There are eight games on tonight’s NBA DFS slate, but most of our interest is going to be focused on two of them. Joel Embiid and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are the two big injuries tonight, so our best sources of value will be the Philadelphia 76ers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. We have a few absolute locks here, as some guys get a massive boost with these stars out. This is going to be a stars and scrubs kind of slate, as some of our priorities are near the minimum price.
Here’s Two Core Plays For DFS Basketball 1/31/22 (using DraftKings Values)
| Point Guard | J. Giddey | $7,300 | |
| Shooting Guard | |||
| Small Forward | |||
| Power Forward | |||
| Center | A. Drummond | $3,700 | |
| Guard | |||
| Forward | |||
| Utility |
Josh Giddey is one of the most impressive rookies of the season so far, and he is averaging 32.4 FPTS on the season. He is always a priority for us when Gilgeous-Alexander is sidelined, as Giddey takes over as the team’s first option. Giddey has a lot of upside in this spot from scoring and assists, so we are going to be getting a ton of him at this $7,300 price.
We consider the one guy to be a lock for every lineup tonight is Andre Drummond. Drummond is a fantastic per-minute DFS producer, but he typically does not see too much time backing up Embiid. He is going to play a lot of minutes with Embiid sidelines, and tonight he is only $3,700. This price is already low for what Drummond is averaging on the season, which is over 23 FPTS. We know Drummond’s price gets closer to $8,000 in long stretches without Embiid, so he offers some ridiculous value at this price.
Here’s a Fade DFS Basketball 1/31/22 (using DraftKings Values)
We have a lot of spare salary from guys like Drummond tonight, so we are able to get exposure to quite a few studs at the top end. One guy who will be a fade for us here is Pascal Siakam. The Raptors last game went to triple overtime, so everyone’s production was inflated from all the minutes. Siakam has also had the opportunity to play a few games without Fred VanVleet lately, in which he had massive usage. With everyone healthy tonight Siakam is a little too expensive, and we have some other guys we much prefer getting to.
| Here Is What Your Get If You Subscribe For $15 Per Month or $99 For The Year… • A star guard who is too cheap tonight. • The rest of our priorities from Dallas. • Two cheap forwards who are locks from the Spurs. • Our general strategy for handling all of this value. Sign up here! |
Point Guard
Tre Mann – ($3,500 DK) There is going to be a ton of minutes going around on the Oklahoma City Thunder, which opens the door for us to get to a value option we usually overlook in Mann. He played 26 minutes last game where SGA played 17, so he should be in for close to 30 minutes tonight. Mann saw solid usage last time and could have hit nice value if he shot it better. Mann has a ton of upside here, and we really aren’t paying for it.
Shooting Guard
Seth Curry – ($5,300 DK) It is hard to go wrong with anyone when their team is missing a superstar, as is the case in Philly tonight. Curry has only played one game back from injury, but he was able to take on 32 minutes. He should be fine for floor time tonight, and his usage is very promising with Embiid sidelined. Curry is coming in at a fantastic price for his 28.2 FPT average, and his upside is higher then usual given the situation.
Lu Dort – ($6,000 DK) Dort took over in SGA’s absence last time out, as he erupted for 47.5 FPTS. We always see Dort take on a lot of usage when Gilgeous-Alexander is sidelined, so we have no issues with this $6,000 price tag. The Oklahoma City Thunder also have an easy matchup tonight against Portland, which makes all these priorities even better.
Tobias Harris – ($7,800 DK) The price has risen back up on Harris, and at this point, he is around where we expect him to be. However, we know he is the clear first option for the Sixers when Embiid is out, so he is a priority here. Harris always has good upside, and it is much better when he gets the usage bump. Harris should have a lot on his shoulders tonight, which is what we want in DFS.
Bam Adebayo – ($7,500 DK) Adebayo is a bit too cheap at this price, and we like the matchup against the Celtics. We have a lot of cheap priorities tonight, so we need some stars to spend up for. Adebayo allows us to play him alongside a few more stars, so we can get a ton of upside into our lineup. Jimmy Butler is questionable here, and Adebayo looks much better if he is sidelined. However, we are happy getting to him either way.
General strategy
For Cash games tonight we know we are going to stick to our core here, with Drummond, Curry, Giddey, and Harris all locked in. Drummond is a lock for us in tournaments as well, but we don’t mind switching up a few plays in bigger GPP’s. One thing we must talk about is the Butler questionable tag, as the Heat are added to our priority teams if he is ruled out. If he plays, we really like him as a spend-up option at $8,900.
