FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Saturday 1/1/22

The NBA scene changes on a week-to-week, day-to-day, and -- depending on injury news -- even a minute-to-minute basis, making every slate a unique one that requires an ever-changing approach.

With so much changing so quickly, we're here with plenty of tools to help you out. We have daily projections, a matchup heat map, a lineup optimizer, and a bunch of other great resources to help give you an edge.

Daily fantasy NBA is very reliant on opportunity, so you'll need to make sure that you're up-to-date with key injuries. Our projections update up until tip-off to reflect current news, and we also have player news updates. The projected numbers referenced below may change throughout the day.

We'll be coming at you with this primer every day, breaking down a few of the day's top plays at each position.

Guards

Bradley Beal, SG, (FanDuel Salary: $8,700) - The Washington Wizards are probably going to be missing a lot of dudes, which was the case in their last game, too. In that one, Beal posted 52.2 FanDuel points on a 31.6% usage rate. We could get a similar outing tonight. In a 167-minute sample with the Wizards' expected inactives off the court, Beal has a 28.3% usage rate while amassing 1.05 FanDuel points per minute, according to RotoGrinders' CourtIQ. We project him for 42.2 FanDuel points and rate him as the best point-per-dollar guard among those salaried at $7,000 or higher (as of Saturday morning).

Will Barton, SG/SF, $5,800 - The Denver Nuggets are going to be super short-handed, and that makes Barton a money play. In addition to the usual absences of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., Denver is sans Jeff Green and Monte Morris (and possibly Aaron Gordon and Austin Rivers, too). With Green and Morris off the floor this year, Barton sports a 28.0% usage rate -- a bump of 6.2 percentage points from his year-long mark -- while scoring 1.00 FanDuel points per minute. The matchup couldn't be much better as the Houston Rockets sit last in defensive efficiency and play at the third-fastest pace while allowing the 10th-most FanDuel points per game to two-guards (40.4). The game has a 224.0-point total -- tied for tops on the slate -- and a 7.0-point spread. Giddy up.

Derrick Walton Jr., PG, $4,500 and Cassius Stanley, SG, $3,800 - Another injury-ravaged squad is the Detroit Pistons. It should result in these two getting a lot of run. Walton has played 31 and 36 minutes in his last two games and has finished with 20.8 and 28.5 FanDuel points, respectively. Stanley logged 27 minutes last time out but flopped with 8.8 FanDuel points. Detroit is facing the San Antonio Spurs in a clash with a 224.0-point total and 6.5-point spread. San Antonio is permitting the sixth-most FanDuel points per game to point guards (47.9) and plays at the fourth-fastest pace. We have Walton (24.8 FanDuel points) and Stanley (25.7) projected as good point-per-dollar values.

Others to Consider: Stephen Curry ($10,300), Donovan Mitchell ($8,600), Reggie Jackson ($6,000)

Wings

DeMar DeRozan, SG/SF, $8,800 - Only two games on this smaller slate have a spread of fewer than 6.5 points, and one of them is DeRozan's Bulls going up against Washington. Chicago should be without Alex Caruso and Lonzo Ball once more, and in that split this year, DeRozan carries a stellar 33.2% usage rate and puts up 1.23 FanDuel points per minute. He's scored at least 46.6 FanDuel points in three of his past six games while getting 35-plus minutes in four straight.

Christian Wood, PF/C, $7,800 - I want pieces from the Rockets-Nuggets game, and given who the Nugs offer us as a center-only option, Wood fits best at power forward. With the Rockets mostly healthy (all things considered), Wood hasn't popped for a ceiling game in a while, but he should get a boost from the fantasy-friendly game environment versus Denver. Our algorithm is really into him as we peg him to rack up 41.6 FanDuel points (5.33 per $1,000).

Hamidou Diallo, SG/SF, $6,800 - The arrow has been up for a bit on Diallo with Detroit so banged up, and he went nuts in his last game, erupting for 31 points and 13 boards en route to 63.6 FanDuel points. He's got a team-leading 28.7% usage rate over the last three games and will likely be a chalky midrange pick in a friendly matchup against the Spurs as he's projected for 40.7 FanDuel points, which amounts to 5.99 per $1,000.

Others to Consider: Kevin Durant ($11,600), Saddiq Bey ($6,700), Corey Kispert ($3,800)

Bigs

Nikola Jokic, C, $11,700 - As we mentioned with Barton, Denver is hurting for bodies, and Jokic should get all the work he can handle. With their expected inactives off the court this season, Jokic owns a 34.3% usage rate while generating a silly 1.89 FanDuel points per minute. He's scored at least 59.3 FanDuel points in three straight outings. The floor/ceiling combination is as elite as it gets. I think I will start building with him and go from there. We project him for 55.4 FanDuel points -- 4.9 more than anyone else on the slate.

Daniel Gafford, C, $5,900 - Gafford should be a big beneficiary of Washington's injury woes. In their short-handed game on Thursday, he totaled 40.3 FanDuel points, and he's played 32 and 36 minutes in his past two games. Gafford has produced 1.18 FanDuel points per minute with the Wiz's expected inactives on the sideline. Our model has him going for 34.0 FanDuel points (5.78 per $1,000) and rates him as the best point-per-dollar choice among center-only players. With Jokic sure to be chalk, Gafford is a fun pivot if you want to roll the dice on Jokic having an off night.

Others to Consider: Nikola Vucevic ($9,500), Serge Ibaka ($4,000)