We are following up last night’s five-game slate with a massive eleven gamer. There is a lot to talk about tonight, with 22 teams to choose from across the slate. Our favorite source of value here is going to be the Indiana Pacers just like yesterday, as a few of their guards are playing over 30 minutes near the minimum price. We are looking at an aggressive stars and scrubs style lineup here, as some of our favorite plays are under $4,000.
Here’s Two Core Plays For DFS Basketball 1/5/22 (using DraftKings Values)
| Point Guard | K. Sykes | $3,300 | |
| Shooting Guard | |||
| Small Forward | |||
| Power Forward | |||
| Center | |||
| Guard | L. Doncic | $10,600 | |
| Forward | |||
| Utility |
There are quite a few budget plays that stand out across this slate, but our absolute priorities are the current backcourt for the Indiana Pacers. Keifer Sykes was the most productive player on Indiana last night, and he is still only $3,300 here. Sykes played 38 minutes and scored 39.5 FPTS on high usage. If this slate was tomorrow and this was not a back-to-back. Sykes would be over $5,000 here. He can be half as productive as he was last time, and that would still be fine at this price point.
We saw Luka Doncic return to action from extended injury issues and health protocols two games ago. He played 31 minutes in his first game back, and 34 minutes last game. We expect him to look great here having some time back from health protocols, and he is in a pretty good situation. The Warriors are a much tougher defensive matchup than they used to be, but they still play at a fast pace. Furthermore, Doncic should have to do a little bit more offensively as his wingman Kristaps Porzingis is sidelined.
Here’s a Fade DFS Basketball 1/5/22 (using DraftKings Values)
Honestly, how could we discuss anyone other than Kyrie Irving for today’s fade? Irving has become something of a pariah in the NBA, but we have a more analytical reason for passing on him tonight. Irving has not played basketball all year, and to add that he recently had Covid. It would be a stretch to imagine he is in perfect playing shape right now, and there is always room for him to have a low usage night with James Harden and Kevin Durant on the floor.
Now, what do you get if you sign up now for $99?
• Another value lock from Indiana.
• A star guard who we expect to see crazy usage.
• A superstar big man with crazy upside.
• A few priorities with all the injuries in Portland.
Point Guard
Duane Washington Jr. – PG ($3,800 DK) We mentioned how Sykes is one of our favorite value options tonight, the other of our two absolute priorities is his backcourt mate Duane Washington. If you watched last night’s Indiana game, you would have seen that Washington and Sykes were two of the highest usage players for this team. They should both be well over $5,000 here, but they have not had the chance to be priced up as we are on a back-to-back. Washington played 36 minutes and shot the ball 16 times last game. He went for 26.5 FPTS on 37 percent shooting, which is great for this price. The way Washington and Sykes are priced, both their floors and ceilings look fantastic.
Shooting Guard
Tyler Herro – ($6,900 DK) We found out yesterday that Jimmy Butler would be sidelined for tonight, which means there is going to be a ton of spare usage going around in Miami. We have a lot of interest in the studs left on the table for the Heat, as they are way too cheap for the roles they play without Butler. Herro has massive upside here, and he is easy to squeeze in at this price point. Herro always sees high usage, and we expect him to shoot the air out of the ball tonight.
Norman Powell– ($7,000 DK) Damian Lillard joined CJ McCollum on the sideline last time out, which lead to a massive opportunity for Powell. We know that Lillard is out again tonight, so Powell is a priority for us here. Powell played 36 minutes last game and went for 47.5 FPTS. He did get four steals last time out, but there is room for him to see a lot more usage in this spot. The Heat are a tough matchup, but Butler and Bam Adebayo are a huge part of what makes them such a scary defense.
Domantas Sabonis – ($9,900 DK) Sabonis was disappointing last time out, with only 29.5 FPTS. That was a big surprise as the Pacers are missing their two star guards in Malcolm Brogdon and Caris LeVert. Sabonis will likely go overlooked on tonight’s eleven-gamer, as people will look at his disappointing total from last night. However, there is still a ton of upside for him to absolutely take over here, and we saw his floor last game.
Jusuf Nurkic – ($6,800 DK) Nurkic crushed last time out with Lillard off the floor, going for 46 FPTS. He put up a whopping 18 shot attempts, as the Blazers relied on his inside game a lot more for scoring. Nurkic has a nice matchup against the Wizards frontcourt tonight, so we love getting to him at this $6,800.
General strategy
There is a ton of value to be had tonight, and it is going to be tough picking out our favorite plays between eleven games. There are a few teams we can get away from here, who have been with injuries for a long time and have guys coming back. One example is the Brooklyn Nets, who look weak with Irving and Aldridge back in the mix. We know for Cash games tonight we are playing the Indiana guards for value, while Tyler Herro will be another lock. We have a few directions to go for GPP’s but everyone we mentioned is a priority for us. Good luck tonight and keep an eye on the news for this one.
