DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Friday 1/31/20
With seven games to choose from on tonight's NBA slate, let's take a look at how to utilize the DFS possibilities.
Here are some of the top plays and sleepers on DraftKings. As always, good luck.
Point Guard
Ja Morant ($6,900) -- This will be the first meeting between Zion Williamson ($7,000) and Morant, and everyone who follows basketball is looking forward to this duel. The first and second overall picks are both worth throwing in your lineup tonight, but Morant is more likely to have the better all-around game. The New Orleans Pelicans allow the fifth-most points to opposing point guards (24.78), assists (8.39), and fantasy points per game (49.63). Morant recorded 16 points, 9 assists, and 3 rebounds versus New Orleans in the first meeting. numberFire's model projects Morant to record 19.9 points, 7.4 assists, 4 rebounds, and 36.9 fantasy points in the first of many Zion versus Ja matchups.
Spencer Dinwiddie ($7,500) -- Dinwiddie has led the Brooklyn Nets in scoring and assists over the last two games and heads into a matchup at home versus the ailing Chicago Bulls. Dinwiddie has the eighth-highest projected ceiling among point guards tonight (48.2) after averaging 39.62 fantasy points the past two games. He's averaging 37 fantasy points on the season and has totaled 37 or more in four of his last five games. The Bulls are tough defensively against guards, ranking first in points allowed versus point guards (19.48) and shooting guards (19.58). However, this current Bulls defense doesn't have the manpower to stop Dinwiddie and Kyrie Irving ($9,000), who's scored 20 points in three straight games. Chicago has allowed 20-point scorers in four straight games, and Dinwiddie is the cheaper option between him and Irving, freeing up some DFS cash for Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,700) or another star.
Shooting Guard
Jalen Brunson ($3,800) -- Brunson posted 15 points in his previous game -- the most in his last three -- and tonight the Dallas Mavericks will be without Luka Doncic against the Houston Rockets. Brunson's minutes will certainly increase, and the Rockets are among the worst in the league in opponent fantasy points, specifically at the guard positions. Houston allows the fourth-most (44.38) points to shooting guards and seventh-most assists to point guards (8.35) per game. Over the last five games, Brunson has increased his fantasy points per minute from 0.86 to 1.01, making him a quality sleeper option tonight.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($6,700) -- Gilgeous-Alexander has had a monster January, averaging 19.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 3.9 assists. Over the last five games, he's increased his fantasy points per minute (1.10) and boosted his fantasy points per game by 12.16% (39.80). He's projected for the eighth-highest ceiling (45.86) among shooting guards tonight and has surpassed his season fantasy points per game average of 35.5 in nine of his last 10 games. The Oklahoma City Thunder are in Phoenix, and the Suns are allowing the fifth-most points per game to shooting guards (24.09) and force the fourth-fewest turnovers (2.99). They rank 21st overall, allowing 42.54 fantasy points per game to two-guards, and Gilgeous-Alexander should hit the over there. numberFire projects him to record 35.7 fantasy points, but I like his upside tonight versus a Suns unit that allows 114 points at home (25th).
Small Forward
LeBron James ($10,300) -- James has averaged 1.59 fantasy points per minute over his last 10 games, and his player efficiency rating ranks seventh in the league (26.26). He also leads the NBA in assists (10.7) and is 11th in points (25.3). LeBron has the second-highest ceiling (68.10) among forwards tonight, trailing only Giannis. He will be playing for his fallen brother, Kobe, and you can certainly expect he and the Los Angeles Lakers will have something special ready tonight. The King is averaging 55.5 fantasy points per game, and his usage rating has risen to 33.85%. numberFire projects James to record 26.2 points, 10.2 assists, and 7.3 rebounds tonight versus the Trail Blazers.
Danilo Gallinari ($6,200) -- Gallinari has averaged 36.9 fantasy points over the last 10 games compared to 32.2 on the season. He's averaged 1.18 fantasy points per minute over the last 10 games and had a season-high 20.9 real-life points per game in January. Gallinari's ceiling is rated sixth-best at the position tonight (40.63), and he's a solid option versus the Suns.
Power Forward
Kristaps Porzingis ($6,800) -- More weight will be on the shoulders of Porzingis after Doncic was announced out for two weeks with ankle damage. Porzingis had a solid stretch without Doncic earlier in the season, averaging 22.5 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks in the four games without him. Porzingis is averaging 1.18 fantasy points per game, and I'm expecting that number to increase over the next few weeks. The Rockets are allowing the fifth-most fantasy points per game to power forwards (50.39), and Porzingis' usage rating has increased by over six percentage points to 27.27% in the past five games.
Michael Porter Jr. ($5,400) -- Porter Jr. is the third-hottest player of the last five games, averaging 34.05 fantasy points over that span. Jamal Murray and Paul Millsap are still sidelined with injuries, so Porter Jr. should keep seeing his totals increase with his minutes. He's 10th among all players tonight in fantasy points per minute in his last five games (1.36), ranking higher than Devin Booker (1.32) and Anthony Davis (1.25). His usage rate in the last five games is at a season-high 24.58%, too, and he's coming off his fourth double-double in the last seven games.
Center
Clint Capela ($7,800) -- Rockets bigs will be facing Porzingis tonight without Doncic, so expect a much better performance. The Mavericks allow 15.49 rebounds per game to opposing centers, and Capela is capable of doing that himself. He ranks fourth in the league with 13.8 rebounds despite falling short of his average for seven straight games. Capela is averaging 1.14 fantasy points per minute on the season, and he has the seventh-highest projected ceiling (50.18) among centers heading into tonight's matchup. numberFire's median projection pegs him for 14.1 points, 13.1 rebounds, and 38.1 fantasy points.
Jarrett Allen ($6,100) -- Allen has a pretty favorable matchup tonight versus the Bulls, as they allow the fourth-most points per game (22.53) to opposing centers and are 19th in rebounds per game (15.46), giving up the sixth-most fantasy points per game (56.10). Allen is averaging 30.5 fantasy points per game over his last five, slightly above his 29.6 average on the season. Allen has averaged 1.06 fantasy points per minute, and without Wendell Carter Jr. and Lauri Markkanen for the Bulls, Allen should surpass his fantasy averages. Allen has recorded two double-doubles in his last five games and posted 11 points and 7 rebounds in his first meeting of the season with both Bulls big men playing.
Vaughn Dalzell is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Vaughn also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username vdalzell. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
