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Not many games on Thursday's slate and already there are a ton of injury tags hovering next to key players. With how the Boston Celtics are structured offensively, having both Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum listed as questionable, Kemba Walker has a very good chance of posting decent production for his price. That will make him the easy play for tonight so don't be surprised if his ownership is through the roof, but with how things look right now it is still the play.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 1/16/20. These DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on FanDuel. You can also check out today's DraftKings lineup picks.
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Landry Shamet - PG, LAC vs. ORL ($3,800)
The Magic aren't a team to be taken lightly and this pick isn't necessarily trying to dictate that. Markelle Fultz has improved drastically since earning a more important role in the offense and Orlando managed to remain among the elite frontcourt defenses despite losing Jonathan Isaac. Where they have struggled is with their backcourt defense, and until Isaac returns, there will be a massive gap in the Magic's ability to block shots and contest on the perimeter. Shamet has been playing most of his minutes when it matters and this game should be close heading into the final quarter. For his price, there is a ton of upside here.
R.J. Barrett - SG, NYK vs. PHO ($5,900)
Good news and bad news. Bad news is you are playing R.J. Barrett in DFS. Good news is there a ton of factors working in your favor if you do play him tonight. Despite the Suns ranking 5th against shooting guards, Barrett doesn't really have that role in the Knicks offense. He does a little bit of everything at a medial level. Lately, he has been scoring at a impressive rate and FanDuel hasn't bought into the hype just yet.
His price will see a hike if he puts together another 20-point performance, and seeing how he's scored at least 20 versus both the Bucks and Heat defenses, the Suns don't scare me as much as their defensive ranking implies. Plus, if you go any cheaper than Barrett, you are running into some murky waters and players that are even bigger toss-ups.
FanDuel DFS Forwards
Gordon Hayward - SF, BOS @ MIL ($5,800)
There are not many, if any, good options at small forward today. However, when looking through the player list, I stashed away Gordon Hayward immediately as one of the few good plays. His price and upside go hand-in-hand, not to mention the potential injuries I listed earlier in the article. I COULD talk about his most recent game and how he scored 25 points, but it's really unnecessary when you look at the lot of small forwards we have available tonight.
Michael Porter Jr. - PF, DEN vs. GSW ($3,600)
This was bound to happen. Jump on this train now because it's already left the station and we're still just at $3,600. It's going to change. It's going to skyrocket and you want to roster him the game before that happens. Foresight is nice and "See, I told you he was gonna be good" is just oh, so fun to say to people on social media...but DFS players you are in a completely different atmosphere when you cash out because of it. With so few value plays tonight, this one has been picking up steam like none other and I actually won't hesitate to rest my fate on the glistening shoulders of Michael Jorda....PORTER Jr.
FanDuel DFS Centers
Mason Plumlee - C, DEN @ GSW ($3,700)
It's tough taking big men on the second night of a back-to-back, but I doubt Mason Plumlee is feeling any real type of fatigue just yet. His back up role basically forces him to stay ready for this type of situation and the Warriors defense isn't much to fear in terms of DFS. He performed well against the Hornets, as any center should, and since there is fairly little value tonight, you could sneak in a Plumlee play here as long as your are confident with the rest of your roster. This is not the route I am going to automatically take tonight since I'm fairly convinced on playing Porter Jr., but never rule out stacking the two if you want to maximize every other position.
