We only have two games tonight in what is one of the toughest slates of the entire season. The New York Knicks host the Minnesota Timberwolves for the first matchup, then the Pistons and Warriors play in Golden State. We do not have a ton of value tonight, as there are not many key injuries with Steph Curry off the injury report. We have way lower standard for budget plays and spend up options, as there is way less competition for the winning plays.
Here’s Two Core Plays For DFS Basketball 1/18/22 (using DraftKings Values)
| Point Guard | K. Hayes | $3,800 | |
| Shooting Guard | |||
| Small Forward | R. Barrett | $7,300 | |
| Power Forward | |||
| Center | |||
| Guard | |||
| Forward | |||
| Utility |
We do not have a ton of value on tonight’s slate, so our standards are much lower for budget priorities. Killian Hayes has been productive lately, scoring 25.75, 25.5, and 22.25 FPTS in the past three games. He is still only $3,800 here, so he looks great as a salary saver. The Pistons are huge underdogs against the Warriors tonight, and Hayes always plays a ton of minutes in blowouts.
RJ Barrett has been stepping up his production as the first scoring option for the Knicks lately, as he is averaging 41.3 FPTS across the past ten days. Barrett has been taking more usage than any other Knick, and it appears he is emerging as the leader on this team. His price has risen marginally to $7,300, but he is still too cheap for what he has been doing over the past week or two.
Here’s a Fade DFS Basketball 1/18/22 (using DraftKings Values)
It is very hard to etch out a hard fade when we only have two games, and if you play MME you really should have exposure to everyone at the top end. However, one guy who is very low on our list of priorities is Julius Randle. Randle has been far less productive than last year, which has led to his being overpriced most of this season. Randle shows his upside less frequently than the other stars we have available, so he is not our first guy in.
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—– Paywall —–
Point Guard
Immanuel Quickley – ($4,000 DK) We are waiting on a key piece of news in here in Kemba Walker, as Walker has missed all of January with knee issues. If Walker remains out, Quickley will be another value priority for us. He played 29 minutes last game and went for 29.75 FPTS. He has gone over 25 FPTS in four of the past six outings, so this price tag seems too low.
Shooting Guard
Klay Thompson – ($5,500 DK) Thompson is starting to get interesting here, as his minutes continue to rise, and his price continues to drop. Thompson has shot a lot every game since his return, and the minutes are trending upwards. He played 23 minutes last game, which would have been closer to 25 if things stayed close. With an easy matchup tonight, we are getting to the point where Thompson has some real upside at this price.
Alec Burks – ($6,500 DK) The small forward position is weak tonight, so most of our focus will be on Barrett. However, we also like getting to his teammate Burks here, as he always has a ton of upside. Burks has been starting at point guard in Walker’s absence, so we won’t like him if Walker ends up playing. However, he has gone over 40 FPTS a few times in this spot recently which is the kind of upside that we need to win on a slate like this.
Jonathon Kuminga – ($4,300 DK) Kuminga has been an absolute beast lately, scoring 23, 26.25, 42.25, and 28.75 FPTS in his last four games respectively. Kuminga has earned more minutes in this team’s usual rotation, and he always plays a ton in blowouts. If the Warriors blow the doors off the Pistons here, Kuminga is a guy you are going to want on your roster.
Karl-Anthony Towns – ($10,200 DK) In a vacuum, Towns is not that appealing here given his price and matchup. However, with only two games all that matters is how he looks relative to the other stars on the slate. Towns is the most consistent producer you can roster tonight, so he is a great guy to spend up for in Cash games. His upside also means a lot more here, as a big night out of him could be a must-have in this situation.
General strategy
We are waiting eagerly to hear if Kemba Walker will make his return tonight. If he plays, he is not someone we really want to get to at $6,400, but the minutes he will take also leaves us disinterested in most of the Knicks guards. Anyone else being ruled out would be huge tonight, as that would probably become our key source of value. We can put together a solid lineup with the news we have now, as we do have strong budget options like Kuminga, Quickley, and Hayes.
