FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Thursday 1/27/22

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

Just two national television games make up Thursday's NBA slate, and there are some injuries worth noting.

In the first contest, the Lakers travel to Philadelphia to face off with the Sixers. Los Angeles is at full health in their rotation, but Philly will be missing Seth Curry due to his ankle issue. However, Danny Green is listed as questionable to return from a seven-game absence due to his hip pointer.

Then, in the nightcap, the Timberwolves visit the Warriors. The Wolves have Patrick Beverley listed as questionable due to an ankle sprain, and Jaylen Nowell is as well with what is classified as a "lower-body injury". For the Dubs, Andre Iguodala will sit a fourth straight contest with a hip injury.

Guards

D'Angelo Russell ($7,200): Point guard is the thinnest position on the slate. Stephen Curry's role in the offense since Klay has returned seems to just be too small for his salary mark. Russell is a spot for upside on this small slate; he's broken 42 FanDuel points in three of his past six contests. He's the third option for Minny, but with a 24.1% usage rate in January, he can still score the ball in bunches if he's hot from the field. Don't forget the revenge narrative here, either.

Tyrese Maxey ($5,800): Maxey was a complete dud at a heavy draft percentage on Tuesday, but unfortunately, the two-game slate means he's likely to be popular still anyway. It's for good reason; Maxey sees a 3.4 percentage-point bump in usage when Seth Curry is off the floor, and this salary is far from prohibitive. Perimeter scorers are the best place to attack the Lakers since L.A. cedes the eighth-most three-point attempts per game (36.8) in the NBA.

Others to Consider:
Klay Thompson ($6,200): If you're angling a Dubs' blowout, his limited role is the best on the floor. Team-best 31.5% usage since he returned.
Furkan Korkmaz ($4,500): Pounding minutes without production -- so far. If Danny Green is out again, a top value play on the slate.

Wings

Anthony Edwards ($7,300): Anthony Edwards is a bad man. He's also hilarious. Edwards posted 40 points and 0 assists (a stat line that would make Carmelo Anthony proud) on Tuesday, but that represents the scoring upside he carries at this salary. If this game holds to its 5.5-point spread, Edwards has put 17.7 shots per game in January. He'll be a giant chunk of the Timberwolves' offense for a salary that doesn't necessarily imply that.

Matisse Thybulle ($4,300): Returning from a shoulder injury, Thybulle logged 33 minutes. He's almost a zero offensively, but in tournaments on small slates like this, he has to be considered for his block plus steal upside. Thybulle averages 4.06 blocks plus steals per game, and that means he could potentially be can't-miss value with just five points and five rebounds. Green's return might shrink his role, so keep an eye on his status throughout the afternoon.

Others to Consider:
LeBron James ($10,700): With Anthony Davis back in a limited fashion, he saw a needed salary drop. The better five-digit option on the slate, personally.
Andrew Wiggins ($6,000): Both he and Otto Porter could hover around 30 minutes of court time with the potential to drop 20-plus points. Not bad.

Bigs

Joel Embiid ($11,400): Simply put, Embiid has been the best player in fantasy basketball in January. His 43.2% usage rate and 1.76 FanDuel points per minute rate lead all qualifying players this month. The lone question regarding him on this slate is the value to get there. It is limited with minimal injury news on all four sides, and so, Embiid must hit value to have a chance in a tournament. Posting 62-plus FanDuel points in four straight games, his odds aren't bad.

Kevon Looney ($4,900): Looney has assumed the Draymond Green role as the defensive anchor for Golden State, but his small usage rate (11.5%) leaves him short on upside on larger slates. On this one, he's the top-notch way to save value at power forward. The Wolves are dead last in the NBA in estimated rebounding percentage (70.0%), so Looney can put his 14.08 rebounds per 36 minutes this month to work and pay off without scoring many points.

Others to Consider:
Karl-Anthony Towns ($9,300): Incredibly appealing single-entry pivot to me. The $2,000 between him and Embiid goes a long way.
Tobias Harris ($8,100): Not sure how else you'd plug power forward if not him or Porter. 40-plus FanDuel points in three straight.