Daily Fantasy NBA Basketball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - 1/7/17

Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our NBA optimizer, our NFL Optimizer, and our new NFL player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below.

First time with NBA? Be sure to read our free NBA Ebook on building lineups, general strategy and more. We've got you completely covered.

Point Guard

Russell Westbrook FD - $12200 DK - $12900
Opponent - DEN
Proj Pts FD - 59.78 DK - 63.77
We start out where we tend to always start out on nights when the Thunder play. Russell Westbrook is something of a machine on the boards and must be thrown in to the conversation every time he plays. Interestingly enough on this 8 game slate we only have 2 players priced over 10k. We'll get to Anthony Davis a little later, but as for Westbrook the numbers can't be disputed. 37 games in and he's averaging a triple double per game with a 31.4/10.5/10.3 and tonight he draws the Nuggets who are second only to the Nets in fantasy points allowed to opposing PGs. Russ is a clear play in any format.

Kemba Walker FD - $7600 DK - $7900
Opponent - SA
Proj Pts FD - 37.88 DK - 40.12
If Westbrook just doesn't do it for you or you need to fill that second PG spot, I present to you, Kemba Walker. Walker dropped 32 points to go along with 5 assists and 7 rebounds on Thursday against the Pistons. This was the third time in the last 4 games he put up at least 30 points. The Spurs run a similar pace as the Pistons and are actually stingier at the position. With this in mind, I would limit Kemba to cash games as his upside could be limited.

Jrue Holiday FD - $7000 DK - $7000
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 34.74 DK - 37.13
Jrue Holiday has solidified his role in New Orleans seeing a steady run of minutes in the mid to upper 30s since early December and generally paying off a fantasy point per minute. At this price, he presents a strong argument for his consideration in your lineups. Tonight he draws a favorable matchup with Boston who are allowing 3% more points and rebounds to opposing point guards this year. I like the 2 guys above for cash games, but can see pivoting to Jrue for separation in a tournament.

Strongly consider Isaiah Thomas, the price is steep but if you find good value elsewhere it could be a nice spot to spend up.

Shooting Guard

Victor Oladipo FD - $5900 DK - $6600
Opponent - DEN
Proj Pts FD - 29.38 DK - 31.48
There really isn't a whole lot to love about shooting guard tonight. That being the case, we want to try and escape the position cheap and Victor Oladipo presents us with a perfect opportunity to do just that. 4 games back from that sprained wrist any concern we had about lingering effects seem to be put to rest. Thursday night he saw 41 minutes of action and posted 17 points to go with 7 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal against the Rockets. While he hasn't shown flashes of his 40 point upside that we saw before the injury, he does seem to be slowly returning to form and who better to help him find the Oladipo of old than the Nuggets. At his current price point this matchup makes Oladipo a near lock for cash games, and he definitely has the upside you want in tournaments.

Avery Bradley FD - $6300 DK - $6100
Opponent - NO
Proj Pts FD - 30.68 DK - 32.86
Keeping with the theme of cheap, safe shooting guards, we come to Avery Bradley. He was less than stellar in the Celtics drubbing of the Jazz on Tuesday, but he was coming back from illness so I don't hold that against him. Prior to that Bradley was making the most of his consistent run of minutes in the mid to upper thirties and averaging 29 fantasy points in the last 4 games of 2016. The Pelicans give up nearly 5% more points to opposing SGs so tonight is a perfect opportunity for Bradley to bounce back to form.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope FD - $5500 DK - $5500
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 27.49 DK - 29.43
I warned you it was a rough night at SG, and here we are. Kentvious Caldwell-Pope is as streaky a shooter as you can find. He'll drop 25 points one night and follow it up with 6 the next night. It's the complete game we have to look at though when considering KCP. He's averaging 3.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game and doesn't turn over the rock often. He injured his shoulder the other night against the Hornets, but managed to play through it and there doesn't appear to be any lingering effects from that. If he can make his shot and the periphs are there, KCP makes for a good tournament option in a bad position.

Small Forward

Kawhi Leonard FD - $8500 DK - $8100
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 39.3 DK - 41.34
A stomach bug sidelined him for a few games last week, but after a slow return against the Hawks, Kawhi thundered back to form quickly in his next 2 games. Kawhi sometimes falls short in the conversation with players like Westbrook and Harden, but that's what makes him so desirable from a DFS perspective. His price stays locked in that second tier but you get a player with top tier upside on any given night. The Hornets can be challenging for opposing small forwards but are allowing 13% more assists than league average to the position, so it's within the realm of possibility that Leonard gets his 5th double double of the season tonight making him a solid cash game pick.

Paul George FD - $7900 DK - $8000
Opponent - NY
Proj Pts FD - 35.7 DK - 39.23
Paul George and the Pacers play host to the Knicks tonight, in what Vegas has as one of the evenings higher scoring affairs. Melo's a good defender but it's not the primary focus of his game, and PG has been on fire since after the holidays. He's scored 32 or more points in 3 of his last 5 games to go with 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists during that same span. These 2 teams are evenly paced and PG should be good for 35 points making for a good cash game play.

Jae Crowder FD - $5300 DK - $5300
Opponent - NO
Proj Pts FD - 25.89 DK - 27.59
As I'm writing this it's looking very likely that Crowder is going to underwhelm us against the Sixers. Prior to that though, he has been the model of consistency in the world of daily fantasy paying 4.75X at this price while coming in below 20 fantasy points only one time since December 1st, that being a loss to the Thunder nearly a month ago. Earlier this week he tied his season high with 21 points against the Jazz sinking 5 three pointers. The Pelicans are about league average against opposing SFs and their top ten ranked pace factor should present Boston with a few more looks, Crowder should have no trouble bouncing back from the game against Philly and if he can continue dropping threes the way he has been in recent games then he makes a great play especially on Draftkings where the threes count for more.

Power Forward

Anthony Davis FD - $10800 DK - $10600
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 53.09 DK - 55.11
Is it possible the man of glass is a thing of the past? Here we are, January 7th, and Anthony Davis has only missed 1 game this year. He's only played under 30 minutes twice. I'm not going to lie, I still get nervous locking him in my cash games, but tonight, you kind of have no choice. As I mentioned earlier, Davis and Westbrook are the only 2 guys on the night priced over 10K, and what you get for that price is hard to argue against. He's put up 7 double doubles in his last 8 games. He's been contributing in all aspects of the game, putting up 20 points and 3 assists against the Hawks on Thursday to go with 12 defensive rebounds and 2 steals. Boston has been just straight up bad against opposing 4s this year, giving up 6% more rebounds and assists than league average and 8% more steals at the position. Cash game, tournament, doesn't matter. If you want to win, Lock in the brow.

Derrick Favors FD - $4500 DK - $5200
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 23.09 DK - 24.2
I'm no more excited to write about Derrick Favors than you are to read about him, but hear me out here. Fantasy is all about price and opportunity and right now Favors is getting opportunity at a value price so we have to consider him. The minutes have been slowly creeping upward, hovering in the 20s in 5 of his last 6 games. The thing with Favors is he's very scoring dependent, so if his shot's not falling then he's going to hurt you. Tonight he draws the Timber wolves who overall are a tough match up for opposing PFs, but they do allow 3% more points than league average to the position. As long as Favors can get double digit scoring and maybe add a few assists then he should have no trouble paying value tonight.

Thaddeus Young FD - $5200 DK - $5500
Opponent - NY
Proj Pts FD - 26.56 DK - 28.11
If you just can't pull the trigger on Favors, then Thad Young is your guy. He's been seeing consistent minutes in the 30s and making the most of the opportunity. He's made his presence known on both ends of the court, dropping double digit points in 9 of his last 10 games and averaging 6.4 rebounds during that stretch. The Knicks are about a league average matchup and this should be a fast paced contest presenting plenty of opportunities for Thad on both sides of the ball. I love him as a cash play and can even see some tournament exposure as well.

Center

Joakim Noah FD - $5100 DK - $5400
Opponent - IND
Proj Pts FD - 31.03 DK - 32.75
Myles Turner FD - $7100 DK - $7200
Opponent - NY
Proj Pts FD - 37.92 DK - 39.22
This is one of the less appealing night's we'll see at center. There's no Boogie, and the higher priced guys don't really have the most appealing of match ups. As we go down the list of value plays looking to get away from the position as painlesssly as possible we find Noah and Turner. These two go against each other in a game that as I mentioned before, promises to be quick paced and high scoring. Noah's been volatile from an offensive standpoint, but his defensive game has been on point, especially this past week when he's averaged 14 rebounds to go with 1.5 blocks and a steal per game. Turner on the other hand has averaged 17.9 points and 7.9 rebounds in the past month. He's had a 20 point double double twice in the past week. Split the difference and lock Turner in to your cash games while using Noah for some tournament separation.

Andre Drummond FD - $7900 DK - $7600
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 40.77 DK - 42.56
If you do want to spend up at center and have the salary to do so, then I would give a look to Andre Drummond. Drummond found his minutes cut Thursday against Charlotte primarily because the Pistons took a 15 point lead into the fourth. Even with that shortened run, he was only just 1 rebound shy of picking up his fourth straight double double. Prior to that, Drummond's seen a pretty consistent run of 35-36 minutes per game. Portland is slightly worse than league average against opposing 5s, and their faster pace should present Drummond with a couple extra looks. If the salary is there to spend, I like Drummond in all formats, but I wouldn't build my lineup around him, as I think there are better places to spend up at.

GRAB A FREE TRIAL OF OUR PROJECTION SYSTEM, AND CHECK OUT DFSR PRO!

GET OUR FREE EBOOK ON DAILY FANTASY NBA!

And Daily Fantasy NBA Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings every day!