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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on January 23, 2018. Tom Bellucco's NBA DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
What a crazy night that was last night. My top tournament lineup scored 398 DraftKings points, which would be more than enough to take the top spot on most nights. Unfortunately, I was still 162 spots away from that big win. Regardless, it was a good night overall for me, so let's get on a roll with a decent five-gamer on this Tuesday.
Below you will find our daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 1/23/18. I will provide you with a couple of players that I feel have the best value based on their price points at each position. I will also point out a few tournament plays to take a shot on at each position.
If you have any questions or comments as the day goes on, don't hesitate to reach out to me on Twitter @BellRoto. Let's do this.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Jordan Clarkson - PG/SG, vs. BOS ($6,500)
The DraftKings algorithm is sharp, don't get me wrong, but I don't think it's acting fast enough on Jordan Clarkson. I understand the matchup against Boston is less than ideal. I also get it that Brandon Ingram and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope have a chance to return tonight, but Clarkson is simply too cheap for what he's doing right now. He knows that this is his shot to prove to both the Lakers and the rest of the NBA that he's legit while rookie phenom Lonzo Ball is on the shelf. The scoring guard has responded with 51.75 and 59 DK points in 34 and 38 minutes the last two games. Even if KCP and Ingram return, I'm loading up on the motivated Clarkson and watching him go to work.
Isaiah Thomas - PG, @ SA ($6,000)
Speaking of the DK algorithm, what the heck is going on with Isaiah Thomas' price?! He has played 30 minutes twice now (I know he didn't last game, but the Cavs got throttled by the Thunder) and has shown elite usage rates near and above 30%. Sure, the implied total is low, but so is the spread. One of the few ways to beat the Spurs is a scoring point guard. I expect at least 30 minutes and 10 three-point attempts from Thomas in this one. He needs 30 to be safe in cash games, which seems like a lock, and we've seen him go bonkers from deep too many times in Boston to scoff at his upside. I'll go back to the well in all formats here.
Other Guards to Consider: Russell Westbrook, Elfrid Payton, De'Aaron Fox
DraftKings DFS Forwards
LaMarcus Aldridge - PF/C, vs. CLE ($8,700)
If it weren't for a really, really bad shooting performance two games ago and a complete dud in a weirdly low-scoring affair last time out, LaMarcus Aldridge would easily be a $9,000 player. Without Kawhi Leonard, Aldridge is basically the entire Spurs offense, which is displayed by his 30% or more usage rate in three of the last four games. The risk here is that Aldridge's latest dud is a warning sign that he's getting worn down by all of this usage. However, a pace-up matchup with the Cavs and a typically safe floor has me interested in going back to LMA. As of this morning, I think I'll be doing that a fair amount.
Carmelo Anthony - SF, vs. BKN ($6,600)
In some good matchups the last three games, Carmelo Anthony has begun to rise from the ashes as a relevant DFS play again. He's recorded 51, 37, and 38 DK points in his last three outings, and the success has come from increased rebounds and overall usage. We know that the OKC coaching staff is urging Melo to take more threes, and maybe that has made him more aggressive overall. Either way, I like the floor and ceiling here in an up-tempo game against Brooklyn. There should be plenty of rebounds to be had and transition threes to take for a very fair price.
Other Forwards to Consider: Al Horford, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Michael Beasley
DraftKings DFS Centers
Willie Cauley-Stein - C, @ ORL ($6,600)
The increase in minutes and dedication to run the offense through Willie Cauley-Stein has been exciting to watch so far in Sacramento. Trill's usage rates have been well-above 20% in the past couple of weeks, and it's easy to see by looking at his spike in shot attempts. He struggled from the field againts Dwight Howard and company last night, going 5-for-20, and I hope that keeps his ownership down. Bismack Biyombo is a pretty good defender, but I think WCS has the athletic ability to be much more efficient against Biyombo than Howard. A double-double seems like a lock, and with his shot attempts and steal/block upside there's possiblity for a 50-point outing here.
Other Centers to Consider: Steven Adams, Skal Labissiere
