FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Tuesday 1/11/22

If you're new to daily fantasy basketball -- maybe you started your DFS journey during the MLB or NFL seasons, or maybe basketball is your sport and this will be your first year giving it a shot -- you're in for a treat. 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 basketball is very reliant on a player's 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, we have player news updates, and the FanDuel Scout app will send push notifications for pressing updates regarding your players.

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

Let's break down today's main slate on FanDuel.

The Slate and Key Injuries

COVID-19 Protocol Update
Due to the advanced number of players in COVID-19 protocols, I want to provide just a manual list of those players moving forward and then discuss the other injury news separately. Only players that significantly impact the slate are listed:

The shortest COVID-19 protocol table since basically November? What a great start to Tuesday!

There are still a few normal injuries worth highlighting, and that is headlined by Draymond Green of the Warriors -- although some of you were painfully aware Green has a calf injury by this point. His teammates Otto Porter (shoulder) and Gary Payton II (ankle) may join him on the sidelines for Golden State.

Dillon Brooks will sit for Memphis on Tuesday with an ankle issue.

An ankle also has Gary Trent Jr. questionable to miss the Raptors' contest with the Suns, and Cameron Johnson is already out due to an ankle injury for Phoenix. High-top shoes and wraps, people! Toronto may also be missing Scottie Barnes due to a knee issue.

While of minimal daily fantasy significance, the crowded Timberwolves backcourt may be down Patrick Beverley due to his lingering groin injury.

Guards

Fred VanVleet ($9,700): VanVleet's New Year's resolution must have been to take more shots. He's taken 21.4 shots per game in January with a team-best 28.9% usage rate, and that's catapulted him into this new salary tier. Toronto has a couple of wings on the injury report, and their absence could only increase his shot volume even further. He hasn't been popular on any slate because this new salary is so drastically different, but his current role actually justifies it.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($7,800): The entire Oklahoma City Thunder roster has been struggling of late, and their star is no exception. Still, this salary now is attached to a player that posted 43-plus FanDuel points in five straight games to close December. OKC is a 10-point underdog to Washington, and the game is tough to stack with elevated salaries on the Wizards' side due to COVID-19, but this figure was noticeably low, and his upside requires a spot in a tournament build.

Cade Cunningham ($6,500): Can the little engine that could do it again? The Pistons have avoided blowouts in back-to-back games as sizable underdogs, and it's been four of their last six at a greater glance. If getting his full playing time, the same sentence from yesterday's helper holds -- Cunningham will get his at this salary. He's averaging 1.01 FanDuel points per minute this season, and his current role without Jerami Grant turned into 29 real-life points a night ago.

Others to Consider:
Zach LaVine ($7,500): He will be in my player pool for the first time all season. Under-salaried assuming this game stays close-ish.
Devonte' Graham ($5,500): This would be Reggie Jackson, but I can't trust the Clippers' rotation. Graham is projected well, too.
Monte Morris ($4,900): No Denver player is a wrong answer for a short roster now without Will Barton. Morris will start and see 30-plus minutes.

Wings

DeMar DeRozan ($8,200): With many Chicago Bulls' salaries reduced as Lonzo Ball has returned, there is value in a friendly matchup with Detroit. The lone issue is the 14-point spread. If you build from the perspective of keeping it close, DeRozan's upside is unmatched at this salary. He's averaging 1.16 FanDuel points per minute this season as a whole, and that's before factoring in the Pistons allow the second-most FanDuel points per game (44.69) to opposing small forwards.

Marcus Morris ($6,900): The Clips' rotation is a total nightmare for fantasy. They haven't played a game decided by fewer than 15 points since January 1st, and Morris sat that game. Still, with a 27.4% usage rate since Paul George went down on December 23rd, there's a guarantee Morris will try to get his own offense going. He's done a nice job of that, posting 20 or more real-life points in five of his last seven games. He's worth a look at a desolate position.

Jae Crowder ($4,100): Welcome back to a full-time role, Jae Crowder. Phoenix has been leaning on Cam Johnson more as of late (because I think I've never seen him miss a shot?), but Crowder should return to 30-plus minutes with Johnson's injury. numberFire grades Crowder out as the top value play of the day, and I have a hard time disagreeing with that premise given there's not really a star you're missing out on at small forward to squeeze him in.

Others to Consider:
Brandon Ingram ($8,000): I usually am higher on Ingram than our projections, but today is the opposite. Still a solid matchup with Minny.
Luguentz Dort ($5,600): Kenrich Williams in the COVID-19 protocols secures his role, and his block plus steal upside is great at this salary.
Gary Trent Jr. ($5,200): Ultimately, believe both he and Barnes play. Both are great values in that event.

Bigs

Nikola Jokic ($11,400): If there wasn't a dazzling mid-range center, I might have gone to Jokic 100% of the time in tournaments. The Clippers are a small team, and they're dead last in the NBA in estimated rebounding. Jokic posted 22 boards against L.A. last month, and that's part of a run for him where he's posted at least 16 rebounds in six of his last eight contests. That floor is hard to turn down before even mentioning the extra workload he'll have with no Will Barton.

Deandre Ayton ($7,300): Ayton is the lone exception as the pivot to Jokic today. He returned in Phoenix's last game to 32 minutes. Although the production wasn't stellar, rust was understandable given the layoff. Ayton averages 1.15 FanDuel points per minute this season, and his court time should be secure with no Cam Johnson. The Clippers are last in estimated rebounding, but Ayton's opponent, Toronto, is sixth from the bottom (75.1%) themselves.

Aaron Gordon ($5,100): Gordon would probably be flagged as the most reliable source of offense for Denver behind Jokic, so I'm comfortable using them both together. Gordon sees a 0.5 percentage-point increase in usage with Barton off the floor this season, but it's worth adding they usually would rest and play on the same cycle for the Nuggets. With my center spots taken, the priority becomes forward-eligible bigs, and Gordon is amongst the top projected ones of the day by numberFire.

Others to Consider:
Jaren Jackson Jr. ($7,000): At this salary, Steven Adams has to remain out to be viable. A core play if that's the case.
Scottie Barnes ($5,300): Barnes isn't really a big man, but I'll plug him in at power forward if he goes. It'll be OG Anunoby if he doesn't.
Jeff Green ($5,100): Also not a true big man, Green should enter the starting lineup for Barton. We've seen scoring binges in that event.