FanDuel NBA Picks and DraftKings NBA Picks - Sunday, 1/10/21

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Point Guard

Marcus Smart FD - $5900 DK - $7200
Opponent - MIA
Proj Pts FD - 28.58 DK - 28.26

With Jayson Tatum already out and a bunch of other Celtics players staring down the idea of sitting under Covid protocols, this is going to probably be a good spot for Smart. He’s been solid, if unspectacular from a fantasy perspective this season averaging 12 points and six assists per game with some defensive stats thrown in there to round things out. He’ll never be a high usage guy in any iteration of the Celtics’ offense, but he does have a high floor if the Boston big buys are out in this game.

Elfrid Payton FD - $5500 DK - $6500
Opponent - DEN
Proj Pts FD - 35.33 DK - 36.52

Payton is coming off a disappointing game last time out against the Thunder on Friday, finishing with just 16 points and six rebounds. It was a rough performance from a guy who’s been setting a pretty high floor of late. This could be a chance to bounce back against a Denver team ranking 28th in defensive efficiency this season. They play at a slower pace which mitigates some of the fantasy gains from their matador D, but this is still a fine spot for Payton. I much prefer the FanDuel price sitting in the mid-$5K range.

Shooting Guard

Jaylen Brown FD - $8300 DK - $9100
Opponent - MIA
Proj Pts FD - 45.97 DK - 46.64

This is obviously assuming he plays on Sunday. Jayson Tatum has already been ruled out for this game leaving a ton of usage to go around. If Brown plays, he’s likely the total chalk based on the implied usage and just how awesome he’s been anyway. He’s averaging 26 points and six rebounds on 35 minutes per game while shooting 42% from three. If Tatum were to miss then the crazy usage would only rise here in this matchup.

Jordan Clarkson FD - $5300 DK - $5600
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 28.25 DK - 29.05

Joe Ingles sat out on Friday night and that opened up a lot of 6th man/ bench units for Clarkson. He most-definitely took advantage. The dude ended up playing a whopping 35 minutes and finished with 26 points and six rebounds while taking a season-high 20 shots. That kind of usage isn't going to be there every game Ingles or not, but it's worth perking your ears up about for sure if the former is going to miss another game.

Small Forward

Kevin Durant FD - $9900 DK - $9200
Opponent - OKC
Proj Pts FD - 49.43 DK - 50.69

It looks like Kevin Durant will be eligible to return from the health protocol list on Sunday. And that puts him in a prime spot to smash in this game. Even if Kyrie comes back as well, Durant is plenty cheap enough, especially on DraftKings to ring in as a cash game play. Coming off the Achilles injury, Durant has been no worse for wear this season, averaging 28 points and seven boards in 34 minutes per game. He should be primed and ready to go after sitting out the last three games.

RJ Barrett FD - $6700 DK - $6900
Opponent - DEN
Proj Pts FD - 33.95 DK - 34.82

Barrett, in his second year, is starting to find a game within the Knicks' offense that works for him. It helps that he's playing major minutes in Thibs' rotations, running around 38 minutes a game. It's lead to increased scoring (17 points per game) as well as an obvious uptick in rebounds and assists as well. Denver has actually been pretty rough on defense this season, ranking 28th in efficiency which, from a fantasy perspective, makes up for their slower pace.

Power Forward

Christian Wood FD - $8800 DK - $8100
Opponent - LAL
Proj Pts FD - 47.83 DK - 47.84

It’s obviously not a good matchup for Wood, going against what could be a full-strength Lakers’ team. But it’s also hard to argue with what the dude has done this season. The dude is averaging 23 points and 11 rebounds on 34 minutes per game while also chucking in some steals and blocks along the way. He’s still coming too cheap on DraftKings especially if you think the game stays close with LA. He’s a high floor cash game play considering the way he’s used in the Rockets’ system and based on the early gain.

Kelly Olynyk FD - $5000 DK - $5400
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 27.13 DK - 27.56

Oynyk has enjoyed a solid run in the Heats’ starting lineup over the last five games. He’s averaging 28 minutes per game in the role and putting up 14 points and six rebounds per game. The minutes can come and go but last time out he ran 32 minutes against Washington and put up an 18 point, six rebound, five assist line. It sure seems like these minutes are as safe as it gets in the Miami structure where nothing is safe. But Olynyk’s price hasn’t moved all that much wth the recent opportunity.

Center

Daniel Theis FD - $4900 DK - $5100
Opponent - MIA
Proj Pts FD - 29.64 DK - 29.16

The Celtics remain without almost all of the bigs in this game as well with Robert Williams, among others, already have been ruled out. Last game, Theis played 29 minutes and put up 10 points, six rebounds, and three assists. His run was cut a bit short in the first half because of moderate foul trouble so there’s some room for growth on those numbers. Theis was a chalkier play on Friday and he’s likely headed for the same path on Sunday.

Bam Adebayo FD - $8500 DK - $8800
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 43.79 DK - 45.09

Bam is coming off a back-to-back on Saturday but that shouldn’t be a major concern on this slate. He’s facing off against a Boston team who’s been decimated in the frontcourt over the last couple of days and will be playing shorthanded once again. Bam has seen the scoring increase this season to 19 points per game despite playing fewer minutes than he did last season. The rebounds have dipped though, about 20% year-over-year with the Heat playing a slightly different system this time around. Adebayo is still very much a cash game play though and his price is completely reasonable.