We have eleven games to break down for tonight’s NBA DFS slate, and this one is stacked. There are tons of priorities at every price point, so it is not going to be easy deciding who we want to commit to. We are looking at more of a balanced lineup tonight, as some of our priorities are in the $5,000-$8,000 range. Lineups that have a lot of cheaper stars also often give us more upside than lineups where we commit all our salary on a consistent superstar. The Memphis Grizzlies are probably our favorite team tonight as they are dealing with some key injuries, but our interest is very spread out here.
Here’s Two Core Plays For DFS Basketball 1/21/22 (using DraftKings Values)
| Point Guard | J. Morant | $9,300 | |
| Shooting Guard | |||
| Small Forward | |||
| Power Forward | |||
| Center | M. Bamba | $5,400 | |
| Guard | |||
| Forward | |||
| Utility |
With a lot of places we want to put our salary tonight, Ja Morant stands above the crowd at $9,300. The Grizzlies are missing both Dillon Brooks and Desmond Bane here, so Morant must take on massive usage to keep the Grizzlies afloat. Last game was the first without Bane, and we saw Morant put up 27 shot attempts. He went for 67 FPTS yesterday, and his upside remains huge tonight.
After missing a few games with a toe injury, we saw limited run for Mo Bamba his first few games back. However, he rejoined the starting lineup last game and absolutely crushed with 49 FPTS. Bamba is averaging 29.2 FPTS on the season, so he is too cheap tonight at $5,400. He played 30 minutes in the last game and could have played even more had he not fouled out. We expect him to start and see solid run here, so he is a no-brainer for value.
Here’s a Fade DFS Basketball 1/21/22 (using DraftKings Values)
There are a ton of priorities for us at the top end tonight, so we are going to be very strict with guys we spend five digits on. Steph Curry is a bit of a scary fade tonight with a matchup against the Rockets, but this $11,000 price tag is way too much. Curry is averaging 41.2 FPTS over the past ten days, as he has been showing his floor more than his ceiling lately. We need him to go well over 60 FPTS here, and there are much safer ways to get that upside elsewhere.
Here Is What Your Get If You Subscribe For $15 Per Month or $99 For The Year…
• A high-upside guard who we expect to step into the starting unit tonight.
• One budget option who has been playing a ton of minutes lately.
• Another priority with all the injuries from Memphis.
• A star center in a fantastic spot.
Point Guard
Jordan Poole – ($5,800 DK) Poole has taken a significant backseat with Klay Thompson rejoining the Warriors rotation. However, we do not expect Thompson to play here on the tail end of a back-to-back. This is a great opportunity to roster Poole while he is too cheap in the starting role. The Warriors play the Rockets here which is about as good as it gets in terms of matchups, so Poole is a priority for us.
Shooting Guard
Aaron Wiggins – ($3,500 DK) The rookie has been playing an increasingly significant role for the Oklahoma City Thunder, as he continues to earn more and more minutes. Wiggins has played over 30 minutes in his last two outings, and he was great in the last one with 33.5 FPTS. Wiggins is too cheap for the run he has seen lately, as at this price he should smash if he plays over 30 minutes again.
Caleb Martin – ($4,400 DK) There is a ton of value to be found on the Miami Heat here, as they are missing key guards Kyle Lowry and Tyler Herro. Martin had to play 32 minutes last game, and a strong shooting night helped him go for 40 FPTS. Even if he doesn’t shoot quite as well, he is still very cheap for all the minutes he is playing.
Jaren Jackson Jr. – ($6,300 DK) When a slate has this much value we are chasing big upside to take down tournaments. Upside is exactly what we are getting with Jackson, especially at this price point. He went for 48.75 FPTS in the last game, on the back of a season-high 20 shot attempts. It is no coincidence that Jackson had such high usage in a game where the Grizzlies were missing a couple of their other top options.
Bam Adebayo – ($7,500 DK) It was surprising to see that Adebayo had been priced down after exploding for over 55 FPTS in the last game. He played 32 minutes, and that could have been higher if things stayed closer. With Lowry and Herro out there is potential for Adebayo to see extra usage, and he would be a priority at this price.
General strategy
We have mentioned in the past how slates like this are always tough. We can land on so many different great lineups it can be hard to choose one, and we know our competition will be able to figure something out. Our favorite approach for this kind of slate is to go for the cheaper studs in the $7,000-$9,500 range, as that allows to fit in more at the top end. We also typically have access to more underpriced stars in that range as opposed to paying all the way towards $12,000. We can bet that with eleven games more news will break by lock, so we have to be ready to make changes for this one.
