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Today's top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings, FanDuel on January 17, 2024. Juan Carlos Blanco's NBA DFS sleeper picks for building winning DFS lineups.
We have another solid mid-week ledger on tap Wednesday, and as far as the main slates go, DK's is one game larger than FanDuel's eight-contest menu, with the Warriors-Jazz matchup being left off the latter. We have plenty of appealing matchups involving players at varying salaries, and there are several particularly talented options that could overdeliver on their salaries.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 1/17/24. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our awesome new NBA injuries report tool as the slate can completely change before lineups lock.
Good luck RotoBallers!
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Today's DraftKings, FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Donovan Mitchell, CLE vs. MIL – PG/SG ($9,600 DK; $10,500 FD)
Mitchell has displayed the upside of a five-figure-salary player on multiple occasions this season and comes in averaging just under 50 fantasy points per contest on both sites. He's been in particularly impressive form of late while averaging 54.8 DK/52.5 FD points in his last three contests, and he now draws a matchup against a Bucks team he already lit up for 61 DK/61.7 FD points in his one prior meeting this season. Milwaukee continues to be an excellent team to target with point guards, as the Bucks are allowing an NBA-high 31.7 offensive efficiency rating to ones, along with over 52 DK/ over 51 FD points per contest to the position.
Cavs ML ✅
Donovan Mitchell top scorer (-167) ✅45 points and 12 rebounds for 🕷️pic.twitter.com/M6fWT5g1js
— BetRivers Sportsbook (@BetRivers) January 11, 2024
Fred VanVleet, HOU at NYK – PG ($7,500 DK; $8,100 FD)
VanVleet is one of those aforementioned players who could outpace the investment required to roster him, considering his previous body of work and the favorable matchup. The veteran and first-year Rocket has averaged 39.1 DK/39 FD points per contest in the last six games, a sample that includes three 50+ fantasy-point tallies on both sites.
VanVleet has also been at his best on the road, where he's averaged 41.8 DK points per game. The Knicks could facilitate one of his higher-end performances, considering New York is surrendering 37.5 percent three-point shooting to point guards and 53.7 DK/51.2 FD points per contest to the position in the last 30 games. The Knicks are also conceding the third-most assists per game to point guards in that span (10.5), brightening VanVleet's outlook further.
RJ Barrett, TOR vs. MIA – SG/SF ($6,600 DK; $6,700 FD)
Barrett has mostly been stellar since his move north of the border, putting up 19.9 points (on 56.0 percent shooting, including 44.1 percent from distance), 7.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per contest over his first eight games. Barrett has scored at least 32 fantasy points in four of those contests, giving him plenty of floor and upside at his still very reasonable salaries. Barrett should be heavily involved once again Wednesday versus the Heat, which will have Jimmy Butler back from his toe injury but still rank 18th in offensive efficiency rating allowed to small forwards (23.4) and over 42 fantasy points per contest to threes in the last 30 games.
ALSO CONSIDER: Kyrie Irving, DAL at LAL - PG/SG ($9,300 DK; $10,300 FD)
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Today's DraftKings, FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Jayson Tatum, BOS vs. SA – SF/PF ($9,500 DK; $10,200 FD)
Tatum is always a candidate for an outlier game that helps shoot you to the top of the leaderboard in tournaments, which makes his salaries very eye-catching on Wednesday. Factoring out the blowout loss to the Bucks three games ago when he played just 16 minutes, Tatum has scored at least 49.5 DK and 48.1 FD points in his six other January games, exceeding the 60-point mark twice on DK and once on FD in that span. Tatum scored 40.5 DK/38.2 FD points in just 31 minutes in his one prior meeting with the Spurs this season, and although there is blowout risk at play Wednesday, he remains in play against a San Antonio squad allowing 49.8 percent shooting -- including 40.0 percent from three-point range -- to power forwards.
Filthy combo from Jayson Tatum pic.twitter.com/L01gXbKHfu
— Pull up shoot (@NElGHT_) January 16, 2024
Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN at DET – PF/C ($7,700 DK; $8,200 FD)
Towns has a trio of tallies of at least 40 fantasy points on either site in his last four games, and he's averaging just over five fantasy points per game more on the road than at home. The big man has yet to go up against the lowly Pistons this season, but they could certainly facilitate the type of performance that allows Towns to overdeliver on his salaries yet again. Detroit is surrendering 51.1 percent shooting, including 41.9 percent from three-point range, to power forwards, along with over 45 fantasy points per game to the position on the season.
Donte DiVincenzo, NYK vs. HOU – SF/SG ($5,700 DK; $5,700 FD)
DiVincenzo has stepped up his contributions since the trade of Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to the Raptors, averaging a well-rounded 13.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.4 steals per contest across eight January games. The veteran has a firm hold of the starting shooting guard role, and he's eclipsed 30 fantasy points on either site in three straight coming into Wednesday. Houston has been particularly vulnerable to shooting guards recently as well, allowing the fifth-most DK (49.0) and fourth-most FD (48.0) points per game to the position in the last seven, along with the most made threes (4.5) and third-most steals (1.9) per contest to twos in that span.
ALSO CONSIDER: Lauri Markkanen, UTA vs. GSW ($8,300 DK; *Game not on FD main slate*)
Today's DraftKings, FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Anthony Davis, LAL vs. DAL - C/PF ($10,000 DK, $11,400 FD)
Davis continues to frequently look like a vintage Pelicans version of himself this season, and he's been on a tear since just before the new year that's seen him average 25.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.6 blocks, and 1.6 steals per contest over a nine-game span. He has two tallies of over 74 fantasy points on either site in that span, offering a glimpse at his massive upside. The Mavericks could certainly coax a big night out of him, as Dallas is allowing the eighth-highest offensive efficiency rating to centers (34.5), along with a Western Conference-high 55.5 rebounds per game.
Welcome to Anthony Davis' Poster Shop pic.twitter.com/crscDV7ZZH
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 16, 2024
Jonas Valanciunas, NOP vs. CHA – C ($7,500 DK; $7,700 FD)
Valanciunas lit up the Hornets for 56.8 DK/54.6 FD points in the first meeting with Charlotte this season, and they remain just as good a target for centers as ever. The Hornets are allowing the second-highest offensive efficiency rating to centers (37.2), as well as a league-high 71.7 DK/69.7 FD points per game to the position in the last 15 contests. Charlotte is also ranked in the bottom 10 in blocks (5.5) and points in the paint (53.2) allowed, furthering Valanciunas' case.
Rudy Gobert, MIN at DET – C ($7,100 DK; $8,000 FD)
Like Towns, Gobert is a good candidate to thrive against the Pistons' typically porous frontcourt defense. Gobert's matchup is actually even better than his teammate's, as Detroit is giving up the fourth-highest offensive efficiency rating to centers (36.6), along with the second-most DK (63.3) and third-most FD (63.8) points per game to the position in the last 30 contests. What's more, the Pistons are yielding the fourth-most blocks (6.1) and fifth-most points in the paint (55.2) per contest, two more metrics that hint at a rewarding night for Gobert given how well they dovetail with the typical sources of his fantasy production.
ALSO CONSIDER: Bam Adebayo, MIA at TOR - C ($9,000 DK; $9,200 FD)
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