After a more moderate slate last night, the NBA DFS madness is back in full force for tonight’s nine-gamer. We have a few teams that are absolute priorities in this spot, with multiple guys sidelined and/or dream matchups. The Washington Wizards and San Antonio Spurs are our favorite sources of value here, but we have some more priorities across the slate. This is going to be a stars and scrubs slate, as we have some unbelievable value at the bottom end.
Here’s Two Core Plays For DFS Basketball 1/12/22 (using DraftKings Values)
| Point Guard | S. Dinwiddie | $6,000 | |
| Shooting Guard | |||
| Small Forward | |||
| Power Forward | . | ||
| Center | J. Embiid | $11,200 | |
| Guard | . | ||
| Forward | |||
| Utility |
We are starting things off with an absolute lock-in Spencer Dinwiddie. The Washington Wizards are without their first option in Bradley Beal, and that situation has led to some huge games for Dinwiddie this year. It feels like Dinwiddie goes for 50 FPTS more often than not when Beal is sidelined, as he has the ball in his hands all the time. We are getting Dinwiddie at a great price tag here, so he is going to be a core building block for us.
Joel Embiid is our favorite superstar to spend up for tonight at $11,200. The main thing that makes us so high on Embiid here is the matchup, as we love taking guys against the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets are playing at the fastest pace in the league right now, and they are weak defensively. Their frontcourt has no hope of slowing down Embiid, so he has a ton of upside in this spot. $11,200 is expensive, but the matchup more than makes up for that. It also will not be hard finding the value to pay up for him tonight.
Here’s a Fade DFS Basketball 1/12/22 (using DraftKings Values)
We have some great places to put our salary tonight, so it is hard to justify paying up for weaker plays. An easy fade tonight is Russell Westbrook, who remains way too expensive for his production on the Lakers. Westbrook has been a frequent flyer in our fade section this year, as his price has been based on his production across his career, not in his role with the Lakers. LeBron James is the dominant ball-handler, which takes a lot away from what Westbrook does.
Now, what do you get if you sign up now for $99?
• A stud guard who is underpriced coming back from health protocols.
• Two locks for cheap value.• Another superstar we want to pay up for tonight.
• One budget big man who could see monster floor time.
Point Guard
Tyrese Maxey – PG ($5,400 DK) After a stint in the league’s health and safety protocols, Maxey is not on the injury report for tonight’s slate. He is way too cheap here, as he is averaging over 30 FPTS on the season. We expect Maxey to be able to play some nice run here, as there is no word of conditioning issues. He should be able to hit value at this price easily, and he is a fantastic upside guy as a high-volume scorer.
Shooting Guard
Lonnie Walker IV – ($4,600 DK) Walker has seen a massive role since a slew of Spurs were put in the league’s health protocols. He has shot the ball 20 and 19 times in the past two games, scoring 39.75 and 25 FPTS respectively. He shot awfully last game, only landing on five of nineteen attempts, and that was still enough for him to provide some nice value. Walker is playing a substantial role right now, and he will be a priority until his price rises to match this usage.
LeBron James – ($11,700 DK) This price tag is high on James, but it is fair given how productive he has been with Anthony Davis sidelined. James has had to do everything for the Lakers, which has led to some massive upside. He has gone for over 65 FPTS in four of his last seven games, with three games well over 70 FPTS. The Lakers have a fantastic matchup against the Sacramento Kings, so we really like getting to James in this spot.
Onyeka Okongwu – ($3,900 DK) Clint Capela was sidelined last game, and he is doubtful again tonight. Assuming Capela sits here, Okongwu will be a priority for cheap value. He played 37 minutes last game, and although he was not super productive that is just too enticing. Okongwu went for 23 FPTS, which is still solid for this price tag. However, we expect way more out of him in situations where he is playing over 30 minutes.
Robin Lopez – ($4,000 DK) After spending two weeks in the league’s health and safety protocols, Lopez will be taking the floor again tonight. The Orlando Magic needs him desperately here, as both Mo Bamba and Wendell Carter Jr. are sidelined. Lopez was crushing earlier this season when Bamba and Carter were out, as we were happy rostering him at any price. Lopez is a priority if he gets the start, but he looks great either way.
General strategy
With nine games it is very likely that we get more news, so keep an eye out. We already have a ton of value with what we know now, so it will not be hard fitting in all the stars we want from the top end. We are going with an aggressive stars and scrubs lineup tonight, rostering guys like Joel Embiid and LeBron James. To pay up, we will lock in Okongwu and Walker. One situation we are keeping an eye on here is the Brooklyn Nets, as they could be without James Harden or Kyrie Irving.
