FanDuel & DraftKings NBA Daily Fantasy Picks 1/1/20

Tonight’s slates just feature 3-4 games, depending on which site you are playing on. DraftKings has the Washington-Orlando game on the slate, which starts at 6:00 ET, while FanDuel has left it off, and the slate starts at 7:30 ET. There are a few injuries to keep an eye out for tonight. Bradley Beal is questionable tonight, but did practice fully Tuesday. In that same game, Aaron Gordon is questionable as well, but did not practice. Karl-Anthony Towns is out again, which pushes Gorgui Dieng into play again. Andrew Wiggins won’t play either, taking two of their bigger usage players off the court. Jeff Teague completes the trio of being out, who left last game with a knee injury. He is doubtful, and I wouldn’t expect any upgrade. With that injury news, the Bucks are 18 point favorites. The Lakers are 11 point favorites at home against Phoenix. The other two games are over a 220 over/under and have spreads less than five points.

Top Plays

Damian Lillard
– DK: $9,200 / FD: $9,300

Damian Lillard is one of the top plays on the board tonight. The Trail Blazers are sitting with a 114 implied total on the road against the Knicks. They rank 22nd against point guards. Lillard has scored 30+ real points in three straight games this season, and has made 16 threes over the last three games. Lillard dropped a 31-2-6 line in just 28 minutes in the prior meeting against the Knicks. He has a great floor and overall the point guard position is rather thin tonight. This game also projects to be closer in comparison to the other stars.

Julius Randle
– DK: $8,000 / FD: $7,500

Julius Randle has been fantastic of late, averaging 29 and 9 over the last four games. Portland is a middle of the road team against power forwards, ranking 15th in defensive efficiency. However, power forwards are averaging the second most fantasy points per game against Portland this season. Randle has a 28.8% usage rate, which is second to Anthony Davis at the position.

Gorgui Dieng
– DK: $6,400 / FD: $6,200

With Karl-Anthony Towns out again, Gorgui Dieng will draw the start and play around 30 minutes depending on how long this one stays close. He isn’t quite the same value as before, but has deserved the new price tags. Dieng is averaging over 35 fantasy points in the last five games. It isn’t a bad matchup for Dieng here, as Milwaukee have allowed 51 fantasy points per game to opposing centers this season.

DraftKings ORL/WAS Plays

Jonathan Isaac
– DK: $6,600

Jonathan Isaac is averaging 39 fantasy points over his last five games, and gets a weak Washington defense. Orlando has a 112 implied total tonight, which is well above their season average in scoring. Washington ranks 29th in defensive efficiency against opposing small forwards, and 25th against power forwards. Isaac will see time at both of course. Isaac’s defensive numbers give him a big edge, he is averaging 2.5 blocks and 1.6 steals per game this season.

Nikola Vucevic
– DK: $8,200

If you want a pay up center option on DraftKings, Nikola Vucevic is the way to go. Washington rank 27th in defensive efficiency against opposing centers, and have allowed the fourth most fantasy points per game to opposing centers this season. Vucevic is averaging 41.7 fantasy points per game over his last ten games. He has a 25.3% usage rate in that span, and over a 50 fantasy point ceiling.

Tournament Plays

Ricky Rubio
– DK: $7,000 / FD: $7,300

Both Suns backcourt members are firmly in play and will need to play well for the Suns to keep this game close or even pull off an upset. Rubio has been playing well for the Suns, averaging 37.8 fantasy points over the last ten games. He his ceiling has hovered right around 45 fantasy points in that span, and he has a 24% usage rate. The ownership should be moderate here, especially if more value opens up.

Marcus Morris
– DK: $5,700 / FD: $5,200

Trusting the Knicks is never ideal in cash games, but tournaments a few names have some upside. Portland ranks 20th against small forwards this season, and rank in the bottom third in fantasy points allowed. Morris has just a 17 fantasy point floor over the last ten games, but over a 35 fantasy point ceiling. He has a usage rate around 24% in the last ten games.

Kyle Kuzma – DK: $4,600 / FD: $4,800

Kyle Kuzma came back from injury and scored 16, 25, and 24 real points. However he followed those games with an 0-7 performance against Dallas. Kuzma is a cheap value who has 30+ fantasy point upside. The matchup against Phoenix is also a plus. I know I haven’t mentioned LeBron or Davis, who are obvious prime plays. The Suns are allowing 115 points per game, and opposing teams to shoot 37% from three and 47% from the field.

Value Plays

On the DraftKings side real quick, if Bradley Beal does sit out another game. Isaiah Thomas and Jordan McRae are strong values again and have shown plenty of upside in his absence. Minnesota is where a lot of the value is tonight, even with blowout concerns the minutes will be there. Jarrett Culver is one of the main values, who has seen a 24% usage rate for Minnesota with Towns, Wiggins, and Teague off the court. That is over a 158 minute sample size. Over 119 minute sample size, Shabazz Napier has seen a 29% usage rate and has averaged 1.00 FPPM.