Thursday brings us a short, four-game slate with just one player (Russell Westbrook) above $10k. Eric Bledsoe, Karl-Anthony Towns and Nikola Jokic round out the top tier, with a large drop-off in price following those four. As for the rest of the player pool, there is a lot of talent to be had in the $7,000 range, as well as some value plays from a team riddled by injuries.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 1/26/17. The DFS lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays on DraftKings. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @hayudi18.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Devin Booker- SG, @ DEN ($7,100)
Booker has become a legitimate offensive weapon this year, scoring 20.6 points per game to date. The 20-year-old has managed at least 33 Draftkings points in seven of his last eight games, and even though his price tag his been jacked up above $7k, he will still produce value if he can maintain that pace. Booker has averaged 27 points on 46.7% shooting with 76.3 total DK points in two games this season against the Nuggets, who still boast the league’s third-worst scoring defense. Booker is a safe bet to put up at least 5X, and has solid upside against a weak defensive team.
Lou Williams- SG, @ UTA ($5,200)
Serving mostly as the Lakers’ sixth man, Williams has posted a career-high 18.2 points through 49 games. The 30-year-old has been particularly hot recently, racking up at least 37 Draftkings points in four of his last five showings (52 on Wednesday). Williams is already Los Angeles’ leading scorer, and should walk away as its leading shot-taker for the second straight night on Thursday, as DeAngelo Russell is expected to miss another game. Utah’s defense hasn’t been quite as strong since losing Rodney Hood to a knee injury, and Williams is likely to draw an appealing matchup against Joe Ingles and Alec Burks.
Devin Harris- PG/SG, @ OKC ($3,000)
Harris picked up some of the slack at point guard when Deron Williams left Wednesday’s game with a toe injury, totaling seven points on 2-for-8 shooting with four rebounds, two assists and a steal across 22 minutes. Williams will sit out of Thursday’s tilt, paving the way for Harris to possibly get his first start of the season. The 33-year-old Harris has not averaged double-digits since the 2011-’12 season, and while his upside is limited, at $3,000, it will not be hard for him to hit — and exceed — value with added minutes on Thursday night. Plus, this opens things up to possibly squeeze his opponent, Russell Westbrook, into the lineup. If the newly-signed Pierre Jackson were to be named the starting point guard, focus would shift to him.
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Andrew Wiggins- SF, vs. IND ($7,000)
Wiggins is playing some of his best ball of late, with at least 30 Draftkings points in six of his last seven games. Additionally, he dropped 41 points (48.75 DK points) on the Wizards back on Jan. 6. While the matchup with the Pacers isn’t the most appealing, Gordon Hayward and Carmelo Anthony have put up 27 and 26 points, respectively, in back-to-back games against Indiana in the last week, so they’re not impenetrable. Given the way he’s been playing, Wiggins should have no trouble securing another big performance on Thursday night.
Harrison Barnes- SF/PF, @ OKC ($6,000)
Barnes snapped a five-game streak without 30 Draftkings points on Wednesday, putting up 23 points on 8-for-15 shooting with five rebounds, one assist and two steals. On a meek Dallas team, the 24-year-old has carved out a leading role, scoring 20.2 points on 17.2 shots per game. He should continue to get a ton of looks going forward, but will be especially relied upon Thursday night as Wesley Matthews, Deron Williams and Dirk Nowitzki will all be sidelined. Oklahoma City’s defense has been shaky of late, allowing, on average, 111.8 points over its last five games.
Brandon Ingram- SF, @ UTA ($4,200)
The former No. 2 pick in the draft, Ingram has managed just 8.1 points, 2.0 assists and 4.1 rebounds through his first 49 games played. He has been incredibly inconsistent over his last 10 games, with five showings of at least 14 points, but three pour outings, including a scoreless dud against the Trailblazers on Wednesday night. Ingram has now posted 30 or more Draftkings points in three of his last six contests, and will look to bounce back on Thursday against the Jazz. Utah’s top-ranked defense isn’t typically one to target, but his upside is well worth his $4,200 price tag.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Rudy Gobert- C, vs. LAL ($7,500)
Gobert is enjoying a breakout season for Utah, with career highs in points (12.8), rebounds (12.6) and blocks (2.5). In his last six games, he has three contests with at least 50 Draftkings points and three others in which he couldn’t reach 36. Still, he’s close to a double-double machine, and should be able to dominate in Thursday’s meeting with the Lakers. Los Angeles has yielded the third-most fantasy points to the center position, including 57.8 to DeAndre Jordan, 48.3 to Andre Drummond and 56.3 to Nikola Jokic over the last week and a half.
Steven Adams- C, vs. DAL ($5,000)
Adams made his return to the court on Wednesday, totaling 20 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks against Anthony Davis and the Pelicans. His second game back in action will come against Dallas on Thursday. As has been mentioned here several times, the Mavericks are the NBA’s worst rebounding team. In the last two and a half weeks alone, Dallas has allowed 20 rebounds to Dwight Howard, 19 to Tyson Chandler, 25 to Rudy Gobert and 16 to Willy Hernangomez. Adams provides a cheaper option at the center spot, and has a chance for back-to-back double-doubles.
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