Daily Fantasy NBA Basketball Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings and DraftPot - 1/5/16

Welcome to the Tuesday slate of NBA games. It’s a light night in the Association but you can still have success with your fantasy contests. Take a look at our picks for tonight.

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POINT GUARD

Rajon Rondo - FD 7800 DK 8400
Opponent - DAL FD Proj. Pts - 38.12 DK Proj. Pts - 38.83
When Rondo isn’t scoring, he’s getting his teammates involved. In Sacramento’s 142-119 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday Rondo not only scored 15 points but tallied 15 assists. And last night against OKC? Yowza. This kind of production makes him a good play on a nightly basis. The Mavs are a good defensive team but Rondo has extra motivation after Mavs coach Rick Carlisle benched him at the end of last year’s playoffs. (Our system doesn't factor that in, but the narrative works along with the metrics). Update: Rondo is looking doubtful tonight which would make Darren Collison a near must play.

Jeff Teague - FD 6400 DK 6500
Opponent - NYK FD Proj. Pts - 31.63 DK Proj. Pts - 32.77
Teague is normally a strong option at point guard. The speedy Wake Forest product drops around 32 fantasy points a night. The Knicks held him to just 9 points in his last game, the first of a back-to-back. The Knicks are among the league’s best in fantasy points against point guards but Teague will likely score more when he faces the Knicks again. He will contend with Jose Calderon.

SHOOTING GUARD

Klay Thompson - FD 7600 DK 7900
Opponent - LAL FD Proj. Pts - 33.63 DK Proj. Pts - 37.38
Even with Steph back in the lineup, Thompson is in play here. Thompson dropped 38 on the Rockets last week and will look to match or exceed that against the lackluster Laker defense. Thompson will likely see Kobe Bryant and Jordan Clarkson which means he could be in for another big night. One caveat is that the Warriors could get up big on the Lakers, which could mean limited minutes for Thompson.

Jimmy Butler - FD 8300 DK 8000
Opponent - MIL FD Proj. Pts - 36.46 DK Proj. Pts - 37.84
Butler, the Bulls’ leading scorer has assumed the leadership role as Derrick Rose struggles to stay healthy. The former Marquette standout is 4th among shooting guard in efficiency and should fill up the stat sheet against Kris Middleton and the Bucks. Milwaukee is the 3rd worst team in the league in defensive efficiency and likely won’t have any answers for Butler. The usage rate goes way up with Rose on the bench.

Wesley Matthews - FD 5100 DK 5000
Opponent - SAC FD Proj. Pts - 22.15 DK Proj. Pts - 25.22
Matthews has solid for the Mavericks, averaging 15 points a game in the shooting guard slot. Against the Kings, Matthews should be able to put up good numbers. Sacramento has given up the second highest fantasy points to shooting guards in the last 10 games. Matthews will be matched up against Ben McLemore.

SMALL FORWARD

Chandler Parsons - FD 5100 DK 5600
Opponent - SAC FD Proj. Pts - 26.16 DK Proj. Pts - 28.66
Parsons has struggled to find his shooting stroke but also has not shot the ball much this season. He has only averaged 9 shot attempts over the last 5 games. Still, the Kings are not a good defensive team so this could be a breakout game for Parsons and a good value fantasy wise. I'm looking to buy him on the cheap with folks off of him.

Carmelo Anthony - FD 8600 DK 8200
Opponent - ATL FD Proj. Pts - 40.29 DK Proj. Pts - 42.38
No longer a one-man show on Broadway, Melo has gotten scoring help in the form of rookie Kristaps Porzingis and 38 points from Aaron Afflalo against the Hawks. Anthony is still among the league’s elite. He is currently 6th in PER among small forward. After being held to just 11 points, look for Melo to return to form in the rematch against Kent Bazemore and Atlanta

Nikola Mirotic - FD 4700 DK 5100
Opponent - MIL FD Proj. Pts - 25.79 DK Proj. Pts - 27.89
Mirotic has notched 17 points in each of his last 2 games. The 1st year sniper will have a good matchup with Giannis Antetokounmpo, but expect Mirotic to continue to light it up. The Bucks have struggled to stop everyone this season.

POWER FORWARD

DeMarcus Cousins - FD 9700 DK 10000
Opponent - DAL FD Proj. Pts - 46.48 DK Proj. Pts - 47.04
Boogie has picked up where he left as one of the league’s most dominant big men. He is among the best big men efficiency-wise. Cousins has improved his 3-point shooting, making 30% of his shots behind the arc. This makes him almost unfair to guard. The Kentucky product is averaging 22.8 points and 8 rebounds in his last 5 games and went off against a Durant-less Thunder squad last night. Boogie should have his way with Mavs center Zach Pachulia.

Bobby Portis - FD 3900 DK 4500
Opponent - MIL FD Proj. Pts - 21.2 DK Proj. Pts - 21.81
Portis, a rookie from Arkansas, has emerged as a quality option, not only for the Bulls but for fantasy players everywhere. Portis has taken away minutes from veteran Joakim Noah. One of the more impressive showings from the rookie was his 16 point effort Knicks rookie Porzingis. The Bucks are 4th in fantasy points allowed to power forwards.

Taj Gibson - FD 5000 DK 5700
Opponent - MIL FD Proj. Pts - 26.74 DK Proj. Pts - 27.19
Gibson has worked his way into the starting lineup, stabilizing the unit according to Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg. The veteran from USC does the bulk of his damage on the boards, averaging 9.4 rebounds in his last 5 games. Gibson’s rebounding and defense make him a strong play tonight.

CENTER

Robin Lopez - FD 4100 DK 4600
Opponent - ATL FD Proj. Pts - 20.1 DK Proj. Pts - 20.41
Lopez notched a double-double (16 points and 11 rebounds) in the Knicks win over the Hawks on January 3rd. This should not come as a surprise as the Hawks are the second-worst in fantasy points surrendered to centers.

Pau Gasol - FD 8700 DK 7800
Opponent - MIL FD Proj. Pts - 39.55 DK Proj. Pts - 40.18
Gasol, he who never seems to age, continues to be a force in the middle for the Bulls. The Spaniard has averaged 17.8 points and 9.6 rebounds in his last 5 games, which makes him a really good option at center. Gasol will likely battle Milwaukee’s Greg Monroe which should be entertaining.

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