Tonight’s eight-game DFS slate has a ton of moving parts with all the injury situations going on. We have some huge names remaining on the sideline here, with guys like Damian Lillard and Anthony Davis out. We also have a ton of questionable tags for tonight, as well as some guys who are returning from injury. Our free content for the day will focus on some plays we like with the news we have now, while our premium content will put more focus on potential priorities if certain guys are ruled out.
Here’s Two Core Plays For DFS Basketball 1/9/22 (using DraftKings Values)
| Point Guard | L. James | $11,600 | |
| Shooting Guard | |||
| Small Forward | |||
| Power Forward | |||
| Center | J. Nurkic | $7,000 | |
| Guard | . | ||
| Forward | |||
| Utility |
Anthony Davis has been sidelined since the 17th of December, and we have seen LeBron James absolutely dominate in that time. James has scored over 60 FPTS in six of his last eight games, with three performances well over 70 FPTS. He is playing with a usage rate that is second to none in the league right now, and he has been the best DFS producer in the league since Davis got hurt. The Lakers have a nice matchup against the Grizzlies here, and James is too cheap at $11,600.
The Portland Trailblazers are missing their stare backcourt in Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. There has been a huge opportunity for a lot of Blazers lately, and one priority for us here is Jusuf Nurkic at $7,200. Nurkic has been fantastic in the last three without Lillard, averaging over 42 FPTS. Portland has a fantastic matchup against the Kings tonight, so we really like getting to Nurkic here at this price tag.
Here’s a Fade DFS Basketball 1/9/22 (using DraftKings Values)
There is a lot to like at the top end for us, so we are going to be very light on guys who we don’t love the pricing on. Bradley Beal is our full-out fade tonight, as he is too expensive at $9,600 for when this Wizards team is healthy. The Wizards were without Spencer Dinwiddie last week, which meant Beal had the ball in his hands a lot more. However, with Dinwiddie back we are not seeing the same upside, so Beal is an easy fade in this spot.
Now, what do you get if you sign up now for $99? • How we are handling questionable tags in Sacramento. • A guard with a ton of upside in this spot. • Two cheap forwards who should see a boost tonight. • How we are handling the return of Klay Thompson. Sign up today for $99 (for six months) here
Point Guard
De’Aaron Fox – PG ($7,700 DK) Fox is questionable for tonight, and he is one of the key names we are waiting on. He has been great lately, scoring over 40 FPTS in four straight. If we find out Fox is playing, we want to get some exposure to him with this matchup against Portland. However, if we find out Fox is out we will have some huge priorities from the Kings. Tyrese Haliburton would be the first guy we look to at $6,900, while Davion Mitchell, Buddy Hield, and Harrison Barnes all look good.
Shooting Guard
Anfernee Simons – ($6,500 DK) Simons was an absolute lock for the first few games with both Lillard and McCollum out, but his price is rising. There is a bit lower of a floor here as Simons enters the stud price range, but his upside is crazy right now. Simons went for over 60 FPTS a few games ago, and he has gone over 45 FPTS in two of his last three. He has been taking some crazy usage for this team, and we do not expect that to change tonight.
Gary Temple – ($3,400 DK) We know that Josh Hart is sidelined for the Pelicans tonight, so there are going to be some extra minutes going around. Temple is a value priority for us here, as he should see a much bigger role thanw when everyone is healthy. We expect Temple to get the start, but he should be in for solid floor time either way.
Herbert Jones – ($5,000 DK) Staying on the topic of the Pelicans, Jones is another priority for us given tonight’s situation. Jones is already coming in at a great price tag, as he is averaging 31.7 FPTS over the past ten days. He has scored over 25 FPTS in six straight, so his price tag should be a lot higher regardless of injuries. With the news that Hart is also out, Jones becomes a no-brainer here.
Pascal Siakam – ($8,800 DK) Since the Raptors have been playing relatively healthy, the usage has been clearly consolidated in the two top options Fred VanVleet and Siakam. FVV just went over the five-digit mark, so he is less of a priority for us here. Siakam is averaging over 50 FPTS across the past ten days, as he has hit the 50 FPT mark in four of his past six outings. He has been taking higher usage and looked a lot better than early this season, so we like him a lot at this price point.
General strategy
Another big piece of news for this slate is whether Luka Doncic plays. Doncic is coming in at a nice price, so we are happy getting to him if he plays. If he is out, most guys have already been priced up in his absence, but we still have some interest in Jalen Brunson and Tim Hardaway. One thing worth mentioning here is that Klay Thompson is set to play for the first time since the 2019 finals. We expect Thompson to be limited here, so he is not high on our list of priorities. However, he should see enough minutes to make other wings on the Warriors unenticing tonight.
