NBA

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Thursday 1/9/20

Russell Westbrook returns to Oklahoma City in what is bound to be a high-scoring affair. Who else should you think about rostering on DraftKings tonight?

With four games to choose from on tonight's NBA slate, let's take a look at how to utilize the DFS possibilities.

Here are some of the top plays and sleepers on DraftKings. As always, good luck.

Point Guard

Russell Westbrook ($8,400) -- Westbrook was out due to rest for the Houston Rockets in last night's game against Atlanta, and tonight he will play his first game back in Oklahoma City. No surprise here, but the crowd should shower him with cheers and a tribute video after all he's he's accomplished as a member of the Thunder. In what is the back end of back-to-back for the Rockets, they will need to rely on him to lead the charge tonight -- something he did for the last 11 seasons in Oklahoma City. His game hasn't changed, as he's averaging 24.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.0 assists with an 18.32 player efficiency rating and six triple-doubles this season. Over his last five games, he's averaged 25.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 5.8 assists. There's no doubt he'd love a big performance and a win in his OKC return. He's a must-play tonight, especially off a night of rest.

Chris Paul ($7,400) -- Paul spent his last two years in Houston alongside James Harden, and it's safe to say that the current point guard pairing with Westbrook and Harden is having their fair share of success. Paul, however, is coming off a strong fourth-quarter and overtime performance against the Brooklyn Nets, willing the road Thunder to their sixth win in seven games. Paul scored his second-highest point total of the season with 28 points, while recording 6 rebounds and 3 assists. In his return to Houston on October 28, Paul had 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. Our model projects Paul to have a better performance against his former team tonight, recording 17.3 points, 6.8 assists, and 4.2 rebounds.

Shooting Guard

Derrick Rose ($6,500) -- That's three-straight 22-point games or higher for D-Rose, and why stop now? He recorded 39.75 fantasy points on Tuesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers, while hitting the game-winning floater on the road. He totaled 24 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds in the victory for the Detroit Pistons. Our model predicts Rose to top 20 points again, with 20.2 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.8 rebounds. I'd have to agree with our model since the Pistons are missing three starters. On a light night, Rose holds great value for someone who's surpassed 28 fantasy points in nine of his last 10 games.

Josh Richardson ($5,600) -- Richardson isn't talked about much in Philly, but he's been playing his role well as of late. He's recorded at least 15 points in 7 of his last 10 games and posted 30 fantasy points or more in 5 of his last 10. He's also attempted double-digit shot attempts in eight straight games, which might go unnoticed with all the ball-dominant players the Sixers have on their roster. The Sixers have the sixth-best defensive rating in the league, thanks to the additions of Richardson and Al Horford -- though they rank 15th in offensive rating. After Richardson recorded a top-five scoring performance on the season with 23 points against the Thunder, I'm tagging him as my low-risk, high-reward player for tonight.

Small Forward

Jayson Tatum ($6,700) -- In his first meeting with the 76ers this season, Tatum recorded 18 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Tatum averaged 18.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists in four games versus Philly last season. The Celtics are coming off a bad loss to the Spurs, and with Kemba Walker back, the ball will be divided up a little more. Tatum is the second-leading scorer on the team with 20.9 points per game. The Celtics and 76ers are both top-six teams in defensive rating, so it's hard to imagine many players reaching 20 points tonight, though Tatum should be one of them. Our model projects Tatum with 19.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists.

Carmelo Anthony ($6,600) -- Melo hit the game-winner against the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, giving him his 28th point of the night and earning him a water bottle shower after the game. That was a great moment not only for Melo in what has quietly been a productive season for him. He was brought in to assist the struggling offense and he's done just that, averaging 16.5 points and 6 rebounds per game for the Portland Trail Blazers. Tonight, the Blazers travel to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have been struggling offensively to say the least. Minnesota ranks just 23rd in offensive rating, compared to the Blazers, who are 12th. Anthony is projected to record 17.3 points and 6.2 rebounds tonight, according to our model.

Power Forward

Al Horford ($6,000) -- The night of rematches continues with Horford playing his former Celtics team. Horford opened up the 2019-20 season against the team he left via free agency, and he recorded 16 points, 3 assists, and 2 rebounds in his first game as a Sixer. Horford is averaging fewer points, rebounds, and assists as a member of the 76ers, but as they say in Philly, "Trust the Process." Horford has recorded three double-doubles this season, and it would make sense for him to want to put up numbers against his former team in primetime. Horford is projected to record 14.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in his second game against Boston, which makes him a great value for $6,000.

P.J. Tucker ($4,100) -- Tucker stepped in for Westbrook last night and grabbed his second-most rebounds on the season with 17. Tucker contributed eight points in the win, and he's scored in single-digits in each of his last eight games. That said, he has earned his fantasy points in other areas, such as rebounding. The definition of a sleeper pick, if Tucker gets his usual 30-plus minutes, he could have a productive game against the 23rd-ranked rebounding team (34.5) in the league. I wouldn't bank on Tucker, but for value under $5,000, he has more upside than Cedi Osman ($4,700) or Christian Wood ($4,400).

Center

Hassan Whiteside ($9,300) -- Whiteside has been dominating his opponents with six-straight monster double-doubles. Over the last six games, he's averaged 18.3 points, 17.5 rebounds, and 51.5 fantasy points. Those are astronomical numbers for the center, who is fourth in the NBA with 14 rebounds per game on the season. He's recorded 10 or more rebounds in 21 of his last 22 games and leads the league with 2.9 blocks per game. Over the past seven games, he's recorded 24 blocks total (3.4), which is the most in the NBA during that span. Right now, Whiteside is getting fantasy points by any means and is a must-play, especially if Karl-Anthony Towns remains out of the Minnesota Timberwolves lineup.

Clint Capela ($7,500) -- Capela just destroyed the Hawks interior last night for 22 points and 22 rebounds, reaching 20-20 for the fourth time this season. Capela ranks second in the league in rebounding (14.5) and holds a higher player efficiency rating (21.83) than teammate Russell Westbrook thus far. On the second night of a back to back, Capela averages 11 points and 16 rebounds and faces a Thunder team that ranks 23rd in rebounding. I like Capela for a solid double-double tonight. Our algorithm predicts Capela to record 14.6 points and 14.7 rebounds tonight.


Vaughn Dalzell is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Vaughn also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username vdalzell. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.