RADIO
We've got a massive slate on Wednesday that nicely contrasts the Tuesday slate that featured only five games. That said, there are surprisingly few elite options in desirable spots. Russell Westbrook has looked more like he did last season, but the Lakers are more vulnerable against wings. LeBron James has been amazing all season but is playing in his second game in as many nights. Given that, I'll be looking at Giannis Antetokounmpo to build my lineups around tonight.
Despite the lack of elite options, there is a ton of value available throughout the slate. Denver is among my favorite stacking options on the slate, but there a number of games that are worth considering in your contests tonight, many of which will be highlighted below.
Below you will find our daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 1/3/18. 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 read more DFS lineup picks for DraftKings and other sports too.
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FanDuel DFS Guards
Jamal Murray - PG vs. PHO ($7,300)
Murray’s price continues to rise but his performances continue to justify paying it. While his usage rate has remained right at 24% all season, his effective field goal percentage has risen each month, rocketing from 40.4% in October to 55.9% in December. Adding to that, he has performed better at home, the Nuggets have the highest implied team total of the night, and they are catching the Suns on the back end of a back-to-back in one of the toughest road environments. While rising price is sometimes a warning sign to stay away, I’m disregarding it in this case.
Rodney Hood - SG vs. NO ($5,600)
Hood has been most notable this season for missing a stretch of time that made Alec Burks a strong value play from late November to early December. However, Hood himself can also be a viable fantasy play in pace-up games where the Jazz can be expected to score more points than usual. Despite their implied team total not standing out by itself at 105.5 tonight, that mark is over five points above the Jazz’s average on the season. Hood is a tournament play because he relies almost entirely on scoring for his fantasy production, but in a pace up game there is potential for a 7X performance from him.
Also Consider: Ricky Rubio - PG vs. NO ($5,300), John Wall - PG vs. NYK ($9,500), DeMar DeRozan - SG @CHI ($9,000)
FanDuel DFS Forwards
Jaylen Brown - SF vs. CLE ($5,600)
We saw what wing players can do against the Cavs last night as Evan Turner turned in an 8X performance against them on Tuesday night. While I wouldn’t count on that for Brown tonight, he is in a good spot to return value and wings have been able to consistently do that against the Cavs this season. Healthy enough to come back from a knee injury, Brown immediately regained a large role in the Celtics’ rotation so a minutes limit isn’t a concern. Plug him into cash game lineups with confidence.
Serge Ibaka - PF @CHI ($5,800)
The Raptors have one of the highest implied totals on the slate and Ibaka fills a nice price point. While DeMar DeRozan has been on fire and gained a lot of attention because of it, Ibaka creates a better chance for return on investment. On this big of a slate, I’d rather look elsewhere for high-priced, while looking to Ibaka to still gain exposure to what should be one of the more fantasy-rich games on the slate.
Also Consider: Paul George - SF @LAL ($8,400), Taj Gibson - PF @BKN ($6,000)
FanDuel DFS Centers
Pau Gasol - C, @PHI ($6,000)
Gasol may seem like an odd choice considering the Spurs are on the second of back-to-back games. Given that it’s the Spurs there is a chance Gasol rests, but he has played in six back-to-back situations already this season. To make the situation better, Kawhi Leonard will almost certainly be sitting out, opening up usage for others on the roster. Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge are the most likely candidates to fill in that usage, and again perhaps surprisingly, Gasol has been the far superior performer on back-to-backs of the two. The Sixers are a solid matchup and Gasol has shown a consistent ability to outperform his $6,000 price tag, making a nice mid-priced option at center.
