Nuggets vs. Warriors NBA DFS Showdown Slate Picks, Value Plays - Thursday Jan 4th

Happy Thursday, RotoBallers! Welcome back to our weekly showdown. Last week, we had a few solid plays, but the value busted. Max Christie really surprised everyone as he crushed his price with only around 1% ownership. Nick Richards was one of the best plays on the board, but Austin Reaves hurt my lineups. We don't have any injury news this slate besides Gary Payton II being out, but he's been pretty much DFS irrelevant. Hopefully, we can nail down some Warriors rotation and get a solid set of players together.

I absolutely love playing the NBA showdowns daily, it has become one of my favorite forms of DFS. Nothing is more thrilling than having a lineup consisting of players from one game and sweating it out while watching it live. There is a lot less room for error though with there being fewer options to choose from. Hopefully, with all the advanced stats, I will be able to bring you the best analysis possible and get you some extra cash for the weekend ahead. So strap in as the season is just beginning and we will be here all year long. 

I will provide you with daily fantasy basketball picks on FanDuel and DraftKings for the Nuggets vs. Warriors NBA DFS showdown slate on January 4. These NBA DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on both DraftKings and FanDuel. If you have any questions, you can follow me on Twitter/X @DFSKoby and please feel free to ask any questions about upcoming slates as I'm happy to answer any DMs or in our RotoBaller Discord!

MVP/Captain Plays

Nikola Jokic - C, $18,000 (DK), $17,000 (FD)

Key Stats

• 2023 Avg. Season Stats: 25.7 points, 12.3 rebounds, 9.1 assists with a combined 2.0 STOCK average.

The MVPs on this slate are pretty clear. No one on this slate other than Steph drops numbers as consistently as Jokic. Jokic is just on another level, and unless you are trying to go top-heavy on this slate on DK, then you will want one of these two as your captain. Jokic this season has averaged 57 FPPG. He should dominate the paint here as the Warriors don't have that true center to stop him. He has been an absolute monster against the Warriors in the past, nearly averaging a triple-double against them over the last five games.

Stephen Curry- G, $14,400 (DK), $14,500 (FD)

Key Stats

• The last 10 games average: 27.6 points, 4.6 assists, and 4.4 rebounds with a combined 1.2 STOCK average

I think having both Curry and Jokic in your lineups is going to be necessary. Now, picking one of them to be captain can be a bit tricky, but on DK you save 1.2K extra when putting Curry as Captain. That adds quite a bit of extra room around you. However, on FD, you should probably just have Curry in the STAR spot. He has been solid over his last few meetings against the Nuggets as well, averaging 25 PPG as well as 4-5 assists and rebounds each. It'll be chalky but more than likely these two will be your top two options on the slate.

Other Captains/MVPs: Jamal Murray

Want more NBA DFS tools and content? Check out our premium daily content from proven winner, Will Priester! 

Grab an NBA season pass and get access to our daily projections, optimizer, and Will's personal picks and advice. Use promo code THUNDERDAN at checkout to save 10%

DFS Flex Plays

Jonathan Kuminga -PF, $5,800 (DK), $10,000 (FD)

In Draymond Green's absence, Kuminga has really stepped into a bigger role and with Kevon Looney and Andrew Wiggins going to the bench as well, this has only increased his usage in the offense. He has dropped 33+ fantasy points in four of his last seven games and gets an excellent matchup as the Nuggets have given up the fifth-most fantasy points to PFs over the last 15 games. This is a great spot for a player at only 10K on FD and only 5.8K on DK.

Michael Porter Jr. -SF/PF, $7,400 (DK), $12,500 (FD)

Looking at his stats this year, as long as MPJ plays at least 30+ minutes, then he is primed for a solid outing. It's when he dips below it that his production seems to have vanished. Over his last 18 games where he has finished with 30+ minutes, at bare minimum he has finished with 25 fantasy points, but has games in the high 30s and low 40s, which makes MPJ a perfect flex play. I don't see this one being a blowout, so his minutes should be there for at least 30 minutes.

Other Flex Options: Aaron Gordon

DFS Value Plays

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope/Christian Braun- SG/SF, $5,400$ (DK), $7,000 (FD)

For KCP, the minutes are there, but the production has been inconsistent. It's quite the opposite for Christian Braun; when he is given the minutes, his production is pretty good. So I think having exposure to both of these guys in your lineups could be necessary. They are very cheap on both sites and with everyone else being as expensive as it is, getting a cheap guy is going to be crucial. I lean toward KCP over Braun as his minutes are going to be there but I don't mind a few shots of Braun in some GPPs.

Andrew Wiggins-SF, $5,600 (DK), $6,000 (FD)

Andrew Wiggins has been a tough code to crack this season. He has been a bit inconsistent, but his minutes are there and I think coming off the bench has been the best for him. He has scored 30+ in three of his last six, but the other three games resulted in sub-20 point games as well. I love his price on DK at 5.4K. Similar to KCP above, the minutes are there, but the production is inconsistent, which is something that is a theme with these Warriors besides Stephen Curry.

Other Value Plays: Peyton Watson

Have a great night and let's make some cash!

Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy basketball mobile app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, lineup notifications & DFS articles. All free!

More Weekly DFS Analysis