There are only three games on tonight’s NBA DFS slate, but there is a lot to like and a lot for us to talk about. The budget options tonight are much stronger plays than the studs we can spend up for, which always makes for an interesting slate. We will be able to be liberal with our salary tonight, as a few cheap guys are priorities for us. The big challenge is going to be finding the right studs to spend up for, but there are always strong options if you know what to look for.
Here’s Two Core Plays For DFS Basketball 1/20/22 (using DraftKings Values)
| Point Guard | L. Doncic | $10,400 | |
| Shooting Guard | |||
| Small Forward | |||
| Power Forward | J. Kuminga | $4,300 | |
| Center | |||
| Guard | |||
| Forward | |||
| Utility |
Luka Doncic looks fantastic tonight at only $10,400, especially considering we do not have many stars that look good tonight. Doncic has been extremely productive lately, with 72.5 FPTS against Toronto last night and 67.25 FPTS in the game before that. The top end of this slate looks very weak aside from Doncic, and if we are not rostering him it is tough deciding what to do with all our salary. Doncic is a clear lock for Cash tonight, and we will be getting to him a lot for tournaments as well.
The Warriors have been playing without Draymond Green for a few weeks now, which has opened a ton of minutes for their other forwards. Rookie Jonathan Kuminga has been crushing, averaging 31.6 FPTS over the past ten days. We saw Otto Porter Jr. get hurt 22 minutes into the last game, so there should be even more minutes on the table for Kuminga. He is way too cheap at $4,300 here, making him our favorite budget play tonight.
Here’s a Fade DFS Basketball 1/20/22 (using DraftKings Values)
We are not going to have a concrete fade that we are completely ignoring tonight, because there just are not enough spend-up options. Anyone who has the capacity to go for 50 FPTS could stand above the crowd here, but we have some guys who are very low on the priority list. We will not be getting to Caris LeVert in Cash or single entry tonight, as he should have a smaller role with Malcolm Brogdon coming back into the mix. LeVert was productive last game, but that required a red-hot shooting night.
| Here Is What Your Get If You Subscribe For $15 Per Month or $99 For The Year… • A star guard who is too cheap on this slate. • One guard who has some of the best upside you can get. • A cheap forward who has been playing huge minutes. • A stud big man whose price is coming down. Sign up here! |
Point Guard
Chris Paul – ($7,500 DK) As we mentioned earlier with Doncic, there are not a ton of ideal spend up options tonight. The guys we like become very easy to prioritize, as we will have some salary savings going around. Paul is coming in at a great $7,500 price tag here, as he is averaging 38.8 FPTS on the season. Paul went for 45.5 FPTS last time out, and he always has a ton of upside with scoring and assists.
Shooting Guard
Klay Thompson – ($5,300 DK) Thompson was a priority for us in the last game. He did not play as many minutes as we hoped in a blowout win, but he still managed to crush with over 35 FPTS in only 22 minutes. He should be more than ready to hit the 25-minute mark if a game stays close, and at only $5,300 he does not need to see a ton of floor time with the usage he has been taking.
RJ Barrett – ($7,200 DK) Barrett had a bit of an off night last time out with only 25 FPTS. However, his role remained massive as he got up 16 attempts in 37 minutes. The Knicks have an easy matchup, and we expect to see Barrett continues to shoot a ton. No Knick has had usage like Barrett’s lately, so his upside is phenomenal at this price point.
Torrey Craig – ($3,800 DK) The power forward position is thin tonight, so we will be getting to our priority in Kuminga a ton. However, Craig is always worth some cheap dart throws as he will play a ton of minutes here and there. He went for 28 FPTS in over 31 minutes last time out, and there is room for him to see nice run with Myles Turner remaining sidelined. Craig does have a low floor, but his upside is too big to ignore on a 3-gamer.
Jonas Valanciunas – ($7,700 DK) Valanciunas has been showing fantastic upside throughout the season, as he can easily put together 50 FPTS worth of points and rebounds. He went for 46.5 FPTS last time out and is averaging over 40 FPTS on the season. Valanciunas can do well with a grindier matchup like the Knicks, so we like him a lot tonight.
General strategy
This slate is interesting as there are only three games but quite a few very strong plays. We expect there to be gigantic ownership on guys like Doncic and Kuminga tonight, because they look fantastic, and they do not need to beat out a big field here. For GPP’s we like getting to a few guys who should be a bit lower plays here, like Valanciunas, Malcolm Brogdon, and Kemba Walker. Those guys should not be chalk plays, but they all have the upside to beat out anybody. Good luck tonight and watch the news as one guy being ruled out could change everything tonight.
