RADIO
Today's top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings, FanDuel on January 30, 2024. Thunder Dan's NBA DFS sleeper picks for building winning DFS lineups.
Welcome, RotoBallers, to a brand new look for today's free NBA DFS picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on January 30th! As our head NBA editor, I decided to redesign our daily article to give you, our readers, the most detailed and insightful first look at the day's NBA DFS slate.
The key to being successful in NBA DFS comes down to making adjustments during the day as injury information becomes available. But it's always really important to have a game plan and the best players and spots circled first before making those adjustments. To keep up with all the latest developments and get access to updated projections, grab an NBA season pass and also gain access to our RotoBaller Premium Discord where @chiefjustice6 is talking about the slate up until lineups lock!
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 1/30/23. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our awesome new NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 7:00 PM EST on FanDuel and DraftKings.
Today's NBA DFS Core Plays
Let's take a look at our free daily matchup ratings at RotoBaller to see who we want to target for our top spend-ups tonight.
Joel Embiid is still questionable after missing his last two games as well as Tyrese Maxey for the Sixers. I have a feeling they'll be back tonight against the Warriors, but stay tuned for afternoon updates. Tyrese Haliburton could return against the Celtics, as well, but for now, I am not counting on Embiid or Haliburton as core pieces on this slate.
Anthony Davis, LAL @ ATL – PF/C ($9,600 DK; $11,300 FD)
Editor's Note: Anthony Davis has been ruled OUT. LeBron James becomes a core play and both Austin Reaves and Jarred Vanderbilt are even better plays than they were this morning.
The Laker big man really stands out to me on this slate, especially on DraftKings where he continues to be underpriced for production. If you have been fading AD this season because of a fear of an in-game injury, you have been missing out as he's putting up 53 DK points per game.
The DvP doesn't stand out on paper, but Atlanta has been giving up some big games to power forwards and centers lately. This game has the highest total on the board (246.5) and AD is the first piece that I am placing in my cash game lineup.
Jayson Tatum, BOS vs. IND – SF/PF ($9,200 DK; $10,000 FD)
The Celtics could get Kristaps Porzingis back tonight, but that still doesn't take me off Tatum, who has an elite matchup against the Pacers.
Indiana is a major pace-up spot for Boston and this game has a Vegas O/U of 241 points - the second-highest of the five games on this slate. The Pacers are bleeding points to power forwards this year and give up a ton of production in the paint.
Tatum has been tremendous in three meetings with Indiana this year, averaging 33 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists. Even with the additions of Holiday and Porzingis this season, Tatum is still the alpha dog on this Boston team and I look for him to lead the way in scoring again tonight.
Today's NBA DFS Value Plays
Now, let's pull up today's premium NBA projections and sort them by fantasy points per dollar to see what players are popping as the best values tonight.
The best values tonight all come from the New York Knicks, who have a great fantasy matchup with Utah and are dealing with the loss of one of their stars, Julius Randle.
Donte DiVincenzo, NYK vs. UTA – SG/SF ($5,700 DK; $6,100 FD)
Donte D played a whopping 42 minutes last night, scoring 46.5 DK points courtesy of 28 points, six rebounds, and five assists. We know that Coach Thibs loves to play his core guys huge minutes, so it's no surprise that Donte leads our projections with a 7x median projection. He's an absolute lock (if such a thing exists).
Josh Hart, NYK vs. UTA – SF/PF ($5,500 DK; $6,000 FD)
Hart played 39 minutes last night and entered the starting lineup for Randle. He put up a very Hart-esque 8-12-7 line on his way to 33 DK points. He's an easy click tonight, too, as he's a good enough rebounder and passer to hit value without having to score the ball much.
Quentin Grimes, NYK vs. UTA – SG/SF ($3,600 DK; $4,600 FD)
Grimes was the one Knick who disappointed in the box score last night, collecting just 13 DK points despite playing 32 minutes off the bench. I am going right back to him tonight as he shot just 2-11 from the field with the hopes that he makes a few more shots and gets us around 20 DK points.
Want more NBA DFS tools and exclusive content? Check out our premium daily content from proven winner Will Priester! Grab an NBA season pass and get access to our daily projections, optimizer, Will's personal picks, props, advice, and VIP chat rooms. Use promo code THUNDERDAN at checkout to save 10%
Today's NBA DFS Lineup Picks: Point Guard
Collin Sexton, UTA vs. ATL – PG/SG ($6,800 DK; $7,600 FD)
If we are going to be playing 3-4 Knicks in our lineups, why not run it back with at least one Jazz player, too?
Over his last 24 games – since joining Utah’s starting five – Collin Sexton has averaged 22.2 PPG on 63.7% TS with 5.4 APG
The Jazz have gone 17-7 in that span#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/xIcu6MvQsB
— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) January 28, 2024
Sexton has a few clunkers in the game log lately, but he has been a really nice surprise for Utah this season, taking a pretty big leap in scoring and assists and becoming their starting point guard. He's fairly priced and if we expect a competitive, fairly high-scoring affair tonight then I would expect Sexton to have a pretty solid game.
Top 3 PG Options
- Jalen Brunson vs. UTA
- Collin Sexton @ NYK
- D'Angelo Russell @ ATL
Today's NBA DFS Lineup Picks: Shooting Guard
Ayo Dosunmu, CHI vs. TOR – PG/SG ($4,800 DK; $5,700 FD)
When looking for value outside of the Knicks, I am drawn to Dosunmu who is eligible at both guard positions and trending up over his last six games. With Zach LaVine continuing to be out of the lineup, the Bulls have had to give Coby White, Alex Caruso, and Dosunmu big minutes. He might not light up the scoreboard often, but he's a very good defender who can still stack up fantasy points with steals, blocks and assists.
Top 3 SG Options:
- Donte DiVincenzo vs. UTA
- Austin Reaves @ ATL
- Ayo Dosunmu vs. TOR
Today's NBA DFS Lineup Picks: Small Forward
Lauri Markannen, UTA @ NYK – SF/PF ($8,100 DK; $9,000 FD
I love that Lauri is SF-eligible on both sites as it's often a position that can lack elite studs, though we have a few really solid options there today even on a small slate. Markkanen has been every bit as good this year as he was last year in his breakout campaign and could take advantage of an undersized Knicks team tonight that is missing Julius Randle. He leads Utah in usage and has 25-10 type upside every night and can score in bunches.
Lauri Markkanen showcases his cleverness and accuracy 🎯pic.twitter.com/bmwZooggE8
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) January 28, 2024
Top 3 SF Options:
- Josh Hart vs. UTA
- Quentin Grimes vs. UTA
- Lauri Markkanen @ NYK
Today's NBA DFS Lineup Picks: Power Forward
Jarred Vanderbilt, LAL @ ATL – PF/C ($4,400 DK; $5,400 FD)
With Jayson Tatum and Anthony Davis already being covered in the core plays section, let's focus instead on some other value options at the PF and C positions.
Vanderbilt has been coming on strong for the Lakers, posting 36, 33, and 42 FanDuel points in consecutive games last week before getting ejected from the game last night after only seven minutes. His ability to rack up steals and blocks makes him an especially appealing option on FD where those stats are worth three fantasy points each instead of two.
Top 3 PF Options:
- Jayson Tatum vs. IND
- LeBron James @ ATL
- Jarred Vanderbilt @ ATL
Today's NBA DFS Lineup Picks: Center
Onyeka Okongwu, ATL vs. LAL - PF/C ($4,700 DK; $5,700 FD)
Okongwu continues to play off the bench for Atlanta, though he occasionally finishes with more minutes than their starting center, Clint Capela. The two are in the middle of an annoying timeshare (for fantasy purposes) which is why I almost always lean towards playing the cheaper of the two - Okongwu.
He averages almost one fantasy point per minute this season and his PF-eligibility on DraftKings is really nice if you're looking for another punt play to fit in your favorite studs on this slate.
Top 3 C Options:
- Anthony Davis @ ATL
- Kristaps Porzingis vs. IND
- Onyeka Okongwu vs. LAL
My Favorite NBA DFS Lineup Picks for Today
Here is where I leave you with some of my favorite plays, values, fades, and game stacks.
- My favorite overall play on the slate: Anthony Davis
- My favorite value play: Donte DiVincenzo
- My favorite player to fade: Stephen Curry
- My favorite game to stack: Utah Jazz @ New York Knicks
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy basketball mobile app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, lineup notifications & DFS articles. All free!
