NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: Monday (1/15)

This is one of the best days of basketball all season. The NBA celebrates Martin Luther King Day by letting us watch basketball all day! We have 11 games spread throughout the day, and it’s the closest thing the NBA does in comparison to an NFL Sunday. It leaves us with plenty to discuss, so let’s go ahead and get into it!

View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet.

NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer:

Schedule and Odds

• HOU at PHI (PHI -7.5) O/U: 227
• NOP at DAL (NOP -2) O/U: 233
• ORL at NYK (NYK -6.5) O/U: 222
• DET at WAS (WAS -5.5) O/U: 242
• SAS at ATL (ATL -8) O/U: 249
• GSW at MEM (GSW -7.5) O/U: 226
• CHI at CLE (CLE -3.5) O/U: 219
• MIA at BKN (BKN -2) O/U: 217
• BOS at TOR (BOS -7.5) O/U: 240
• IND at UTA (UTA -7) O/U: 250
• OKC at LAL (LAL -1.5) O/U: 238

Check out our consensus game odds and the odds from each sportsbook at BettingPros.

Injury Report

• Cade Cunningham (knee) OUT
• Franz Wagner (ankle) OUT
• Bojan Bogdanovic (calf) Questionable
• Zach Collins (ankle) OUT
• De’Andre Hunter (elbow) OUT
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (ankle) Questionable
• Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring) OUT
• Jaylen Brown (knee) Questionable
• Jimmy Butler (toe) Doubtful
• Darius Garland (face) OUT
• Evan Mobley (knee) OUT
• Ben Simmons (back) OUT
• Jakob Poeltl (ankle) OUT
• Max Strus (knee) Questionable
• De’Anthony Melton (back) Questionable
• Joel Embiid (knee) Questionable
• Luka Doncic (ankle) Questionable
• Jaren Jackson Jr.(knee) OUT
• Ja Morant (shoulder) OUT

Core Plays

Trae Young (PG – ATL): $10,000 DraftKings, $10,000 FanDuel
It’s bizarre to fade all the high-priced guys, but we don’t know if they will play. That’s why Trae is our top pick because he should go nuts in this sensational matchup with San Antonio. The Spurs sit 25th in points allowed and 26th in defensive efficiency while posting a 23rd OPRK against opposing point guards. That’s scary since Young had 45 points and 14 assists en route to 74 DraftKings points in their last matchup.

Lauri Markkanen (PF – UTA): $8,400 DraftKings, $8,900 FanDuel
Utah is quietly the hottest team in the NBA right now, and you can thank their All-Star for getting them to this point. Markkanen is averaging 42 DraftKings points per game, scoring at least 49 DK points in four of his last five fixtures. That total should be easy to duplicate against Indiana, ranked first in pace while surrendering the second-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards.

Jaden Ivey (PG/SG – DET): $6,900 DraftKings, $7,300 FanDuel
With Cade Cunningham out for the next two weeks, Ivey should continue to thrive as Detroit’s primary playmaker. This youngster is averaging nearly 35 DraftKings points per game as a starter this season, scoring at least 38 fantasy points in three straight games since Cade went down. He’s done that against some stout defenses, but Washington is one of the worst in the league. They rank last in both points allowed and defensive efficiency!

Cash Game Considerations

Kyle Kuzma (PF – WAS): $8,200 DraftKings, $8,300 FanDuel
This Washington-Detroit matchup looks like one of the most stackable games on this slate. We just talked about how woeful Washington’s defense has been, but Detroit’s 27th-ranked defense has also been a disaster. That’s terrifying against the Wizards best player, with Kuzma averaging 40 DraftKings points per game. He also demolished Detroit in their one matchup, dropping 58 fantasy points in one of the best games of his career.

Jalen Duren (C – DET): $7,300 DraftKings, $7,700 FanDuel
Detroit doesn’t have much going for them, but Duren looks like a diamond in the rough. This kid is a beast down low, averaging 35 DraftKings points per game. He’s also scored at least 32 fantasy points in 12 straight outings and should wallop the Wizards. Not only are they last in every defensive metric, but they’re also allowing the most DK points to opposing centers.

Tre Jones (PG – SAS): $6,400 DraftKings, $6,100 FanDuel
It’s hard to understand why Jones hasn’t been San Antonio’s starting point guard all season because they look like a different team with him running the show. Tre averaged nearly 30 DK points per game in this role last season and is coming off a season-high 49 DK points in his most recent outing. That makes him hard to avoid against Atlanta, ranked 27th in defensive efficiency and 29th in points allowed.

GPP Targets

Jordan Poole (PG/SG – WAS): $6,500 DraftKings, $6,800 FanDuel
Let’s keep the stacks going in this Washongton-Detroit matchup. Everyone knows how much Poole has struggled this year, but we also understand that he has one of the highest ceilings in the NBA. That was on display when he dropped 50 fantasy points a few nights ago, and we love that he’s seeing a bump in minutes and shot attempts recently. If this is the close shootout we expect, Poole should pummel this Detroit defense.

Klay Thompson (SG – GSW): $NA DraftKings, $6,100 FanDuel
Klay got off to a nightmarish start this season, but something is starting to click. The sharpshooter has scored at least 31 DraftKings points in five of his last six games while generating a 35-point average in that span. That’s the stud we remember, and we saw him play like this for the final two months of last season. Memphis is not as scary as it sounds either, losing half of their roster to injuries.

Xavier Tillman (PF/C – MEM): $NA DraftKings, $6,000 FanDuel
We just talked about how the Grizzlies are dealing with numerous injuries, losing Ja Morant, Steven Adams, Marcus Smart, and Desmond Bane for a significant amount of time. That’s forced Tillman into a prominent role, scoring at least 35 DraftKings points in three straight games. That’s absurd for such an affordable player, but it should continue since he’s locked into 30-35 minutes as one of the only players left on this roster.

Value Plays

Bruce Brown (SG/SF – IND): $5,900 DraftKings, $5,800 FanDuel
We weren’t sure how Indiana would cope without Tyrese Haliburton, but Brown has been their primary ball-handler in his absence. That’s led to BB scoring at least 41 DK points in two of his last three games. That sort of upside is spectacular from a $6K player, but he’ll have to continue to stuff the stat sheet as long as Hali remains out. Utah is an unbelievable matchup, too, posting a 26th OPRK against opposing wings.

Duncan Robinson (SG/SF – MIA): $5,800 DraftKings, $5,400 FanDuel
This Miami roster has also suffered numerous injuries, and it’s allowed D-Rob to have a bounce-back season. The sharpshooter is averaging 25 DK points per game, scoring at least 31 fantasy points in three of his last four fixtures. You don’t see that too often from a sub-$6K player, especially one that faces a Nets team that can’t stop opposing wings. Brooklyn owns a 29th OPRK against opposing small forwards.

Dwight Powell (C – DAL): $4,700 DraftKings, $5,200 FanDuel
The Dereck Lively injury has forced Powell into the starting center role, playing 30 minutes a night in this expanded role. This guy has always averaged close to 30 fantasy points per game when given 25-30 minutes, dropping 31 DK points across 34 minutes in his most recent outing. That’s hard to overlook against New Orleans, posting a 27th OPRK against opposing centers.

Advantageous Pricing

• Daniel Gafford (C – WAS): $6,000 DraftKings, $6,800 FanDuel
• Miles McBride (SG – NYK): $5,300 DraftKings, $4,500 FanDuel
• Victor Wembanyama (PF/C – SAS): $9,100 DraftKings, $10,000 FanDuel
• Clint Capela (C – ATL): $6,100 DraftKings, $7,000 FanDuel
• Onyeka Okongwu (C – ATL): $5,400 DraftKings, $6,500 FanDuel
• Nikola Vucevic (C – CHI): $7,500 DraftKings, $8,300 FanDuel
• Walker Kessler (C – UTA): $5,000 DraftKings, $6,100 FanDuel
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (PG/SG – OKC): $10,200 DraftKings, $11,400 FanDuel
• Chet Holmgren (PF/C – OKC): $7,600 DraftKings, $8,400 FanDuel

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