Daily Fantasy NBA Basketball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - 1/24/18

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Point guard

Kyle Lowry FD - $7900 DK - $7900
Opponent - ATL
Proj Pts FD - 39.78 DK - 41.35

After 5 pretty fun games last night, the NBA has blessed us with a stellar 9-game slate this Wednesday night. We have a ton of games to dive into and not many that you can wipe off the board. We're going to start in Atlanta, where the Raptors and Hawks will face off in one of the more exciting games of the night. With a 215 over/under and 6 point spread, expect a full allotment of minutes out of the starters. Kyle Lowry has been on fire lately with 30+ in 6 straight and got up to 50 last game. He now sees a tremendous match-up against a Hawks squad that struggles more than any of the teams he has recently diced up. On the season, they rank 19th against the position at 43.6 FPPG allowed. Schroder is not only a terrible defender, but he has no help behind him. Lowry is a lock to do damage when on the floor and he's been in there for 32+ night in and night out. We have some games with higher totals on the slate, but this will stay competitive and Lowry is one of the safest mid-range plays on the entire slate. Under $8k on both sites, he needs to get you around 35 in cash games.

Kyrie Irving FD - $8200 DK - $8600
Opponent - LAC
Proj Pts FD - 41.08 DK - 42.24

Here's another strong option in the mid-range. Kyrie Irving, like Kyle Lowry, offers you a ton of safety. He's going to shoot 20+ times a game and has an incredible match-up with the Clippers. They'll be missing Austin Rivers and Jawun Evans, so expect Milos Teodosic and Sindarius Thornwell to grab the minutes at the 1. Neither are good defenders and it's why the Clippers have been slowly falling down the PG defensive ranks (11th on season, 21st in last 10). Kyrie has been insane on the season as a whole and running extremely hot as of late. He's a lock for over 30 fantasy points and has been around 40 in most. Vegas hasn't dropped a line on this game yet, but we'll see a total well over 215 with a spread under 10. Irving is a lock for 35 fantasy points with the upside for 50. I do prefer Lowry, but I like the upside of Irving just a bit more.

Jeff Teague FD - $6000 DK - $6300
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 29.49 DK - 30

Jeff Teague is getting a little too cheap on both sites. He's almost entering the $5k's and barely needs to get you 25 in cash games. He's been over 32 minutes in 4 straight games and has reclaimed his role as the clear starting point guard. He's been over 35 fantasy points in 3 of the last 6 and put up 30 real-life points just a game ago. He now gets a match-up against Damian Lillard, who we know isn't a very good defender. He put up 40 fantasy points in just 28 minutes against the Blazers a week ago, so definitely has what it takes for another boom if the game stays close. Jimmy Butler is also questionable, so he'll see the ball a bit more and take a few extra shots if he is out again. With so many options at the position, Teague will remain under 20% owned and shouldn't. I'll make sure I have over the field in both cash games and tournaments with at least 50%.

Shooting Guard

Andrew Wiggins FD - $6100 DK - $6900
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 30.84 DK - 31.17

We'll stay in Minnesota and touch on his backcourt-mate in Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins has been the guy benefiting most from Jimmy Butler, seeing his usage go up to a monstrous 34%. He's been over 30 fantasy points in 3 straight and hit 40 real-life points last time out. Wiggins is still serviceable with Butler in and will see similar minutes, but he won't have the ball in his hands nearly as much. The match-up with the Blazers is fine, as C.J. McCollum is a good defender, but struggles against bigger guards. Wiggins is still under $7k on both sites and needs you in the low 30's for cash games. If this game stays close and Jimmy Butler sits, pencil it in. Shooting guard is a decent position and there are some expensive guys to pay up for. We'll instead look in the mid-range at 2 guys who should have ease reaching value.

Nicolas Batum FD - $6000 DK - $5800
Opponent - NO
Proj Pts FD - 29.83 DK - 30.24

It looks like we're seeing the real Nicolas Batum finally surface. It's almost sad to think about the guy in Portland who was putting up 30-40 fantasy points on a nightly basis with close to a triple-double almost every game. He's since dwindled into a guy you're hoping for 25 fantasy points out of on 10 shots. With that being said, it looks like we may be seeing a bit of a Batum resurgence. He's been over 20 in 6 straight and got up to 40 against the Heat just 2 games ago. He's cemented into his 33-36 minutes and 10+ shots  and hasn't seen the price jump to come with it just yet. He's still under $6k on both sites and will need to get you to 25 in cash games. The Pelicans are close to an ideal match-up for an SG, considering they rank 26th in the league. Batum can be locked in for 20 with the upside for 40. He's not exciting, but his price is just rigt.

Small forward

Jaylen Brown FD - $5700 DK - $6000
Opponent - LAC
Proj Pts FD - 29.64 DK - 30.21

Our 2 high-end options are injured at SF, leaving us with Harrison Barnes as the most expensive option. Jimmy Butler could be interesting against the Blazers, but it's tough to ever trust a guy coming right off of injury. Especially one that needs 35+ minutes to pay off his salary. We'll instead look at Jaylen Brown, who's an extremely safe play in all formats. Just look at his box scores. He's sitting over 25 fantasy points on most nights and will just barely miss on an "off night". He's able to play with such consistency as he isn't at all reliant on scoring. Even if cold from the field, he can pick up 20 fantasy points with rebounds and some defense. The match-up with a messy Clippers defense is a good, considering they haven't been able to cover an athletic wing all year long. They rank 25th against small forwards and 28th over the last 10. Brown won't grab you 40, so look elsewhere if that's what you need, but he will grab you 25 and let you spend up elsewhere. At what I have as the weakest position on this slate, Brown wil be a lock in my cash games.

Nemanja Bjelica FD - $3600 DK - $4300
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 20.45 DK - 20.83

If Jimmy Butler is out again, Bjelica is a near lock. People were scared off because of the 24 minutes in the first game, but it was just a case of a bad match-up. He got up to 34 minutes in a much better match-up against the Clippers and sees a similar one with the Blazers. Evan Turner has been manning about 30 minutes at the 3 with the rest going to Connaughton. Neither are good defenders and are one of the weaker spots on the team. Bjelica will have no problem getting open shots against this team and we know he will produce when on the floor. His price is far too low on both sites and he will demolish value if given over 25 minutes. He's a versatile player with many skills and Thibodeau is comfortable stretching him with the starters. If Butler plays, go ahead and ignore everything I just said. If he sits again, plug Bjelica into every lineup.

Power forward

Domantas Sabonis FD - $6700 DK - $6500
Opponent - PHO
Proj Pts FD - 36.63 DK - 38.8

Myles Turner is still questionable, and will come off the bench if he does play. If Turner plays, Sabonis isn't nearly as exciting of an option. He'll still get 25 minutes or so, but it's not what we're looking for. We need the 30+ minutes at this price tag and we'll get it if Turner is out again. He's been around 33-35 in most close games and has been extremely productive when on the floor. He's sitting between 25-35 in most games, give or take 5. Under $7k on both sites, he's still in a spot to destroy value if he gets hot. The Pacers have Oladipo, but he's the only real guy that dictates shots and it's why Sabonis has been able to comfortably take so many. This match-up with the Suns is certainly a tremendous one. On the year, they rank 18th against PF's, but also play at the league's fastest PACE. Sabonis is going to put up 25 if given the minutes and should get over 30 if it stays close.

Montrezl Harrell FD - $4900 DK - $4700
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 25.94 DK - 25.3

DeAndre Jordan is currently doubtful for this one, so make sure he's sitting before you lock in Harrell here. He's been over 30 minutes in 3 of the last 4 and has been over 33 fantasy points in 4 of the last 7. Wow. He's always a little bit inconsistent, but you can lock in the production when given the minutes. If you've been watching these Clippers play, you know exactly what I mean. He is a VERY good player when in rhythm and getting the ball. Sure, the Celtics are a great defensive team on paper. They also give up the 13th most points, so they're coming from somewhere. Harrell will get most of his minutes at center as he matches up well with Al Horford and his athleticism. His price is still under $5k on both sites and you have to play him if you think he gets back over 30 minutes.

Center

Karl-Anthony Towns FD - $9300 DK - $9600
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 45.2 DK - 46.84

We've been all over this game and won't stop at Center. Karl Anthony-Towns has been extremely consistent as of late and is playing the best basketball of his season. This is a game we're targeting a ton on both sides and will want even more of if Jimmy Butler is ruled out. Towns is occasionally seeing decreased minutes in non-competitive games, but is a lock for over 35 if the game stays close. Vegas thinks it will and the over/under is plenty high at 215. Towns is locking in 40 fantasy points a night and is exploding for 55+ way too often for his price. With Towns the 4th most expensive option at the position, there are obviously other ways to go. Embiid and Cousins are fine in tournaments, but may be just a little too expensive for cash games. With Towns under $10k, he doesn't need to explode to pay off value. If the game stays close and he sees 35-40 minutes against Jusuf Nurkic and Zack Collins, he will hit value.

Al Horford FD - $6700 DK - $7100
Opponent - LAC
Proj Pts FD - 36.4 DK - 36.56

If you're not looking to pay close to $10k at the position, you have options. Al Horford is our favorite of the bunch. Just looking at his recent performances will always give you an idea of how the Celtics are playing. Recently, he's dominated. He's sitting over 35 fantasy points in just about every game and rarely dropping below 30. He's never a guy with a huge ceiling, but can put up 40-50 if things break right. Tonight, the match-up is phenomenal. Without DeAndre Jordan (doubtful), it'll be Montrezl Harrell and Blake Griffin at the 5. Horford will have fun with both of those guys and finally be bigger than the opposing center. His price is especially cheap on FanDuel and hard to avoid at just $6700. He's very safe at a position without too much safety under $9k. The game is close to guaranteed to be close and we know the 30-35 minutes will be there.

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