NBA Daily Fantasy Helper: Tuesday 1/15/19

If you're new to daily fantasy basketball -- maybe you started your DFS journey during the MLB or NFL seasons, or maybe basketball is your sport and this will be your first year giving it a shot -- you're in for a treat. The NBA scene changes hugely on a week-to-week, day-to-day, and -- depending on injury news -- even a minute-to-minute basis, making every slate a unique one that requires an ever-changing approach.

With so much changing so quickly, we're here with plenty of tools to help you out. We have daily projections, a matchup heat map, a lineup optimizer, and a ton of other great resources to help give you an edge.

We'll also be coming at you with this primer every day, breaking down a few of the day's top plays at each price point.

Let's take a look at who you should target on today's main slate.

Best of the Best

Russell Westbrook ($12,000): It's a rare day when the Oklahoma City Thunder are playing up in pace, already ranking fourth in the NBA themselves. The Atlanta Hawks play at the league's fastest pace though, and combining that with their bottom-10 defensive rating, they allow the NBA's most points per game. That explains the Thunder's slate-high 121.0-point implied total. It's not just scoring the Hawks allow either, giving up the league's most assists and steals, as well as the 12th-most rebounds per game. Averaging a triple-double and adding a league-leading 2.5 steals per game, Westbrook's ability to fill up every area of the box score should be on full display tonight, and he's a top play in all formats.