DraftKings and FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks (1/5/23): NBA DFS Lineups

We have a nice four-game Thursday slate going on with a few teams on back-to-backs. I don't think Utah, Houston, or Orlando will rest players, but stanger things have happened.

With both FanDuel and DraftKings having multi-position eligibility players, we'll have to attack slates accordingly to make our lineups as optimal as possible. That's where I come in! I'll look to find my personal top plays and values for tonight's slate. Things can change during the day as well, so I'll do my best to update as news comes out!

Here are my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on 1/5/23. Keep an eye on RotoBaller’s NBA injury news and also our full NBA injury report today to stay up to date before lineups are locked.

DraftKings and FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks

Luka Doncic - vs. BOS (FD: $12,800, DK: $12,600)

How can you not recommend a guy on one of the hottest streaks in NBA history? Well...definitely in NBA fantasy history. That's now six straight games of more than 60 Fantasy points for Luka. Three of those games went over 80! You can fade him in GPPs, especially against a team like Boston, but I'm not going to be the one to tell you to do it. Not when he's on a run like this. Fade at your own risk!

Kevin Porter - vs. UTAH (FD: $8,400, DK: $7,600)

There is a lot of exciting young talent on this Houston team. Porter may be the most exciting, at least for fantasy purposes. Porter has at least 40 DraftKings points in four of the last five games. Only a poor shooting night against Dallas last week kept it from being five in a row, but he still hit 34.5 fantasy points. That's nearly 5x value as the floor on Porter right now.

Bones Hyland - vs. LAC (FD: $5,500, DK: $5,300)

Hyland is seeing a few less minutes lately, but he is getting a ton of shots on the second unit. Hyland is the most accomplished player of the Denver backups and sees more meaningful minutes when he's not on the court with Murray and KCP. As long as Denver lets Bones run the show for the backups, I have no issue with him only playing half the game. He's doing more now than he could as the starter.

Also consider: Ja Morant (FD: $10,500, DK $10,400); Jalen Green (FD: $7,200, DK $6,600); Mike Conley (FD: $6,200, DK: $5,700)

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DraftKings and FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks

Jayson Tatum - at DAL (FD: $10,800, DK: $10,900)

Tatum has become one of the league's elite scorers this season, averaging nearly 31 points per game this year. The only thing that can slow Tatum down is a blowout, and with perhaps the elite scorer in the league on the other side of the court, that shouldn't happen here. Luka vs. Tatum salvages what otherwise might be a yawner of a slate. It's tough to fit both in your lineups, especially on DraftKings, but I think you at least need to try in cash games.

Lauri Markkanen - at HOU (FD: $8,600, DK: $9,000)

It's amazing what happens when a talented guy lands in a spot that knows how to showcase his talents. This was perhaps the only place where Markkanen could have salvaged his career. After a solid couple of seasons in Chicago, he fell out of favor and earned the dreaded "soft" player tag. After a solid season in Cleveland last year, Markkanen headed west in the Donovan Mitchell trade and looks like an All-Star right now. He has at least 50 DraftKings points in four of the last eight games. He should at least flirt with that mark against Houston.

Marcus Morris - at DEN (FD: $5,300, DK: $4,700)

Paul George did travel with the team to Denver, but considering that he is dealing with the same hamstring injury that sidelined him earlier in the season, I wouldn't be a bit shocked if he misses this game. At the very least, I wouldn't expect the same workload for George. Morris has put up consistently solid lines between 22 and 30 DraftKings points in every game since December 12. I'll take that kind of consistency with a nice boost if George misses the game in a value play.

Also consider: Paolo Banchero (FD: $7,800, DK: $8,000), Aaron Gordon (FD: $7,200, DK: $6,900), Malik Beasley (FD: $4,800, DK $5,000)

DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks

Steven Adams - at ORL (FD: $7,300, DK: $5,700)

I love the discount on Adams on DK. That price is downright silly. Adams has at least 15 rebounds in four straight games. That will allow him to hit value on DK on rebounds alone! The Memphis front is starting to get healthy again. When they are at full strength, Adams has been limited. Considering Brandon Clarke is still battling a hip injury, Adams should have one more night of going King Kong on the boards.

Also consider: Nikola Jokic (FD: $11,500, DK: $11,800); Robert Williams (FD: $5,000, DK: $4,100)

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