Remember last Friday when we not only had a bevy of games, but the matchups were dreamy? Hang onto that memory, because tonight is going to be an ugly one. There are seven games on the slate, and save for one or two games, we could see a lot of defensive battles. Defensive battles are nice if you're into that sort of thing, but they tend to quite unfulfilling for the DFS community.

What can Vegas tell us about this slate, other than that it's ugly? Well, they do tell us from a projected points view that the Nuggets are a great team value, and the Heat and Jazz are in pretty good spots. Denver is projected for eight points higher than their season average, with Miami and Utah at +4 a piece. The only attractive over/under (as of now, still two games with no listing) is the most obvious one, as the Suns visit the Nuggets and have a 218 line. After that, the drop off goes down to a 207 line - where three games sit - Heat at Nets, Spurs at Raptors, and Wizards and Pistons. The game in Denver is the belle of the ball, and of the trio mentioned, the Heat at Nets matchup looks to be the most stack-able game. That said, the Pacers at Lakers could have an attractive total as well - but be mindful the Lakers could be without a player or two, and the Pacers are on a back-to-back, having played in Portland last night.

Below you will find our daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 1/19/18. These DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options, to lower-priced players and value picks on FanDuel.

FanDuel DFS Guards

Goran Dragic - PG, at BKN ($7,500)

If you're playing cash game lineups tonight, the fire-breathing Dragic is a really good pick to kick things off. His price has risen a bit, but it's warranted with his consistent play, sturdy floor, and high minutes. Tyler Johnson is still sidelined, and as such, Dragic is seeing even more minutes than usual and getting more shots up, often posting Usage rates in the low 30's. For the season, he owns a strong 26% Usage rate and has been a fairly efficienct fantasy producer, at 0.96 FanDuel points per minute. Tonight, he gets a pace up matchup and is heading up one of just three offenses projected for more points than their average.

Tyler Ennis - PG, vs IND ($3,800)

If roster construction today takes you to the depths of the below 4k plays, Ennis is a nice pick that I believe you can trust to provide value today. He does have some tournament upside too, as he's shown us a 30+ point ceiling and he takes on a team that is on a back-to-back and also happens to play fast, giving the Lakers' guards a lot of possessions to orchestrate with. If you dig though his most recent performances, none are very awe inspiring, but he has provided value (or a point away from) each and every night - and what's impressive about that is that it's been done on a pretty limited run in minutes. Things could change based on the overall health of the Los Angeles back court, but as of now, I am seeing him projected for 24-26 minutes, and he could certainly smash value in said situation.

Also Consider at Point Guard: Ricky Rubio - PG, vs NYK ($5,300); Spencer Dinwiddie - PG, vs MIA ($6,000)

Josh Hart - SG, vs IND ($4,500)

We've seen Hart be a very good producer of fantasy points in certain spots this season, and said spots have resurfaced in the last few days thanks to injuries and absences on the Lakers' roster. Hart has smashed value in his past two games, playing 26 and 31 minutes, and he's expected to see a similar workload tonight against a team that is middle of the pack in their shooting guard defense (13th in efficiency) and on a back-to-back. He's a fairly safe pick for more production tonight, and he allows a lot of roster flexibility with the small price tag. I have interest in Jordan Clarkson in this spot, too, but that's a pick reserved for GPP's, as he's more volatile in scoring but carries a bit of a higher ceiling with the larger Usage rate he commands in comparison to Hart.

Also Consider at Shooting Guard: Gary Harris - SG, vs PHO ($7,100); Wayne Ellington - SG, at BKN ($4,400); Will Barton - SG, vs PHO ($7,700);

FanDuel DFS Forwards

 Josh Richardson - SF, at BKN ($6,000)

I already blew up about how ugly the slate is. Well, small forward is like a microcosm of the whole slate, where the upside is pretty limited and the best plays have been drastically priced up. A solid middle ground for cash games today (and some relative GPP upside, thanks to a weak player pool and his steals) comes in the form of Josh Richardson. When Tyler Johnson is sidelined, Richardson picks up some of the back up point guard responsibilities, which raises his ceiling quite a bit. Defensively, the Nets are a bit of a puzzle to figure out against the small forward. They rank 16th in DVP, but third in defensive efficiency. However, they allow an opponent +/- of 2 FanDuel points above salary based expectations, which is the best on the slate.

Also Consider for Small Forward: TJ Warren - SF, at DEN ($6,700); Otto Porter - SF, vs DET ($6,200) - GPP only

Trey Lyles - PF, vs PHX ($5,400)

The silver lining to throwing up a few duds is a seriously reduced price. Now, Lyles price increase into the mid 6K range was warranted thanks to pretty strong play, and most importantly, consistency in production - but that was never a price I felt real good about rostering him at. This price is lovely, not just because of the perceived value, but also becomes he draws a dreamy matchup tonight against the lowly Suns interior defense. On the season, Phoenix ranks 30th in DVP and 30th in defensive efficiency against power forwards. In the past month, Lyles has a pretty strong point per minute mark of 0.98. Fire up Trey in any format tonight.

Also Consider for Power Forward: Domantas Sabonis - PF, at LAL ($6,000); James Johnson - PF, at BKN ($5,400)

FanDuel DFS Centers

Julius Randle - C, vs IND ($6,600)

Randle isn't your traditional, run of the mill center. On this Lakers team - especially with the lineup combinations they're experimenting with - Randle is slotted at the 5 spot, but it's almost a position-less unit, and it's thriving (offensively speaking). Tonight, against a Pacers team that is already very weak against big men and also has Myles Turner sidelined, this is a spot where Randle can eat inside and clean the boards, too. There are safer options listed below for your cash games, but I am very intrigued by his upside in tournament formats tonight.

Also Consider for Center: Mason Plumlee - C, vs PHX ($4,700); Tyson Chandler, at DEN ($4,400); Pau Gasol - C, at TOR ($5,700)

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