Tonight is going to be one of the shortest DFS slates we have had in a little while, with only four games of NBA action. In consequence, this is the first slate we have had to handle in a few weeks that did not have an overwhelming amount of value. We do not have quite as many injuries tonight, and we certainly do not have a lot of injuries that recently occurred. We are going to have to lower our standards for budget guys here, as we just are not getting obvious values the way we knew a guy like Keifer Sykes would not disappoint yesterday. However, slates like this can be more profitable if you know where to look. When there are so many strong plays, things become something of a dart throw between conventionally fantastic lineups.
Here’s Two Core Plays For DFS Basketball 1/6/22 (using DraftKings Values)
| Point Guard | C. Paul | $7,300 | |
| Shooting Guard | |||
| Small Forward | |||
| Power Forward | |||
| Center | B. Biyombo | ||
| Guard | . | ||
| Forward | |||
| Utility |
Chris Paul has been getting cheaper and cheaper, and he looks fantastic all the way down at $7,300. Paul is averaging 38.7 FPTS on the season, and he is a high upside guy who can easily go over 50 FPTS. He has scored over 40 FPTS in three of his past five games, so it seems likely he turns out some nice value here. We would always be looking at Paul when he is priced at 7,300, but on a tougher four-game slate he is one of our favorite options.
The Phoenix Suns have been in dire straits with their entire big man rotation sidelined. As a result, they recently signed Bismack Biyombo to a ten-day contract. Biyombo played 18 minutes and went for 24 FPTS in the first game, while he scored 38 FPTS in 29 minutes last time. Biyombo could get the start tonight, which would make him an absolute priority for value. Even off the bench, he looks good at $4,000.
Here’s a Fade DFS Basketball 1/6/22 (using DraftKings Values)
The Boston Celtics look unappealing here in general. We seldom see this Boston team play a healthy roster, so prices are jacked up to account for extra usage. We have seen Jayson Tatum play a handful of games without Jaylen Brown and vice versa. Tatum is our biggest fade here, as at $10,200 he offers limited upside with everyone playing. He typically goes for 50 FPTS on a good night and could do a lot worse, so he is all risk at this price.
Now, what do you get if you sign up now for $99?
• A star guard who has been on fire lately.
• A few high upside options for GPP’s.
• A cheap big man who has stepped into the starting unit.
• Our priorities if Steph Curry ends up out.
Point Guard
Ja Morant – PG ($9,200 DK) Stock has been rising around the league on Morant lately, as he has willed an injured Memphis squad to six straight wins. Morant has shown some fantastic production in that span, going over 48 FPTS in each of the past five. Morant is taking very high usage lately, which lead to a 60 FPT performance a few slates ago. The Grizzlies have an easy matchup against a measly Pistons defense tonight, so we are happy riding the hot hand in Morant.
Shooting Guard
Cade Cunningham – ($7,900 DK) Cunningham is more of a GPP play for us in this spot, as he offers a ton of variance for this price point. Cunningham can easily go for 30-35 FPTS, which would be a disappointment here. However, he is one of those guys that goes over 50 FPTS all the time. He has had two games back from the health protocols, and he did not show his upside in either. However, he was very limited in a blowout last time and was productive in the time he played. The Pistons are missing a few key options such as Jerami Grant and Kelly Olynyk, so no one should be surprised by a big game from Cunningham if it happens tonight.
RJ Barrett – ($6,000 DK) Barrett has been absolutely guzzling usage over the past three games. Barrett has gone over 40 FPTS in two of the last three, with the exception being a blowout loss to the Raptors. However, even in that game, Barrett shot the ball 14 times in only 29 minutes. We expected Barrett to be considerably more expensive in this spot, so we are happy rostering him at $6,000.
Marcus Morris Sr. – ($5,600 DK) Pretty much everyone on the Clippers was disappointing last time out, as the starters had their minutes limited in a blowout loss to the Timberwolves. However, Morris is coming in at a great price tag tonight, and ownership will likely be too low. The Clippers will remain without Paul George here, so we expect Morris continues to do a lot. Morris had gone over 35 FPTS in five straight games leading up to last game’s blowout loss, and his usage per minute was still solid last game. We know Morris will have to do more than usual here, and if it stays close, he should play a ton of minutes.
Trey Lyles – ($5,000 DK) The Canadian product has been starting at center for the gutted Pistons lately, and he has had some nice DFS production. His floor looks great here, as he has scored over 25 FPTS in each game since he got the start. We have also seen some wild upside nights from Lyles, as we saw a few games back when he went over 50 FPTS. Lyles checks a lot of boxes here, and he really stands out with only four games.
General strategy
We are going to devote this portion of the article to the news we got this morning that Steph Curry is questionable. We do not have a ton of value so if Curry gets ruled out this becomes one of those slates where you are playing three or four warriors. If Curry is ruled out our first lock will be Jordan Poole at $5,800. Poole takes on a star-level role when Curry is out, so we would use him without hesitation here. Andrew Wiggins would also look fantastic at $6,800, but Poole is the priority. For cheaper value, we would get to a lot of Gary Payton II and Damion Lee as they both stand to see increased roles in Curry’s absence. Keep an eye on the Curry news, and anything else that breaks before lock.
