DFS NBA Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - Thursday 1/5

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Guards

Luka Doncic FD - $12800 DK - $12600
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 61.1 DK - 62.52

On a larger slate, I might not lead off with Luka as the price is approaching $13K on both sites but with just four games I think it's crucial to lock in the insane floor he provides. He comes into the night having scored 57 or more DraftKings points in seven straight while averaging a ridiculous 77.8 along the way. The matchup isn't at the top of my list as the Celtics are 10th in defensive efficiency but Luka is practically matchup-proof at this point and a great building block in all formats.

Ja Morant FD - $10500 DK - $10400
Opponent - ORL
Proj Pts FD - 48.09 DK - 52.13

While Morant, or any other player for that matter, doesn't quite have the ceiling of Luka he has been incredibly consistent and more importantly comes at over a $2K discount on both sites making it a bit easier to build around. On the season, Morant has posted 40+ DraftKings points in 27 of 32 games(84%) and 50+ in 17 of those which is greater than a 53% rate and a terrific floor for fantasy. We have him meeting or exceeding that 50-point mark tonight in a plus matchup against the short-handed Magic who rank 23rd in defensive efficiency. Fire up Morant comfortably in all formats.

Mike Conley FD - $6200 DK - $5700
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 30.4 DK - 32.75

Value at the guard position is scarce, so let's turn to a game with the highest total on the slate. The Jazz are 5.5-point favourites with the highest implied team total on the slate and it comes down to matchup as the Rockets have struggled mightily on the defensive end(28th in efficiency) this season.  For Conley, his usage was limited upon his return to the lineup in mid-December but that has since changed as he has taken double-digit shots in four of his last five games but it's the assists(7.8 per game) that have given him safety for fantasy averaging 31.9 DK points per game during that stretch. Conley is in play for me in all formats tonight.

Small Forward

Gary Harris FD - $3800 DK - $3800
Opponent - MEM
Proj Pts FD - 20.35 DK - 22.73

The Magic are not only dealing with multiple injuries but are still dealing with suspensions from the altercation with the Pistons last week. This helps open up some much-needed value on this smaller slate and like last night, we are back on a sub $4K Gary Harris on both sites. It started off slow last night but he ended up crushing value at over 6x with 18 points on 50% shooting while making 5 of 6 from beyond the arc. He is very shooting dependant so anything we get in terms of secondary scoring is a bonus but with no price increase, he is in play as a top value in all formats provided he is back in the starting lineup.

Power Forward/Center

Kawhi Leonard FD - $9000 DK - $8100
Opponent - DEN
Proj Pts FD - 41.18 DK - 43.82

We will have to monitor the Clippers' injury report leading up to lock as Paul George is questionable to play. If he does sit out, Kawhi jumps way up my list on this smaller slate, especially on DraftKings where the price sits in the low $8K range. We have yet to see a ceiling game from Kawhi but his usage is increasing with 16+ shots in five of his last seven games and he has been consistent averaging 21.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.6 assists over his last nine games for 40.8 DK/40.6 FD points per game. If George is out, that is the floor I like for Kawhi with upside of 50+ in a matchup against the Nuggets 25th ranked defence.

Steven Adams FD - $7300 DK - $5700
Opponent - ORL
Proj Pts FD - 33.39 DK - 33.98

The first thing that stands out here with Adams is the massive price differential between the sites bringing him easily into my player pool on DraftKings tonight. There have been some stretches where he has been a lineup killer but in the short term, he has been very consistent thanks to some elite rebounding numbers. He has not only tallied double-digit rebounds in four straight, he has 15 or more in each of those games while averaging an insane 19 per game. He is the reason the Grizz are #2 in rebounding on the season and facing a struggling Magic team, I will be locking Adams into my DraftKings lineups in all formats.

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