To begin the new year, DraftKings’ main NBA slate on Wednesday features the first six games of the night. DraftKings continues to offer huge contests for DFS players, and below, I break down some of my favorite options at each position.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $600K Holiday BBall Special [$150K to 1st].
Guard
Stud
Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons vs. Orlando Magic, $10,600
The Magic aren’t an ideal matchup, ranking third in defensive efficiency, but Cunningham is in excellent form and is well rested with this being his first start since Saturday. Leading the much-improved Pistons in usage (31.9%) and assist rate (43.3%), Cunningham is scoring 1.4 FPTS per minute this season and has scored over 50 FPTS in 10 of his past 15 starts.
Cunningham shouldn’t be popular with the Magic on the other side and he should be able to out-produce this salary with the game likely to be a competitive affair throughout. On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Pistons are only favored by 1.5 points, and for the six occasions Detroit has been favored this season, Cunningham is scoring 54.5 FPTS per game.
Other Options: Kyrie Irving ($9,400), Jalen Brunson ($8,900), Josh Giddey ($7,700, if Zach LaVine is out)
Value
D’Angelo Russell, Brooklyn Nets at Toronto Raptors, $5,100
Russell isn’t listed on the Nets’ injury report and the guard should play Wednesday, just a few days after being dealt to Brooklyn this past Sunday. Russell joins the Nets at a convenient time, as Cam Thomas (hamstring) will be rested Wednesday and Dennis Schroder, Shake Milton, and Dorian Finney-Smith all are no longer on the roster after recent trades. Russell will likely start, but even if they brought him off the bench in his first game back with the Nets, he should be asked to handle a large role right out the gate for this thin Nets team.
Russell supplied 0.9 FPTS per minute with a 22.5% usage rate with the Lakers. His usage should be significantly higher in Brooklyn, considering the personnel and lack of stars around him. Facing a Raptors team that ranks fifth in pace, 26th in defensive efficiency and is playing their second game in two nights, Russell should have a great performance in his first game back with the Nets and beat this low salary with ease.
Other Options: Coby White ($6,900, if LaVine is out), Malcolm Brogdon ($6,200, if Jordan Poole is out), Jordan Clarkson ($6,100), Keon Johnson ($5,000)
Forward
Stud
Josh Hart, New York Knicks vs. Utah Jazz, $7,300
Hart is on the heels of his third triple-double of the season, which resulted in a season-best 66.75 FPTS vs. the Wizards on Monday. Washington ranks second-to-last in defensive efficiency, and the only team that has been worse on the defense this season is the Jazz. While we can’t expect another outing near 70 FPTS, the versatile Hart should expose this soft Utah defense for 35-40 FPTS.
Ranking fifth in the NBA in minutes per game this season (37.1), Hart is supplying 37.8 FPTS per contest.
Other Options: Zach LaVine ($8,000, if active), Trey Murphy III ($7,200)
Value
Dillon Brooks, Houston Rockets vs. Dallas Mavericks, $5,200
Brooks (ankle) returned from a three-game absence Sunday vs. the Heat and the veteran saw no limitations, logging 40 minutes en route to 31 FPTS. Brooks is scoring 38.3 FPTS per game in his last three starts and the heavy volume will almost certainly continue Wednesday with Amen Thompson suspended.
Brooks is amassing 0.8 FPTS per minute with Thompson off the floor this season, and with 35-40 minutes of work, he should surpass five-times value at this low and affordable salary. In his lone matchup with Dallas this season, Brooks tallied 28 FPTS.
Other Options: Herbert Jones ($5,400), Johnny Juzang ($3,200)
Center
Stud
Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks vs. Utah Jazz, $10,400
Towns has been tremendous with the Knicks this season, scoring 51.1 FPTS per game. The center is handling a 27.3% usage rate, a 22.6% rebound percentage, and shooting 55% from the field, with both those later numbers being career highs. Overall, Towns is scoring 1.5 FPTS per minute with the Knicks, which is a huge upgrade from the 1.2 FPTS per minute he averaged last season with the Timberwolves.
Going against this league-worst Jazz defense, Towns is a safe bet for over 50 FPTS and a strong spend for all formats.
Other Options: Alperen Sengun ($9,500), Nikola Vucevic ($9,100, boost if LaVine is out)
Value
Goga Bitadze, Orlando Magic at Detroit Pistons, $6,900
With both Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner sidelined with oblique injuries, Bitadze has been a great fantasy producer for the depleted Magic. With Banchero and Wagner inactive for the past eight games, Bitadze has started and generated 38.3 FPTS in 29.6 minutes per game.
The center leads Orlando with 1.3 FPTS per minute with both Banchero and Wagner off the floor this season, and Mortiz Wagner (knee) also being out guarantees Bitadze a role of at least 30 minutes vs. the Pistons. Detroit ranks 13th in pace and 19th in defensive efficiency this season, and Bitadze should easily exceed five-times value in this appealing spot.
Other Options: Daniel Gafford ($5,400, if Dereck Lively II is out), Jonas Valanciunas ($5,000), Day’Ron Sharpe ($3,700)
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Hunta512) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
