DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Wednesday 1/6/21
With 11 games to choose from on Wednesday's slate -- which locks at 7:00 p.m. EST -- let's look at the top options across all five positions for daily fantasy NBA.
Be sure to check out our projections, which are updated throughout the day as news breaks, and our other DFS tools such as advanced stats and a matchup heat map.
Here are some of the top plays on DraftKings for today's slate. As always, good luck.
Point Guard
Collin Sexton ($7,200) -- Sexton has now scored 20 or more points in seven straight games to open the season. He's averaging 36.2 fantasy points per game. Sexton is a proven scorer, and versus the Orlando Magic, his streak should continue in Orlando. This will be a back to back set for the Magic and the Cleveland Cavaliers with a day off in between, and Sexton totaled 29.5 fantasy points in the first matchup, his lowest of the season with two rebounds and two assists. The Cavs lost by 20, but this time around, I'm sure the game will be more competitive, allowing Sexton to do more than just score. Sexton is averaging 3.4 assists and 2.0 rebounds on the season, and our model projects him to total 3.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists in addition to 25.4 points for 36.0 fantasy points.
Lonzo Ball ($6,500) -- Ball has recorded 29.5 fantasy points or more in three straight games, and his play is coming alive for the New Orleans Pelicans. Since New Year's Eve, Ball has averaged 15.6 points, 6.3 assists, and 6.0 rebounds for 35 fantasy points per game. Right now, he's outplaying his projections and has had at least 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in three consecutive games, doing a little bit of everything as usual. The Thunder allow the third-most rebounds (7.80) and most assists (10.99) to point guards on a per-game basis, making Ball an excellent stream versus the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Shooting Guard
Terrence Ross ($6,000) -- In two games back from injury, Ross has recorded 27.00 and 39.25 fantasy point outings versus the Cavs and Thunder. In a rematch with the Cavs, Ross will likely play more than 31 minutes due to the Magic's 20-point victory in the first meeting. His 15 points scored against them were his second-lowest of the season, which will likely rise in tonight's matchup. He added only two rebounds and one assist, but what's to like about Ross is the three-point advantage over the Cavs. Cleveland allows the 9th-most three-pointers made (4.26) to opposing shooting guards and the 13th-most to small forwards (3.10). Ross attempted seven triples in the first meeting, making only two, and up until that game, he made three or more triples in four-of-five games. I expect Ross to get buckets versus this Cavs backcourt, and watch for Darius Garland's ($5,900) status.
Seth Curry ($5,400) -- Curry recorded his second-lowest DFS output of the season in his last game, but this is an ideal bounce-back spot versus the Washington Wizards. Curry has scored double-digits in six-of-seven games to start his 76ers career, with an average of 26.5 fantasy points per game and 0.93 fantasy points per minute over his last five. He's been an asset to the 76ers' lineup as a welcomed three-point specialist, and tonight versus the Wizards, he'll have the green light versus the 19th-ranked three-point percentage defense (37.5%). Washington is also ranked in the bottom 11 for assists allowed per game to point guards (9.31) and shooting guards (4.67). Curry averages 3.7 on the season and had 4 assists and 13 points in the first meeting.
Small Forward
Victor Oladipo ($7,000) -- Fading the Houston Rockets' defense is usually a good idea, and you have plenty of options for tonight's meeting between Houston and the Indiana Pacers. Oladipo is one of my favorite plays out of this matchup, and he's playing at a high level to start the season. Oldapio has averaged 20.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.7 assists for 38.5 fantasy points to start the year. He recorded his second game with 40 or more fantasy points, posting a season-high 45.75 versus New Orleans on 25 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds. Our model predicts a drop off with 31.9 fantasy points, but in his only meeting with Houston last year, he went 7-of-26 (26.9%) from the field for 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. I don't see 26 attempts coming again, but I do see a successful scoring night versus a defense that is last to shooting guards with 47.22 fantasy points per game.
Darius Bazley ($5,800) -- Bazley is quietly playing quality basketball over his last two games, racking up fantasy performances of 35.5 and 41.5 fantasy points versus the Heat and Magic. He's played 30 or more minutes in three-of-six games this season, posting his second double-double of the year on Saturday with 19 points and 12 rebounds in 32 minutes, followed by 16 points and 8 rebounds in 26 minutes. The Thunder forward is at 0.92 fantasy points per minute over his last five games, and that's a call for more minutes and a higher usage rate (18.29%). I like him as a sleeper to ride a quietly productive game, this time versus the Pelicans.
Power Forward
Zion Williamson ($7,800) -- Speaking of the Pelicans, Zion has done a better job rebounding over the last two games, putting him back on my radar as a DFS and betting option. Zion recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 24 points and 10 rebounds versus the Pacers, a tough team to double-double against. That was his first since December 27, and versus the Thunder, he could record his fifth and second straight. In his first meeting with the Thunder, he underwhelmed with 18.25 fantasy points, his lowest of the season, but his 43.5 fantasy points in his previous game were his third-highest. The Thunder are catching him at the wrong time, and OKC not only allows the 11th-most fantasy points per game to power forwards per game (48.23) but the fourth-most rebounds (12.70), too.
John Collins ($7,200) -- Collins has played well over his last four games, recording 34 or more fantasy points in three-of-four outings. The Atlanta Hawks frontcourt is a challenging play because of Clint Capela's rise in minutes, but I still like Collins to have a quality game versus the Charlotte Hornets. He nearly double-doubled with 18 points and 8 rebounds versus the New York Knicks, and two monster games of a combined 50 points and 18 rebounds versus the Nets lean me towards Collins tonight. The Hornets allow the most fantasy points per game to power forwards (58.88), so his third double-double of the season is likely, or at least an impressive scoring performance is on the horizon.
Center
Rudy Gobert ($7,600) -- Gobert and the Utah Jazz were embarrassed last night, and back-to-back games are a tough call for a center, but he's one of the few I'd back. The Jazz will likely scrap to avoid losing to the Knicks tonight, who have Julius Randle ($9,500) on their side, a likely matchup for Gobert tonight. Gobert had a double-double in 27 minutes yesterday, his fifth on the season. Against the Knicks, he's projected to record 38.9 fantasy points on 14.6 points and 13.1 rebounds, right around his season averages of 13.9 points and 13.3 rebounds. Both Gobert and Randle should be solid plays tonight at the center position.
Steven Adams ($6,200) -- Adams is back for round two versus his former Thunder squad. In the first meeting, he recorded his first double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds, in addition to his highest fantasy performance (35.0). I do like Adams to repeat most of that success, and after falling two rebounds short of three straight double-doubles, it's safe to say Adams is finding his groove in this offense. He's played 31 minutes in three straight, so his minutes are up, and his production is, as well, going from 0.93 fantasy points per minute to 1.06 over that span.
Vaughn Dalzell is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Vaughn also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his 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.com
