DraftKings NBA DFS Strategy Advice: Tuesday (1/5)

After a monster slate on Monday, we have just five games here. Interestingly, we have almost all Western Conference teams on the docket, with the Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls being the only Eastern Conference clubs. That’s great news for basketball fans because the west is always the more competitive conference. With that in mind, let’s get into this Tuesday slate!

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Point Guard

• Lillard has been scorching recently, and that’s going to force him into our studs section later on.
• With Kevin Durant (COVID) out, Irving is an easy pick, and he’ll join Lillard in the studs section.
• Murray just provided 36 points, five rebounds, and four assists against this terrible defense on Sunday and could be returning to the bubble Murray that we all loved two months ago.

Shooting Guard

• LaVine just had his best game of the season on Sunday, collecting 39 points, six rebounds, five assists, and three steals. That’s great news with Portland allowing Curry to drop 62 on them in their most recent game.
• White has been a breakout for the Bulls, and he too benefits from this matchup against Blazers backcourt.
• LeVert has a 36 percent usage rate with KD off the floor, which makes him one of the best options on the board.

Small Forward

• James has been playing at an MVP level since the opener, and he’ll definitely be in our studs section.
• Kawhi will also be in the stud section in this revenge game.
• Porter has been starting for Lauri Markkanen, averaging over 30 DraftKings points per game in this expanded role.

Power Forward

• AD is always a great pick, and he’s an elite choice with the limited options at power forward.
• Anderson has taken over ball-handling duties in the absence of Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr, scoring at least 41 DK points in three of his last five games.
• Covington continues to get minutes and opportunity, and it’s just a matter of time before he has a blowup game.

Center

• Jokic has a triple-double in nearly every game this season, and he’ll definitely find his way into our next section.
• Carter has scored at least 23 DK points in five of his last six games while averaging just shy of 30 fantasy points per game in that span.
• If Poeltl starts again for Aldridge, he’s a great value below $5K.

5 Studs Worth Their Salary

• Nikola Jokic, DEN ($10,800): If Jokic had just one more rebound in two games this season, he’d have a triple-double in all six games played. That’s obviously absurd, and it’s led to him averaging 22.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 12.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game. That gives him the highest fantasy total of any player on this slate, and we love that against a Minnesota team that surrenders the second-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season.
• LeBron James, LAL ($10,100): After a slow start, LeBron is back to his MVP form. In fact, he’s averaging 27 points, 8.3 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.7 blocks over his last three games played. That 48-point floor is hard to match, and it makes him an easy pick against a 27th-ranked Memphis defense.
• Damian Lillard. POR ($9,800): Dame Dolla is feeling it right now, averaging 29.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game since the opener. That form is good, but this matchup is astounding. In fact, the Bulls are allowing the second-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season.
• Kyrie Irving, BRK ($9,300): With Kevin Durant out for a week, Irving is an easy pick for DFS. That’s about 20 shots and a 30 percent usage rate out of the lineup, and Irving will be happy to take that on. He’s been beasting with KD on the court anyway, scoring at least 38 DK points in every game this season while averaging 45.4 fantasy points per game.
• Kawhi Leonard, LAC ($9,100): Kawhi is coming off a terrible game, but a matchup against the Spurs is the thing that could get him going. In six games against his former team, Kawhi is averaging 25.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 2.5 steals per game, despite struggling with his shot.

5 Notable Players to Fade

• Jonas Valanciunas, MEM ($7,600): JV is a walking double-double, but he’s barely been getting them recently. In fact, he’s scored fewer than 35 DraftKings points in three-straight games despite double-doubling in all of them. He didn’t play more than 26 minutes in any of those games, which is really scary against a seventh-ranked Lakers defense.
• Donovan Mitchell, UTA ($7,400): Bubble Mitchell is a thing of the past at this point, with Mitchell failing to surpass 41 DK points in any game this season. A big reason for that is his broken jumper, shooting just 37 percent from the field and 34 percent from three-point range. That really scares me against a Brooklyn team with the best field goal percentage in the NBA right now.
• D’Angelo Russell, MIN ($7,200): The T’Wolves are terrible right now, and Russell isn’t doing enough as their best player. Not only has he failed to crack the 40-point threshold this year, but Russell is also averaging just 28.5 fantasy points per game. That’s unacceptable from someone in this price range.
• Jusuf Nurkic, POR ($6,400): Nurkic was a fade in our last article, and he’s going to remain as such until his price drops or he gets out of this rut. The big man has played 23 minutes or fewer in three-straight games and is averaging just 21 DK points per game in that span.
• LaMarcus Aldridge, SAN ($6,200): LA has been dealing with a knee issue, and he enters this matchup with a questionable tag. That alone makes him worrisome, but his 23-point average makes him an even riskier option. Not to mention, he’ll be facing off with a Clippers team who’s surrendering the sixth-fewest fantasy points to opposing power forwards.

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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.