RADIO
Happy Thursday, RotoBallers! Welcome back to our weekly showdown. Last week would have been an absolute banger had Michael Porter Jr. shown up to the game. Jonathan Kuminga also not playing in the fourth quarter didn't help either and I think he agreed after his post-game comments. However, if you caught my lineup in the RotoBaller Discord, I put out a line that cashed well in all contests. The switch from MPJ to Aaron Gordon was the move. Now on to this week. Usually we do the night game, but I couldn't bring myself to do the Lakers vs. Suns for the third time this year. So with both sites having the Blazers and Thunder, we will grab this game. For this one, we are going to dig deep as it might be a blowout, so getting some deep-value guys might be the key here to a solid win!
I 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 Trail Blazers vs. Thunder NBA DFS showdown slate on January 11. 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!
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MVP/Captain Plays
Chet Holmgren- C, $12,900 (DK), $14,500 (FD)
Key Stats
- 2023 Avg. Season Stats: 17.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists with a combined 3.2 STOCK average.
This is by no means a fade on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and I highly recommend getting both of these guys in your lineups. Chet is in one of the best spots he will be all season long. Currently, the Blazers are giving up the most fantasy points in the league to centers over the last seven games. He recently had a game against the Wizards where he finished with 50 fantasy points, as Washington is giving up the third-most in the league. This is an even better spot than that! I will also say especially on DK that putting him at Captain with him being 3.3K cheaper is an absolute steal. On top of that, it is looking doubtful that Deandre Ayton plays, which makes it even better for Chet.
Anfernee Simons- PG, $12,000 (DK), $13,500 (FD)
Key Stats
- 2023 Avg. Season Stats: 24.6 points, 5.3 assists, and 3.5 rebounds with a combined 0.8 STOCK average
There is one spot that over the last 15 games OKC has struggled against and it's the PG position. They have given up the third- most fantasy points to PGs recently, which makes this a great bounce-back spot for the young stud Simons to take advantage of. He is the primary scorer for them, averaging nearly 25 points a game and can be the main difference maker for this team.
If his shot is falling, it can lead to a closer game than many may expect. OKC is coming off a back-to-back as well, which could lead to them being a bit tired or maybe a bit more relaxed against a worse team. Anfernee has shown he can have big performances, including a 57 fantasy point night against the Nets. If this one stays close, I expect Anfernee to be one of the leading scorers in the game.
Other Captains/MVPs: SGA, Jerami Grant
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DFS Flex Plays
Jalen Williams- SF, $7,600 (DK), $13,000 (FD)
Jalen Williams has been on quite the tear recently, dropping 30+ in 12/14 games and in the two he didn't, he had 28 fantasy points. He has been a critical part of this lineup and I would say if you are trying to get different, then this is the player to go different with.
Portland gives up the sixth-most fantasy points to small forwards over the last 15 games and with his recent tear, that lines up even better for him. He also has the third-highest usage percentage on the team only shortly behind Josh Giddey, although I trust Jalen much more to get his fantasy points over Giddey. He is a little high-end for a flex play, but if you want to get different in your GPPs, then Jalen Williams is an excellent spot to do so.
Shaedon Sharpe- SG, $6,000 (DK), $10,500 (FD)
Shaedon Sharpe has slotted into a sixth-man kind of role since returning from his short injury stint and has been quite the producer off the bench. He has led the team in minutes off the bench in three of his last four games and that one game was due to a 30-point blowout.
If this game even stays remotely close, we should see Shaedon with about 25 minutes and he will be their main scorer off the bench. He also averages about five rebounds a game and since his return from injury, he has been averaging close to 1.5 STOCKs a game as well. I'd expect anywhere from 25-30 fantasy points from Shaedon in a game that doesn't result in a massive blowout.
Other Flex Options: Duop Reath, Josh Giddey
DFS Value Plays
Jabari Walker- SF/PF, $5,600$ (DK), $8,500 (FD)
This one depends on whether he plays, but he had one of the better games of his short career against the Thunder last time out in what was a blowout by OKC. With all the injuries at the center position, Portland really could use a player like Walker back in the lineup. Over the last seven games, the Thunder are giving up the fourth-most fantasy points to power forwards.
On top of that, with Walker coming off the bench, he more often than not won't have to worry about going against Chet Holmgren and recently the Thunder have gone small ball off the bench. If he ends up playing, I highly recommend grabbing Jabari as a value option.
Isaiah Joe- SF, $5,600 (DK), $6,000 (FD)
Finding consistency off the Thunder bench can be a bit of a shot in the dark, so I'll give you a few options to choose from. The first one is Isaiah Joe, as he cooked Portland in their previous matchup by hitting five of his six threes but only finished with about 20 fantasy points. He gets the most consistent minutes off the bench, but doesn't do much outside of shooting.
Aaron Wiggins can be a decent option, but his minutes are so inconsistent that he is a risk. If you think this one is a blowout, he could be a sneaky option to get blowout minutes. Cason Wallace gets plenty of minutes, but at times just does nothing with them. He has a lot of empty minutes off the bench, but has shown games where he drops 20+ fantasy points. Out of these three though, if you need the value, I would go with Joe and hope he's on a shooting clinic.
Other Value Plays: Aaron Wiggins, Cason Wallace, Kenrich Williams (deep GPP)
Have a great night and let's make some cash!
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