Giannis or Jokic? Daily Fantasy DraftKings and FanDuel NBA Picks - Tuesday, January 31, 2023

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Point Guard/ Shooting Guard

Jrue Holiday FD - $7700 DK - $8500
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 45.39 DK - 48.89

As we’ll get to even more when it comes to Giannis, we are in an interesting spot with the Bucks on Tuesday. On the one hand, they have, by far, the highest team total and best matchup on the slate. They are also -11 home favorites and could absolutely blow the doors off of the Hornets. It’s a tricky spot with where to land with guys like Jrue Holiday. For instance, last game the Bucks crushed the Pelicans and Holiday played only 30 minutes. But he also finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. The value could still be there against the Hornets at these prices, but if the game gets out of hand it’s going to be close.

Jalen Brunson FD - $7500 DK - $7900
Opponent - LAL
Proj Pts FD - 41.39 DK - 44.31

Quentin Grimes FD - $4100 DK - $4400
Opponent - LAL
Proj Pts FD - 25.6 DK - 27.81

The Lakers should be more toward full strength than they were against the Nets on Monday evening, so the matchup should be tougher. But this is still a team ranking 20th in defensive efficiency on the season. Brunson has a high minutes floor on the season, running at least 37 in each of the last 14 games.

It’s tough to find that kind of consistency and it makes him a very safe option, especially on FanDuel where the price is still sitting too low. I think he will see plenty of ownership there against LA in a high-profile matchup between these two teams.

In addition to Brunson, Quentin Grimes also has been seeing a ton of run for the Knicks, but he needs things to break right in order to hit value even at these lower prices. He’s strictly a three-and-D wing and if the three-ball isn’t falling then you could be in trouble even in the $4K range.

That being said, he’s played 36 or more minutes in each of the last three games and the Knicks will need his wing defense in this matchup.

It hasn’t been great, but man is Kyle Lowry (FD 5200 DK 4700) ever coming cheap on DraftKings.

Small Forward

Paul George FD - $8300 DK - $8900
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 44.45 DK - 48.53

Even with Kawhi Leonard trending towards max minutes, when he plays, I still think Paul George is a viable option in this game against the Bulls. Chicago is a middling defense with an average pace, so you aren’t getting crushed on the volume. And PG has gotten up at least 18 shots in each of the last three games. The assist and rebound numbers are there enough though aren’t overwhelming at all. But on FanDuel, the price is fine considering the minutes' floor should be high enough in this game. It’s a bit closer on DraftKings, but the good news is that the Clippers’ offense is concentrated mostly between Leonard and PG here.

Pat Connaughton FD - $5100 DK - $4500
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 25.74 DK - 28.85

Grayson Allen FD - $4600 DK - $4400
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 22.51 DK - 24.82

The Bucks are still bringing Khris Middleton along very slowly here, coming off the bench in limited minutes since his return. That’s meant Grayson Allen and Pat Connaughton remaining in the starting lineup and playing minutes in the high-20s or sometimes higher depending on how the games shake out.

At their current price points, that puts them both in the value range because of the matchup against the Hornets. Connaughton has rebounded the position well and sees a bit of a bump with Bobby Portis out for the Bucks. Allen definitely needs to hit his threes in order to hit value. Neither has tremendous upside because of how Milwaukee’s fantasy production is structured, but the floor should be high enough here.

Power Forward/ Center

Giannis Antetokounmpo FD - $12200 DK - $12000
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 62.78 DK - 67.06

Giannis Antetokounmpo is the top option on this slate because of the matchup and the fact that he just is, well, Giannis. He’s coming off of 50 points in just 30 minutes on Sunday against the Pelicans, and he scored 41 the game before. Plus, he’s put up double-digit rebounds in each of the last five games. The dude is just in that elite class of fantasy guys which really only includes him, Nikola Jokic, and Luka Doncic this season.

Yes, there is blowout risk and that is a concern. That being said, if the Bucks were to completely crush the Hornets and Giannis lost minutes in the 4th it would almost certainly be because he had gone off in his own minutes. I think he’s safe enough to play here considering the opponent and slate.

Brook Lopez FD - $6200 DK - $6000
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 36.8 DK - 36.92

A full Bucks stack sure seems like the way to go on this slate considering the total is sitting at 127.5, a full seven points higher than the next-closest team on Thursday. Lopez isn’t a traditional center in the way he scores fantasy points, relying a bit more on scoring than rebounding, and needing to get his block on to really hit the upside. Luckily he’s among the league leader in swats on the season and the Hornets get blocked more than any other team in the league this season.

Ivica Zubac FD - $5600 DK - $5500
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 32.6 DK - 34.68

When the Clippers play close games, it sure seems like the plan is to play Zubac bigger minutes, especially when Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are in the mix. The price for Zubac is where it should be if he were a mid-20 minutes dude, but that really doesn’t seem like the plan. Sure, the production can come and go especially when sharing the court with the superstars, but I think he’s cheap enough to take the risk here.