FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Tuesday 1/25/22

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

Welcome news to NBA fans' ears -- a nine-game slate with zero relevant players in COVID-19 protocols.

There are still some normal injuries to combat on this morning's report, though, and chief among them is Sacramento's De'Aaron Fox. Fox is listed as questionable for tonight's battle with Boston due to an ankle issue.

An ankle sprain also kept Brandon Ingram out of action Monday for New Orleans, and he's questionable on the second leg of the back-to-back, as well. On the other side of that one, Seth Curry is already ruled out with an ankle injury of his own for Philadelphia. The Sixers may get back Matisse Thybulle (shoulder; questionable), though.

Klay Thompson is experiencing soreness in the left knee he had structurally repaired that kept him out of action. He's questionable on the report, but the Warriors have to be very unlikely to push him in that event.

Patrick Beverley may miss a second straight game for Minnesota due to an ankle sprain. He's officially questionable.

The Hornets' usage tree may get a bit thinner if Gordon Hayward (foot) is unable to go.

Denver might be down a starter if Jeff Green is unable to play through a quad injury.

Nicolas Claxton is listed as questionable once more, but he's been out eight straight contests with his hamstring issue for Brooklyn. Perhaps more notably, though, the Lakers also welcome back a limited Anthony Davis on the other side of that tilt.

Guards

Dejounte Murray ($10,300): In a vacuum, the Spurs and Rockets are going to be undervalued due to their propensity to get blown out. However, when they meet with a 235.0-point total and a 4.5-point spread, things change dramatically. That combination resulted in a 69.5-point night on FanDuel for Murray two weeks ago -- although that was without Derrick White. Murray has still averaged 1.39 FanDuel points per minute since White returned, and that is more than enough in an environment this good.

Fred VanVleet ($8,200): VanVleet and Pascal Siakam have seen their salaries drop now that Scottie Barnes and Gary Trent Jr. have returned to the lineup to assist the offense. VanVleet's may have gone too far. He's still posted over 50 FanDuel points in back-to-back games with a stellar offensive role (18.5 shots per game since Barnes returned first). He'll have plenty of great looks against Charlotte; the Hornets allow the second-most three-point shots per game (40.0).

Tyrese Maxey ($5,900): With Curry out, Tyrese Maxey has been pounding minutes. He's played at least 40 in back-to-back contests, and his salary hasn't budged. Maxey also sees a role upgrade, for his 4.2 percentage-point increase in usage with Curry off the floor this season is highest on the Sixers, and he averages a sturdy 0.96 FanDuel points per minute during that floor condition. On Tuesday, it'll be against the Pels' awful 111.3 defensive rating (eighth-worst in the NBA).

Others to Consider:
Stephen Curry ($9,800): Even with his struggles against Dallas, if Klay sits, Curry is always a value at a four-digit salary.
C.J. McCollum ($7,900): Steady role since he returned. Likely shift to Tyrese Haliburton in his place if Fox is ruled out.
Patrick Mills ($5,200): Jordan Poole is obvious if Klay sits, but I wanted to provide a pivot. One of few Nets guaranteed court time.
Austin Rivers ($4,000): Started and saw 34 minutes in his return. A weak Detroit three-point defense on the other side, too.

Wings

James Harden ($10,500): Brooklyn is at home, and that means Kyrie Irving is out of the lineup. Harden is the top overall stud of the day as a result. During floor situations without Irving and Kevin Durant this season, Harden has a gigantic 34.5% usage rate that he's turned into a cool 1.48 FanDuel points per minute. We even saw him against the Lakers' poor defense in this exact floor condition on Christmas, and he posted 71 FanDuel points. With every box checked, I'll be different elsewhere.

Anthony Edwards ($6,700): After being carried to the locker room on Sunday, Edwards is off the injury report entering Tuesday. That makes this salary just too low because of his recent, small cold spell. In even a moderate look back at his last 12 games, he's broken 30 FanDuel points on 10 occasions. His upside is easy to see, as well. He carries a 27.6% overall usage rate into a matchup with a Portland squad that has the second-worst defensive rating (113.8) in the NBA.

Gary Trent Jr. ($5,000): The Raptors have a fairly even usage tree, and that makes them incredibly sensitive to recent salary changes. Like VanVleet, Trent Jr. has plummeted in salary recently. Though, back to 29 minutes in his game, he appears to be finally approaching his full workload entering Tuesday's game with Charlotte. Trent has seven 30-FanDuel-point games since December 1st, so with very recent access to a ceiling before his ankle injury, he feels like a no-brainer.

Others to Consider:
Jayson Tatum ($9,100): Was Sunday's eruption finally a breakout from his shooting spell? A weak Kings defense is a good matchup to let us know.
Keldon Johnson ($5,300): With 30-plus minutes in back-to-back contests, he's also an option in the fantasy game du jour.
Furkan Korkmaz ($4,400): The minutes are there, but he's flashed decent upside just once. It was a 50-burger, though. Tournaments only.
Dorian Finney-Smith ($4,300): 32-plus minutes in four straight. Over 30 FanDuel points in half of those. Solid plug at wing without getting cute.

Bigs

Nikola Jokic ($11,800): This salary is a whopper, but Jokic's role is absurd right now. Jokic currently has the best player efficiency rating in NBA history for a season, and somehow, he's been even better recently. He's averaged an absurd 1.72 FanDuel points per minute in the month of January, and he's broken 62 FanDuel points in four straight games. His current January comparison is essentially Chris Paul with 13.37 rebounds per 36 minutes. Terrifying to fade.

Robert Williams ($6,900): "Timelord" is someone I'll always get to if his minutes are right. With 31-plus minutes in back-to-back games, and Enes Freedom exiting the rotation, it feels like a decent spot to return to. Sacramento isn't a scary matchup for him. The Kings have allowed the eighth-most rebounds per game (46.3) to opponents, and they've also ceded the most paint points per game (52.4) in the NBA. His numberFire median projection is on board, too.

PJ Washington ($4,800): The Raptors are solid defensively, but they are small running when starting Pascal Siakam at the five. As a result, they've got the third-worse defensive rebounding percentage (70.3%) in the NBA. Charlotte's bigs should be able to take advantage of that, but Mason Plumlee is only eligible to be played at center. With Jokic and Jonas Valanciunas as key priorities on the slate, Washington's forward eligibility is handy for those seeking to exploit the matchup.

Others to Consider:
Christian Wood ($8,300): This salary has risen, but is he finally locked in? Double-digit boards in four of his last five.
Jonas Valanciunas ($7,400): If Ingram sits again, he navigated foul trouble to 39 FanDuel points in back-to-back contests. Even safer per dollar than Jokic.
LaMarcus Aldridge ($5,700): His playing time has dipped in two straight contests, but with Irving in both of them, was it just rest for the home games?
Kevon Looney ($5,000): Still a high-floor plug without Draymond Green. He's shown upside with 30-plus FanDuel points in three of six, too.