Daily Fantasy DraftKings and FanDuel NBA Picks - Tuesday, January 9, 2024

Head on over for your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our NBA FanDuel and DraftKings optimizer, NFL optimal lineups, and our NHL Optimizer. Plus our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below.

START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! First time with NBA or NFL?

Be sure to read our free NBA and NFL Ebooks on building lineups, general strategy, and more. We've got you completely covered.

Point Guard/ Shooting Guard

De'Aaron Fox FD - $9600 DK - $9300
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 52.63 DK - 55.25

We are loaded at guard for this Tuesday slate, and choosing between and among these guys might not be all that easy. De'Aaron Fox comes in with the best matchup, with the Kings -11 road favorites against the Pistons without Cade Cunningham. That’s going to be a smash spot, but it could mean significant blowout risk as well.

Fox had his worst game of the season against the Pelicans last time out, scoring just three points 26 minutes, but that is a total outlier and he’s a strong play today.

Jalen Brunson FD - $9000 DK - $9100
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 47.66 DK - 51.51

The Knicks are also in a great spot on Tuesday, facing off against the Blazers. The Knicks are still running very tight rotations so as long as these games stay close, he could run 38+ in regulation.

Brunson is averaging 26 points on 47% from the field and a whopping 43.5% from beyond the arc. Portland hasn’t been a total wreck on defense this season, but they’ve been below average for sure. Brunson has such a high floor because of the minutes.

Desmond Bane FD - $8500 DK - $8500
Opponent - DAL
Proj Pts FD - 45.49 DK - 49.79

Marcus Smart FD - $7000 DK - $6300
Opponent - DAL
Proj Pts FD - 33.9 DK - 36.71

Ja Morant has been lost for the season, and the hits for the Grizzlies just keep on coming. It’s a terrible beat for a team starting to turn things around since Morant’s return. Now, the bulk of the offense will fall on the shoulders of Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart, who are set to play huge minutes with a lot of usage.

Smart led the team in shots last game, hoisting 20 against the Phoenix Suns in a win without Morant on the court. He finished with 25 points, eight assists, and six rebounds when it was all said and done.

Meanwhile, Bane took *only* 14 shots in the effort but was efficient enough, scoring 23 points in his 37 minutes. Again, between these two and Jaren Jackson Jr., we are looking at most of the Grizzlies’ usage without Morant on the court, and they aren’t priced for this new situation.

Both Killian Hayes (FD 6000 DK 4500) and Jaden Ivey (FD 6400 DK 6300) are in play with Cade Cunningham out on Tuesday. Like with Fox, they represent value, but there is a risk of blowout. I do like Hayes a lot on DraftKings as long as he’s running with the starters.

Small Forward

Luke Kennard FD - $4300 DK - $4300
Opponent - DAL
Proj Pts FD - 24 DK - 27.21

Vince Williams Jr. FD - $5200 DK - $4300
Opponent - DAL
Proj Pts FD - 24.56 DK - 26.03

With Ja Morant out of the lineup last game against the Suns, Luke Kennard got the starting nod. It seemed like a great value spot for the sharp-shooting wing, but he played just 22 minutes and finished with a paltry nine points on 3-5 shooting.

That being said, we can go back in this direction if he’s with the starters again. There should be more minutes with Santi Aldama doubtful and the price is cheap enough on Kennard at a weaker position.

The other consideration is Vince Williams who has started in the past but came off the bench in a 6th-man role last time out. But he closed that game and ended up playing 29 minutes. The stat line was a smash at his price points, scoring 19 points while also grabbing nine rebounds.

With Morant out, he becomes much more fantasy viable on both sites, but especially on DraftKings where we often need all the savings we can get.

OG Anunoby FD - $6200 DK - $6300
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 31.54 DK - 33.56

Anunoby is a minutes play at these prices, but we know that Thibs’s plan is to run the starters into the ground as long as games stay close. It’s one of the more predictable things, and there’s a lot of safety and value in situations like this one. He isn’t a favorite to have incredibly high usage while sharing the court with Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle.

But OG is averaging 12 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals with the Knicks since coming over from Toronto. There’s some room for growth on the minutes as well.

Power Forward/ Center

Paolo Banchero FD - $9700 DK - $9000
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 45.63 DK - 49.35

Chuma Okeke FD - $4300 DK - $4600
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 20.41 DK - 22.3

With Franz Wagner out and the Magic also missing other key players like Wendell Carter Jr, Joe Ingles, Gary Harris, and even Jonathan Isaac, the team has pressed these wings into major minutes. It’s paid off from a fantasy perspective with Banchero averaging 34 points and nine rebounds over the last four.

He draws a very tough matchup against the Timberwolves here on Tuesday but the usage (29, 21, and 25 shots over the last three) has spiked so much that he can likely withstand that problem.

Meanwhile, Chuma Okeke has been in the starting lineup in place of Wagner, playing a whopping 38 minutes (five in OT) last time out in the win over the Hawks. His problem is the usage remains almost nothing when on the court, so he needs to make his fantasy bones by ticking up the numbers elsewhere. It’s why the price remains cheaper despite the increase in run.

Chris Boucher FD - $4800 DK - $4500
Opponent - LAL
Proj Pts FD - 24.22 DK - 25.78

Jakob Poeltl is out for the Raptors on Tuesday, and we could see Chris Boucher enter the starting lineup. In the past, Boucher has been able to pile on fantasy points per minute, though that hasn’t been completely the case this season when given the opportunity. That being said if he was running with the starters and projecting for 25-30 minutes, then we could easily roster him on both sites against the Lakers. Also, watch for Jontay Porter who has been seeing more minutes off the bench. He could also get the starting nod here.