We have another smaller slate for our FanDuel slates tonight. Despite the small slate, we still have some good teams to choose from. However, good teams don't always mean good players. The Clippers will be without Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Patrick Beverley. The Clips still have a deep bench and not a particularly tight rotation. Getting that team right will be where the separation comes in large field GPP tournaments.
This slate is littered with injuries as well. Christian Wood is likely out. Trae Young and Clint Capela were out for Saturday's game. Young has the best chance to play, but I wouldn't be shocked if both of them miss another tilt. The Wizards are going to be very short up front with Mo Wagner, Davis Bertans, and Rui Hachimura all have COVID. Thomas Bryant is still out. What does this mean? It means we can literally play anyone we want with the value on this slate. The question is, who do we want? I'll try to help answer that question.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 1/26/21. I’ll be providing multiple player suggestions for players at guard, forward, and center on FanDuel, aiming to highlight one option apiece at the high, middle, and lower end of the salary scale. You can also check out DraftKings lineup picks and injury news before lineups lock. Good luck, RotoBallers.
FanDuel DFS Guards
Bradley Beal, SG – at Houston ($10,300)
The hype train is going to be talking about Russell Westbrook's return to Houston, but honestly, that doesn't mean much to me. Harden, his adversary, is gone. Russ is a constant triple-double threat, but Beal is leading the league in scoring. Westbrook hasn't really cut in on that action. The price will likely make you choose between the two instead of running both, but I'm leaning towards Beal and the raw points in what could be a high-scoring game.
Victor Oladipo, SG – vs. Washington ($8,800)
We know that Oladipo wasn't crazy about playing for the Rockets, but he's been on a heater since getting here. Oladipo's usage rate in his three games with the Rockets is a staggering 34.3%. Despite his doubts about Houston, you can't deny that this has been a good career move for Oladipo so far. Even including the miserable game against Detroit, Oladipo is averaging 22 points, six assists, and four rebounds for the Rockets. I'm willing to ride Oladipo's hot streak, especially on a short slate in a game that has the highest total on the slate.
David Nwaba, SG – vs. Washington ($5,700)
If you decide to run with the dynamic Wizards duo, run it back with Nwaba instead of Oladipo. Unless you're into going super cheap at forward, then you could run all four. This game is going to be dominated by guards with the frontcourts decimated. Since Oladipo showed up in Houston, Nwaba has 92.5 FanDuel points in those three games. The price still isn't high enough. Nwaba is the best per dollar play on the entire slate.
Also consider: Russell Westbrook ($9,900), Mike Conley ($7,300), Alec Burks ($5,300)
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FanDuel DFS Forwards
Julius Randle, PF – at Utah ($9,100)
It's not hard to see the impact that Tom Thibodeau has had on Randle. Randle has really taken off this season because Thibodeau isn't afraid to play his starters big minutes. We already have a barometer for what Randle might do against Utah. In the first meeting, Randle put up 54.7 FanDuel points in 39 minutes. We all know the ceiling, but what about the floor? Randle's is the safest of the high-priced options. He hasn't played under 30 minutes in any game this season.
Nicolas Batum SF – at Atlanta ($5,500)
The Clippers guard situation is kind of a mess. However, we know exactly who is going to step in for Kawhi Leonard. It's Batum. Batum has been a starter all season, but his best games have come with Kawhi off of the court. He's a reliable bargain play on a slate where we're going to need them. The only alternative that might match the output for the price is De'Andre Hunter, and that's only if Trae Young is out again. Otherwise, Hunter is as hit and miss as the rest.
Bojan Bogdanovic, SF – vs. NYK ($5,300)
If you are going for lower ownership, the forwards in the Utah-Knicks game stack well with the guards from Washington-Houston. Bojan was a bust in the first game against the Knicks, but I'm going to ride the hot streak here. Bogdanovic has six straight games over 20 FanDuel points. He even topped 30 in a couple of those. The ceiling isn't all that high, but with the way Bojan is going right now, I doubt we see a floor game as we did in the first meeting.
Also consider: John Collins ($7,400), Eric Gordon ($6,000), Royce O'Neale ($4,500)
FanDuel DFS Centers
Clint Capela – vs. LAC ($10,500)
I write this hoping Capela plays. If he does, he's the one guy that could break the slate. Capela has at least 55 FanDuel points in four straight games. He even turned in a triple-double in his last game with 10 blocks! With defensive stats worth more on FanDuel, that makes Capela an elite play if he's good to go. Considering there was no damage to the hand, I'm thinking he will be.
DeMarcus Cousins – vs. Washington ($7,200)
Cousins has been a strong play in every game that Christian Wood has missed this year. Yeah, the technicals and just fouls, in general, can be a problem. They're even more of a risk when Cousins is priced up like he is now. However, who in the world is going to guard him with half of the Wizards team out with COVID? A front that was weak anyway is now decimated. Cousins is a superb plan B if Capela is out of commission.
Robin Lopez – at Houston ($4,800)
Sideshow Bob is the likely candidate to absorb most of the frontcourt minutes. Len will see some time as well, but they are going to need Lopez to tangle with Boogie. That and Robin has the best chance of tilting Cousins into stupid fouls. Getting in the head of Cousins is worth more to the Wizards than DFS players, but a guy like Lopez on a team like this can't help but put up decent numbers if he's on the court for 30 minutes.
Also consider: Rudy Gobert ($8,300), Mitchell Robinson ($5,800), Alex Len ($4,000)
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