Tonight’s main slate has five games and a lot of injuries. For DFS a few teams present nice value with some guys sidelined in the last game. We are going to a more balanced build tonight, but we will talk about some cheap priorities as well. Our favorite team tonight is going to be the Orlando Magic with a few guys priced down, but our priorities are spread across the slate.
Here’s Two Core Plays For DFS Basketball 1/17/22 (using DraftKings Values)
| Point Guard | |||
| Shooting Guard | |||
| Small Forward | J. Butler | $8,900 | |
| Power Forward | |||
| Center | M. Bamba | $5,600 | |
| Guard | |||
| Forward | |||
| Utility |
We found out yesterday that Kyle Lowry is going to be sidelined tonight against the Raptors. The last time that Lowry was out we saw Jimmy Butler play the point, and he was very productive with a massive assist rate. We expect to see the same role out of Butler tonight, and he is cheaper than he has been in a while at $8,900. Butler is going to have the ball in his hands a ton tonight, so with a good price, he is our favorite star on the slate.
We mentioned that we like a lot from the Magic tonight, which is largely due to the absence of Wendell Carter Jr. There is a lot of minutes to go around on the Magic, and we expect Mo Bamba to have to do a lot. Bamba was limited off the bench last game, but he was not on the injury report for today. If he can play the 30 plus minutes we would expect from him with Carter out, he is way too cheap at $5,600. Unless we find out about some limit on Bamba here, he is going to be one of our favorite plays.
Here’s a Fade DFS Basketball 1/17/22 (using DraftKings Values)
We are going to a more balanced lineup tonight, so none of the most expensive superstars are huge priorities for us. One guy who is an easy fade is Russell Westbrook, whose shooting woes continue to get worse. Westbrook has been a fade for us all season, as he has been way too expensive for the role he plays next to LeBron James on the Lakers. However, poor shooting has led to his averaging only 32.9 FPTS over the past ten days. He is still priced at $9,300 here, so taking him is a huge risk without much upside.
Here Is What Your Get If You Subscribe For $15 Per Month or $99 For The Year…
• A star guard who is way too cheap.
• The rest of our priorities from the Orlando Magic.
• A cheap center who should play a ton of minutes.
• A key piece of news we are waiting on for this slate.
Sign up today for $99 (for six months) here
Point Guard
Cole Anthony – ($7,300 DK) The price has been coming down on Anthony after a few bad games, and he is getting way too cheap. Anthony has been a fantastic producer this season, and he has a ton of upside as the number one guy on Orlando. The Magic have a fantastic matchup against Portland tonight, and the absence of Damian Lillard should allow this one to stay close.
Shooting Guard
Fred VanVleet – ($9,300 DK) The Shooting Guard position is easily the weakest on the slate tonight, as we really do not have a lot of strong options here. One thing we will be doing with a lot of our lineups is using this spot to spend up for Fred VanVleet. FVV has been great over the past month or so, and his price has come down a bit. He always has the upside to go over 50 FPTS, as his usage has been high all season.
Franz Wagner – ($5,700 DK) Wagner is our third and final priority from the Magic here, as he is another guy who has gotten too cheap for his upside. Wagner was unproductive in the last game’s blowout, but he went for 40 or more FPTS in both the games before. Wagner is averaging 28.5 FPTS on the season, and he has the high upside we want for DFS.
Keldon Johnson – ($5,100 DK) Johnson has been back for three games since landing in the health and safety protocols, and he has been productive in the time back. He has scored 26.75, 28, and 26 FPTS respectively in the past three games. Johnson has been playing more minutes every game since his return, and we saw him play 33 minutes last game. Assuming he plays mid 30’s in minutes tonight, he is too cheap at $5,100 here.
Precious Achiuwa – ($3,900 DK) The center position is loaded on this slate, with too many strong options to fit in one lineup. With that said, we still want to play Achiuwa in as many lineups as we can, as he presents some crazy value here. Khem Birch got hurt 3 minutes into the last game and will be out tonight. Achiuwa played 39.3 minutes in his absence, going for 38 FPTS. He is way too cheap for that kind of floor time, and an absolute priority tonight.
General strategy
One key piece of news we are waiting on for tonight is whether Deandre Ayton can play. Ayton sprained his ankle early in the last game and is currently questionable for tonight. If he is out, we will have a ton of centers we want to get to with JaVale McGee added to the mix. Good luck tonight and enjoy the full day of NBA basketball.
