NBA

NBA Daily Fantasy Helper: Monday 1/11/16

John Wall looks to stay hot tonight in what should be a high scoring game in Chicago.

If you've never played daily fantasy basketball before, it's time to start. Unlike traditional leagues, you're able to select the players you want on that specific day only, giving you a different squad to root for each and every NBA night.

Today's lineups can be found here. The information below is to help you understand why particular players are being picked, because we don't want you going into the night completely blind. We want to help you. Keep in mind, however, that things often change up until tip-off, so make sure you're refreshing the optimal lineups as close to the start of games as possible.

Oh, and if you're interested, check out our daily fantasy basketball heat chart for today's slate. It's full of information like tonight's Vegas lines, team offensive and defensive efficiency ratings, pace, fantasy points against and so much more.

As for today's picks -- let's get to it.

The Best of the Best

John Wall (FD: $9,900) - With Bradley Beal on the shelf for the past 15 games, Wall has been forced into a huge workload as of late, averaging 18.1 points, 10.6 assists and 4.2 rebounds in a whopping 37 minutes per game while recording 12 double-doubles over that span. The Wizards' floor general draws a terrific matchup against Derrick Rose and a Bulls' backcourt that has given up the fifth most fantasy points per game to opposing point guards, and should be in store for another monster outing in what Vegas expects to be the closest and highest scoring game on tonight's slate.

Jimmy Butler (FD: $8,700) - Butler comes into tonight scorching hot, having posted 28.6 points, 6.6 assists and 4.6 rebounds in a ridiculous 38.1 minutes of action per game since the calendar flipped to 2016. Considering he gets the pleasure of facing off against the Beal-less Wizards who have given up the third most fantasy points per game to opposing shooting guards, the Bulls' young star guard should stay hot tonight in the only game on the docket that features a single-digit spread.

Stephen Curry (FD: $10,800) - Curry finally seems to be back to his regular self following his shin injury, averaging 32 points, 10 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game over his last two outings. Although he does draw a somewhat difficult matchup against the Heat, the man who ranks number one in our player power rankings with a 24.5 nERD is as matchup proof as they come and is definitely in play given the fact that there are only three games on tonight's slate.

Top Mid-Range Values

Marcin Gortat (FD: $6,900) - The Bulls have struggled to slow down opposing big men all season long, giving up the seventh most fantasy points per game to opposing centers on the year. Meanwhile, Gortat has seen a significant increase in both usage and production since Beal went down 15 games ago and should see another massive workload in a plus matchup tonight.

UPDATE: Gortat is now questionable to suit up tonight. Jared Dudley and Nene Hilario -- if he plays -- would get a boost if Gortat is unable to play.

Otto Porter (FD: $6,000) - Similarly to the aforementioned Gortat, Porter has seen a much more critical role in the Wizards' offense since Beal's injury, and should remain Washington's third offensive option until the star shooting guard returns to the lineup. He draws an excellent matchup against a Bulls' defense that has allowed the second most fantasy points per game to opposing small forwards over their last seven games and can be had for a very reasonable price across the industry.

Goran Dragic (FD: $5,500) - The Dragon has seen a steady increase in playing time over the past few weeks, and should continue to see a heavy workload tonight against the Warriors. Although there is a decent chance of a blowout against the best team in basketball, Dragic should see more than enough action to reach value at less-than $6,000 on both FanDuel and DraftKings.

Basement Ballers

Shane Larkin (FD: $4,300) - With only three games on the slate and only one that features a single-digit line, value is tough to come by tonight. While I would normally fade any team facing off against the Spurs, Larkin makes a solid punt play tonight. He's averaged 7.8 points, 4 assists,  2.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game as the Nets' starting point guard and should push for close to 30 minutes again tonight. 

Garrett Temple (FD: $4,400) - Temple has posted 12.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 33 minutes of action while filling in for Beal in the Wizards' starting lineup. He will likely see another 30-plus minutes again tonight in what is expected to be the only close game on the board, and he makes a viable punt play in all formats given the lack of value available tonight.

Luol Deng (FD: $4,200) - Deng is averaging 9.9 points, 4.4 rebound and 1.5 assists per game this season. He draws a plus matchup against Brandon Rush and his career 109 Defensive Rating and provides decent value on a night where value is near impossible to come by.