FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Monday 1/24/22

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 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 bunch of other great resources to help give you an edge.

Daily fantasy basketball is very reliant on a player's opportunity, so you'll need to make sure that you're up-to-date with key injuries. Our projections update up until tip-off to reflect current news, we have player news updates, and the FanDuel Scout app will send push notifications for pressing updates regarding your players.

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

Let's break down today's main slate on FanDuel.

The Slate and Key Injuries

Per Monday's injury report, only one player on this slate resides in COVID-19 protocols -- Hassan Whiteside of the Utah Jazz.

Normally, that wouldn't impact the slate. However, Rudy Gobert suffered a calf strain on Sunday, and he's listed as questionable. Bojan Bogdanovic is also an unknown for Monday due to a knee issue. That could leave Utah's frontcourt undermanned.

The same could be said about the opposing Suns, though. Deandre Ayton is doubtful with an ankle injury. Jae Crowder is also out with a wrist injury.

Not only will Malcolm Brogdon, Myles Turner, and Domantas Sabonis remain sidelined for Indiana on Monday, but Caris LeVert is also questionable. They'll battle a Pelicans squad that will be without their best player, Brandon Ingram, due to an ankle injury. Devonte' Graham is also questionable with an ankle injury himself -- although he played through it on Friday.

An ankle issue will also keep Lauri Markkanen out for Cleveland as they host New York. Rajon Rondo (hamstring) is also listed as questionable for the Cavs. On the other side, the Knicks might be missing some combination of Mitchell Robinson (ankle), Nerlens Noel (knee), and Kemba Walker (knee).

Zach LaVine is listed as questionable with his knee injury; he's hoping to return for Chicago after missing five games. They'll be without Alex Caruso (wrist) in their backcourt after his injury on Friday. The opposing Oklahoma City Thunder are the only team on the slate without a significant absence.

Guards

Darius Garland ($8,700): Many guards were lofted up in salary to balance the $50,000 salary cap on a slate lacking star power. In the backcourt, Garland is the closest to his normal salary, and his role remains the one to consider when spending up at guard. He's eclipsed 45 FanDuel points in 4 of his 10 January contests, and occupying a team-best 28.1% usage rate this month, that type of upside is at least a realistic possibility. The 202.0-point total in his game is dreadful, though.

Devonte' Graham ($5,200): If Graham is able to play through his ankle injury once again, he's second-best projected value play at guard for a reason. His 22.1% usage rate with Ingram off the floor this season is second-highest amongst starters, and he's turned that into 0.84 FanDuel points per minute. Graham has really scuffled from the field in January (33.3% field goal percentage), so there is a reason to fade him in tournaments should he struggle once more.

Others to Consider:
Josh Giddey ($6,000): Eclipsed 30 FanDuel points in 7 of his 11 January games. This salary makes no sense.
Mike Conley ($5,800): Yet to have the "pop" game with Donovan Mitchell sidelined, but he's a sharp pivot off Graham in tournaments should it come.

Wings

DeMar DeRozan ($9,000): The underlying assumption here is that Zach LaVine sits at least this additional game with his knee issue. In that event, DeRozan's role should be gigantic once more. DeMar has a 38.4% usage rate during floor situations without both LaVine and Lonzo Ball, and that's resulted in over 44 FanDuel points in four of these five games since LaVine went down. He's the clear starting point to spend salary on this slate, personally.

Cameron Johnson ($5,000): Johnson has posted no more than 25 minutes since returning from an ankle sprain, but with that number trending upwards in three straight contests, he could prime for a large role without both Ayton and Crowder. numberFire's projections are bullish, and Johnson (0.82 FanDuel points per minute this season) feels like a no-brainer over Mikal Bridges (0.71) at a lower salary when assuming a full workload of minutes.

Others to Consider:
Josh Hart ($6,500): Exceeded 30 FanDuel points in seven of nine January games. An iron-clad floor that could see a boost without Ingram.
Joe Ingles ($4,000): Like his teammate Conley, plenty of minutes but little production. That could change if Bogdanovic sits.

Bigs

Julius Randle ($8,600): With both Mitchell Robinson and Nerlens Noel in peril, Randle could see significant time at the five tonight for the Knicks. That's been good news for him in terms of fantasy; he's risen to 1.24 FanDuel points per minute in that floor condition missing both of his centers. Randle's production is closer to a yo-yo than a metronome, but his two games bursting past 55 FanDuel points this month keep him a tournament option on smaller slates.

Jonas Valanciunas ($7,500): When numberFire's top-projected player of the day is available at $7,500, it kind of feels like an obligation. Not only is Indiana missing both of their stalwart big men, but Valanciunus has been a monster this season with Brandon Ingram off the floor. J.V. has turned a 26.2% usage rate (highest amongst starters) into 1.20 FanDuel points per minute during that floor condition. There are no other players with center-only eligibility worth prioritizing, either.

Others to Consider:
Jarrett Allen ($7,700): With many salaries juiced, Allen has eclipsed 39 FanDuel points six times this month. Feels like a steal.
Evan Mobley ($6,900): Like his teammate Allen, Mobley has hit 35 FanDuel points seven times in January. A rare place on this slate for salary-based value.