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Basketball Picks Daily Fantasy Expert Advice

01/16/2020
James Davis

FanDuel NBA Picks and DraftKings NBA Picks - Friday, 1/17/20

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Point Guard

Luka DoncicLuka Doncic FD - $11000 DK - $12400
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 55.8 DK - 60.53

It's a night without a lot of premier pay-up options, and while he's very expensive on DraftKings it's going to be hard to fade him on FanDuel. Luka had a brief three game lull for a few different reasons - weird game scripts and tough match-ups primarily - but got back in the saddle with a devastating 25/15/17 line against the Kings. While Doncic is not a traditional point guard, it's worth noting that his combination of size and vision matches up very well against Portland's undersized back court. I love Luka in all formats on FanDuel, and he should be the highest owned big money option on the slate.

Shabazz NapierShabazz Napier FD - $5000 DK - $5000
Opponent - IND
Proj Pts FD - 31.37 DK - 32.01
With Teague out of the picture permanently and no replacement imminent, Napier is positioned to slide right back into the role he inhabited when Teague was injured earlier in the year. In the last two games Teague missed Napier put together an average line of 21/4.5/5 in 32 minutes of action. He is far too cheap for that level of production, and while Indiana is far from an ideal match-up thanks to their slow pace and solid defense this is just a price and opportunity mismatch that we aren't likely to pass up.

Chris PaulChris Paul FD - $7000 DK - $6900
Opponent - MIA
Proj Pts FD - 38.61 DK - 39.1

CP3 hasn't been a flashy play this season, but he has been a solid one on these prices. He's averaged almost exactly 5x points per dollar on these prices all season, and he's been even better recently. He's playing slightly longer rotations than he was earlier this year while supplying his same solid production, and it looks like the sites have over-corrected for a challenging Miami match-up. His solid across the board production means he's got a great floor, and that is all you can really ask for from a tough point guard position tonight.

In the same vein, our system likes Malcolm Brogdon, who is a lot cheaper than he was pre-injury and hasn't seemed to miss a beat.

Shooting Guard

Josh RichardsonJosh Richardson FD - $5900 DK - $6600
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 32.48 DK - 32.91
With Embiid out for at least another week, all of these Philly guys are probably still slightly under-priced in plus match-ups. Grabbing Richardson against Lavine should qualify there. Like Paul, Richardson won't necessarily knock your socks off at these prices, but his price hasn't caught up to his increased usage just yet. He's averaged 15.6 shots in his last five games, and that's a healthy increase from the 13 he's averaged this season. I think he's still a solid value in what amounts to a league average match-up with the Bulls.

DeMar DeRozanDeMar DeRozan FD - $8100 DK - $8100
Opponent - ATL
Proj Pts FD - 40.78 DK - 41.07

Our system was a week earlier on DDR than most this year, and that's been very profitable for us. His time of possession has risen in the new year, and his scoring and assists have followed. As the Spurs continue to run an ever increasing portion of their offense through him, he's been thriving, averaging almost exactly 50 fantasy points over his last four outings. If anything our system could be low on him against an Atlanta team that's paired the 3rd fastest pace with the 4th worst defensive efficiency this year, and I'm excited to run him in any format.

Also considered: Norman Powell if FVV continues to miss time, and Dennis Schroder if you believe in last game's ceiling.

Small Forward

Tobias HarrisTobias Harris FD - $6700 DK - $8300
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 38.93 DK - 39.76
This Fanduel price is a crime against humanity when Embiid is out, and there isn't really a whole lot else to say about it. Harris has paid 5x points per dollar value in each of his last 6 games, including a 53.5 FanDuel point explosion against the Nets. While the Bulls are a fairly tough match-up, this is a similar spot to Richardson where the price is just too low to ignore.

OG AnunobyOG Anunoby FD - $4800 DK - $5200
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 27.58 DK - 27.47
Anunoby is priced like he's playing 30 minute rotations, but the truth is that he's flexing between 30 and 36 minute rotations right now. If you get him for 30 minutes these prices are fair. If he plays high 30s minutes these prices are a joke. He's hit 6x-8x value in the last three games where he played 35+ minutes, including his very last game against the Thunder. There are no sure things with Anunoby, but if VanVleet misses again I'll happily slam him in cash games.

Also considered: Cedi Osman.

Power Forward

LaMarcus AldridgeLaMarcus Aldridge FD - $6600 DK - $7100
Opponent - ATL
Proj Pts FD - 39.38 DK - 38.79
So Aldridge hasn't been at his best recently, but this FanDuel price is a typo, right? Aldridge has averaged 5.5x points per dollar on this price this season, and you're getting him against an Atlanta team that has allowed the 2nd most fantasy points per game to opposing power forwards this season. DDR might be running more of the offense, but he's not the entire offense, and Aldridge is still a great value here.

Lauri MarkkanenLauri Markkanen FD - $5000 DK - $5900
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 29.74 DK - 30.62
Luke KornetLuke Kornet FD - $4200 DK - $4900
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 27.33 DK - 26.07
With Gafford and Carter out, I don't see how the Bulls don't play both Markkanen and Kornet for 30+ minutes each in this one. Each carry some injury risk into this match-up, but you should know their status before line-up lock, and if they are a go they are an auto-include for me in spite of a tough match-up with the 76ers.

Center

Marc GasolMarc Gasol FD - $5000 DK - $4800
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 29.1 DK - 28.9
Gasol didn't miss a beat in returning against the Thunder, instantly getting plugged in for 32 minutes of action. He was excellent in that time as well, putting together a 15/5/6 line that would delight fantasy owners on these prices. His price will rise by another 20% in short order, and in a literal dream match-up against the awful Washington front court I'll happily employ him in any format.

Hassan WhitesideHassan Whiteside FD - $9400 DK - $8400
Opponent - DAL
Proj Pts FD - 46.84 DK - 46.77
We haven't touched on a lot of expensive options just yet, and if you find yourself with money left over you can certainly consider Whiteside. Unlike a lot of these plays he's getting up there on FanDuel, but his DraftKings price is very affordable. In the right match-ups he's a daily 20/20 threat, and the Mavs just don't feature the interior firepower to stop him down low. The only risk to Whiteside providing 40+ fantasy points is foul trouble, and while that's a possibility against a team featuring Luka Doncic, it's not enough to scare me off this DraftKings price.

Also considered: Valanciunas and Thompson squaring off against one another.

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