Daily Fantasy NBA Basketball Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings and DraftPot - 1/7/16

Welcome to a smaller (but no less intriguing) Thursday slate. From a fantasy perspective, there are a couple real interesting games to look at and you'll see a certain theme in these picks.

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POINT GUARD

Rajon Rondo - FD 8200 DK 8400
Opponent - LAL FD Proj. Pts - 39.97 DK Proj. Pts - 40.75
Darren Collison - FD 5600 DK 6000
Opponent - LAL FD Proj. Pts - 27.73 DK Proj. Pts - 29.23
I'm putting these two guys together, but it's not because I think you should play both of them at the same time (though I suppose it's close with Collison either way). But I think whoever draws the start for the Kings tonight is nearly a must start on this slate. Both Rondo and Collison would be in line for big minutes against the worst defense in the league. The Lakers allow somewhere in the range of 14% more scoring than league average to opposing point guards. That basically means they are are matadors on defense against the position. I suspect one or the other of these guys will be the highest owned player on the slate considering the matchup.

Jeff Teague - FD 6200 DK 6400
Opponent - PHI FD Proj. Pts - 29.68 DK Proj. Pts - 30.74
Dennis Schroder - FD 4500 DK 5000
Opponent - PHI FD Proj. Pts - 21.71 DK Proj. Pts - 22.64
I'm putting both of these guys in the tournament category for this slate. The Hawks have jerked around the point guard minutes something fierce of late as they try and find the rotations that work the best. Both of these guys have upside at their respective prices if they see an uptick in minutes. But they can't be considered safe.

SHOOTING GUARD

Kent Bazemore - FD 5700 DK 6100
Opponent - PHI FD Proj. Pts - 26.5 DK Proj. Pts - 28.13
The Hawks' minutes aren't necessarily set in stone mostly because they have a deeper team and Coach Budd isn't shy about getting the bench guys run if they are playing well. But Baze has been a firm plant in the starting lineup and his ability to score as well as pitch in around the statistical margins gives him a higher floor. Philly isn't the defensive travesty they've been in the past, but they aren't good either.

Kyle Korver - FD 4000 DK 4200
Opponent - PHI FD Proj. Pts - 19.96 DK Proj. Pts - 23.09
The good news on Korver is that he's been shooting a bunch of late, averaging more than double digit shot attempts over his last five or so games. The bad news is he's stone cold from the field including an 0-10 game from three against Houston last week. The recent games haven't been much better. But this guy can shoot and still has his rotations. Buying low on a sharp shooter like this in a plus matchup is a great time to score some upside.

If Kobe were to sit again, Lou Williams makes for a great play.

Also, a note on Jimmy Butler. He's been playing amazing of late, with the shot volume through the roof. He's also been shooting with accuracy well above his career averages. So just be warned.  I like him as a play of course, but the narrative looks real good after some games that will be difficult to continue repeating.

SMALL FORWARD

Evan Turner - FD 5700 DK 5800
Opponent - CHI FD Proj. Pts - 28.15 DK Proj. Pts - 28.97
Avery Bradley is going to sit this one out again leaving a large chunk of minutes to head Evan Turner's way. He's been fantastic from a fantasy perspective since joining the starting five. He's playing huge chunks of minutes from the two or three when the Celtics really go small like they did at times last night. Even though the price has come up some in the short term, it doesn't reflect just how much of a value Turner is if he's playing minutes in the mid-to-high thirties.

Nikola Mirotic - FD 4800 DK 5200
Opponent - BOS FD Proj. Pts - 26.63 DK Proj. Pts - 28.78
There are a bunch of great plays at small forward tonight, making this position a little tougher (in a good way). Mirotic's been playing better of late as Hoiberg's given him a vote of confidence in the starting lineup. The Bulls stand see a bunch of volume tonight considering Boston plays the fourth fastest pace in the league.

Gordon Hayward - FD 7600 DK 7400
Opponent - HOU FD Proj. Pts - 34.63 DK Proj. Pts - 36.78
He's lower on the list only because the pts/$ value on the two guys above is pretty damn high considering they are lower in the pricing tier. But this is a great matchup for Hayward who's had to assume a greater scoring load with Favors out of the lineup. He got up 18 shots up against Houston last Monday and could see a similar amount of looks in this one. Houston isn't the worst defensive team in the league, but they aren't too far off. Hayward could see a nice line in this matchup and only the other options at the position make the decision close.

Also consider Rudy Gay and Jae Crowder. See what I mean about this position?

POWER FORWARD

Pau Gasol - FD 8900 DK 8000
Opponent - BOS FD Proj. Pts - 39.99 DK Proj. Pts - 40.64
Taj Gibson - FD 5400 DK 5900
Opponent - BOS FD Proj. Pts - 25.79 DK Proj. Pts - 26.22
I'm lumping them together (somewhat of a theme in this set of picks) because the considerations are exactly the same. With Gibson still set in the starting lineup and Gasol over at the five, both have been thriving from a fantasy perspective. Really only Bobby Portis is bumping up against their minutes when the Bulls want to go big. Boston is below league average against opposing centers and power forwards. I'm all over these two guys at the position considering the matchup and their respective playing times. Both should be locked into lineups in cash games considering the uncertainty surrounding the rest of the position (on FanDuel).

Paul Millsap - FD 8500 DK 8300
Opponent - PHI FD Proj. Pts - 39.15 DK Proj. Pts - 40.91
Personally, I don't feel like I've ever played the guy on the right night, but that shouldn't stop me (or you) from strongly considering him against Philly tonight. Because he can play some from beyond the arc, Millsap does cause matchup issues with certain defensive set ups. That could be the case if Philly decides to go double big against the Hawks.

CENTER

Jeff Withey - FD 4700 DK 5100
Opponent - HOU FD Proj. Pts - 29.15 DK Proj. Pts - 29.6
He's nearly a must play with the current Jazz situation. Both Gobert and Favors remain out leading into this game and Withey's price is coming up at such small increments that it's still not close to a fair number considering his volume. Because the Jazz are so shorthanded in the front court they are forced to run Withey out there for large chunks of minutes. He's a near lock for minutes in the mid 30's and playing against a Houston squad ranked 26th in the league in defensive efficiency and about league average against centers.

DeMarcus Cousins - FD 10400 DK 10300
Opponent - LAL FD Proj. Pts - 48.6 DK Proj. Pts - 49.19
Boogie is one of the reasons to get away from Withey on FanDuel (he's a PF on DK). He's facing a Laker team getting crushed by centers and below league average against power forwards (depending on where he falls in the rotation). He's an emotional player, and I swear there are some times when it looks like he's trying to foul out. But he's also a singular talent and the Lakers will have trouble dealing with him on defense. He's been shredding defenses of late and that should continue tonight.

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