DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Tuesday 1/14/20
With six 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
Kyrie Irving ($8,600) -- Irving finally made his way back to the court over the weekend and looked great in limited action. Irving recorded 21 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists in 20 minutes versus the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday. Irving went 10 for 11 from the field and 1 for 1 from three to earn the win in his return to the Nets. Irving averaged 28.5 points, 7.1 assists, and 5.3 rebounds in 11 games prior to Sunday's performance. The Nets host the Jazz, who are on a nine-game winning streak and have held 11 of their last 14 opponents to 107 points or fewer. If Irving is not on a minutes restriction, he could replicate his 27 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds from his November 12th game at Utah. Irving is projected by our model to record 28.4 points, 6.6 assists, and 5.2 rebounds in his second game back to the Nets' lineup.
Eric Bledsoe ($6,500) -- Bledsoe has been outplaying his salary since the New Year, especially over the last three games, a span in which he is averaging 23.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. The Kentucky product is having his best scoring month thus far, averaging 18 points in six games in January. Bledsoe is shooting 52.5% from the field since the start of December and has shot over 50% in eight of his last 12 games, with five or more assists in seven of 12. He's averaged 33.7 fantasy points over his last five games and recorded at least 41 DK points in each of his last two games. Milwaukee ranks first in pace factor (106.7) and is tied for first in points (119.2), while the Knicks are 18th in opponent points (112.8) and 18th in pace (101.3). Bledsoe has a great matchup to keep rolling.
Shooting Guard
Louis Williams ($7,500) -- The Clippers' bench is seeing increased minutes lately with Paul George sitting his third straight game with a hamstring injury. Kawhi Leonard ($10,000) is a go tonight, so it will be the Clippers three-headed monster of Williams, Leonard, and Montrezl Harrell ($7,000). Lou Will has five-straight games of 20 or more points, and he's connected on at least three triples in four of those five games. He's shooting lights out -- 50% from the field, 50% from three, and 93.5% from the free-throw line -- over his last five games. All of that has translated to 39.5 fantasy points per night in January. The Clips are hosting the Cavaliers, who are on a back to back. Williams should see 30-plus minutes versus a Cavs team that has surrendered 110.5 points per game in four second legs of back to backs and ranks 29th in defensive net rating (114.2).
Tim Hardaway Jr. ($4,900) -- One of two good cheap plays of the night, Hardaway's salary doesn't speak to what he brings to the table for the Dallas Mavericks. Hardaway is usually a score-or-bust option in daily fantasy, and he still is that tonight -- but I like his matchup here. Hardaway scored 25 points on 9-for-13 shooting and 6 for 8 from deep versus the Golden State Warriors in the first meeting between these two squads. I don't know if he will mimic that performance, but he had one rebound and zero assists in that same game, and I don't see that happening again. Hardaway has grabbed at least four rebounds in three of his last four games and had three or more boards in seven of his last 10 games. The Warriors have allowed the second-highest three-point percentage (37.8%) to their opponents this season, and the Mavs get 38.5% of their points from beyond the arc. Our model projects Hardaway for 14.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.5 made three-pointers in this one.
Small Forward
RJ Barrett ($5,600) -- This is going to be an unpopular pick tonight with Barrett going against the Bucks' stifling defense on the road, but the rookie has been playing very well lately. Over the last six games, he's scored double-digits every time, reaching 19 or more three times in six games, and he's grabbed four or more rebounds in five of six. He's far better scoring at home, however, averaging 16.5 points, compared to 12 points per game on the road. In his previous game (against the Miami Heat), he scored 23 points with 5 rebounds and 3 assists on 7-for-10 shooting (70%). The game before, he nearly double-doubled with 16 points and 9 rebounds against the red-hot Pelicans on 5-for-15 shooting (33.3%). The one aspect where the Bucks struggle in is offensive rebounding. They allow their opponents to grab 36.5 defensive rebounds per game, the sixth-most. Don't be afraid to add Barrett to your lineup, because he is reaping the benefits of more shots and rebounds with Marcus Morris out.
Kawhi Leonard ($10,000) -- Leonard is set up for another big night with Paul George sidelined. Leonard's usage rating has increased to 33.2%, ranking seventh in the league, after two-straight games of 30 or more points and 25 shot attempts. Over those two games, he's combined for 14 rebounds and 9 assists. The Cavaliers rank worst in the NBA in turnover percentage (16.5%) and opponent points off turnover (20.0) -- which is music to Leonard's ears considering. Out of qualifying players who have reached 400 minutes played, Leonard ranks seventh in steal percentage (35.2%) and is tied for fifth in steals per game (1.9). Defense will turn to offense tonight for Leonard and the Clippers, and he could cruise to his third straight 30-point game.
Power Forward
Montrezl Harrell ($7,000) -- The last of the Clippers' trio for the night, Harrell averages 34.1 fantasy points per night and has dominated opponents in January thus far. Harrell is averaging 24.2 points and 7.4 rebounds and is shooting 61.8% from the field in his last five games. He recorded one double-double in that five-game stretch, 23 points or more in four of five, and at least six rebounds in nine of his last 10 games. Our model forecasts Harrell for 18.9 points and 7.1 rebounds against what should be a gassed Cavs team.
John Collins ($8,300) -- Collins is fresh off his worst game of the season, an outing in which he totaled eight points with five rebounds against the Nets on Sunday. Before that, Collins was averaging 16.2 points and 14.0 rebounds in his last four games. In what could be the most fun game of the evening in terms of fantasy, the Hawks and Phoenix Suns meet in Atlanta for a matchup between two of the worst rebounding teams in the league. Each team has a tremendous young center in Collins and Deandre Ayton ($7,800), both of whom average at least 15.0 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. The Suns are 24th in rebounds per game (43.5), and we have Collins projected to record 18.6 points and 10.0 rebounds tonight (compared to 15.7 points and 10.8 rebounds for Ayton).
Center
Clint Capela ($7,800) -- The Houston Rockets are on the road in Memphis without Russell Westbrook, who gets a night off for rest. Obviously, James Harden becomes a must-play, and he is an instant threat for 40 to 50 points tonight, but Capela should reap the benefits of Westbrook's absence, as well. On the road, Capela is averaging 13.1 points and 14.3 rebounds, but over the past three road games, he's upped his output to 13.8 points and 15.0 rebounds per game. Westbrook sat out against the Hawks recently, and Capela recorded 22 points and 22 rebounds. Westbrook missed the first meeting with the Grizzlies, and Capela had 10 points and 13 rebounds in 29 minutes. Capela missed the Minnesota Timberwolves game on Saturday due to an heel issue that shouldn't be much of a problem tonight, so he's well rested.
Jarrett Allen ($5,700) -- With the return of Kyrie Irving, the rotation and flow of the game has changed for the Nets. Allen is one the younger and more athletic players on the team and should benefit in the pick and roll with Irving. Allen double-doubled in Irving's first game back, scoring 10 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Allen's averaging 11.0 points and 10.0 rebounds over his last three games and will have a difficult matchup against the NBA's second-leading rebounder, Rudy Gobert (14.4). Allen ranks 14th in boards per game with 9.9, 19th in defensive rebounding (6.6), and ninth in offensive rebounding with 3.3 per game. In a tough matchup, I like Allen to double-double on a night when the masses may stay away. We have him just missing a double-double, pegging him for 11.7 points and 9.8 boards.
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.
