Main Slate Breakdown for NBA DFS 01/30:
Jan 28, 2022; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) celebrates after made three-point shot in the second half against the New York Knicks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports
Welcome to another year of the DFS Army NBA Full Court Press! Members had a ton of success using the Full Court Press along with various articles and tools that DFS Army provides last season, so we are glad to be back with another year of the all-inclusive article. You have to start your research somewhere, and oftentimes going game by game and breaking down every matchup and its key players is the first step in our process. My name is Mike aka @MadnessDFS on Twitter, make sure to give me a follow as I’ll occasionally make updates to the advice in the article. But, you’ll mostly find me in our VIP coaching forums where I provide detailed lineup maneuvers and answer all lineup questions. With that said, let’s get it started!
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Detroit Pistons
Vegas Total: 211.0
Vegas Spread: Cle -8.0
We’ll kick this slate off starting with the Cavaliers, Darius Garland has been in great form as of late and gets a nice matchup here with the Pistons. Then Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley should be able to do whatever they want in this frontcourt led by Isaiah Stewart. Kevin Love has back-to-back games of 40+ fantasy points and a nice GPP option here, we know the minutes will be volatile, however. Outside of those four guys, it would really only be Rajon Rondo I would have interest in from this team. He looks like a nice tournament value… but I do think we’re going to have some better value for cash games when we get to the Spurs. From the Pistons, Cade Cunningham came crashing down to Earth last time out after dropping nearly 70 fantasy points against the Nuggets. It’s a tougher matchup here for Cade but I do like the upside at this price tag. Saddiq Bey has found some consistency as of late and looks like a solid option here but would lean to go with him in GPPs due to the matchup against Mobley and Allen. Then the rest of this Pistons team is going to be pretty tough for me to love, I do like guys like Isaiah Stewart and Trey Lyles due to the size Detroit will need against this frontcourt that the Cavs will throw out there.
5-star play: None
4-star play: Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Cade Cunningham, Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart, Trey Lyles
Deeper Value: Rajon Rondo
GPP Sleeper: Kevin Love, Rajon Rondo, Hamidou Diallo, Isaiah Stewart, Trey Lyles
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Denver Nuggets @ Milwaukee Bucks
Vegas Total: 228.0
Vegas Spread: Mil -6.5
Starting with the Nuggets, what’s there left to say about Nikola Jokic? The guy is absolutely crushing everyone in his path but will get a matchup against Giannis who will at the very least be able to hang tough with him. That being said, he’s an elite spend-up option on this slate as usual. Aaron Gordon had a nice game in this matchup earlier this season, but that game was without Jokic so we’ll need to take that game with a grain of salt. I wouldn’t have an issue with him in GPPs at the very least. I do like Will Barton again here at this price tag as well, he’s averaging 38.75 DraftKings points per game in five games against this Bucks since 2020. Then we can round this team out with Monte Morris as a solid secondary option. From the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo is in a similar boat as Jokic here. He’s crushing everyone in his path but finally gets a matchup against a guy that may be able to hang with him, at least slightly. They’re both elite plays with all of that said, however. The production on Khris Middleton is going to come down now that Jrue Holiday is back in the starting lineup. He actually had a pretty good game last time out but just shot terribly, I don’t love the price tag but if you fall on him I would be okay with it. I would rather save the money and go down to Jrue if you can, he’s back up to his full minutes and has at least 40 fantasy points in two of his last three. Finally, Bobby Portis will continue to be a solid option in all formats. The minutes are consistent with him and is generally a nice per minute guy on the season.
5-star play: Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo
4-star play: Aaron Gordon, Will Barton, Jrue Holiday, Bobby Portis
Deeper Value: Donte DiVincenzo
GPP Sleeper: Monte Morris, Khris Middleton, Grayson Allen, Pat Connaughton, Donte DiVincenzo
Dallas Mavericks @ Orlando Magic
Vegas Total: 211.5
Vegas Spread: Dal -5.5
Starting with the Mavericks, we need to start with Kristaps Porzingis who screwed us last night, but not much we could have done… he played 11 minutes before leaving the game with an injury. He will be out tonight along with Tim Hardaway Jr., below is how this team operates with these two off of the court this season:
- Luka Doncic – 39.9% usage rate; 1.66 fpm
- Jalen Brunson – 24.6% usage rate; 0.97 fpm
- Dorian Finney-Smith – 16.4% usage rate; 0.77 fpm
- Maxi Kleber – 13.6% usage rate; 0.89 fpm
These would be my main options from the Mavs and maybe even a little Dwight Powell love as I would expect him to get the start at center tonight. It’s a great matchup for these guys against the Magic and look like nice options. From the Magic, the price tag continues to look nice on Cole Anthony and I like the matchup with the Mavs, he’ll look good tonight. The same can be said for Wendell Carter Jr., we’re used to seeing him about a thousand dollars more than he is right now. Jalen Suggs has cooled off a bit over his last couple of games but is still going to see big minutes in a nice matchup. Franz Wagner will continue to be a solid option in all formats due to the consistency he provides. We can round the Magic out with Mo Bamba in tournaments, he’s coming off of a nice game last time out and gets a Kristaps-less Mavs frontcourt here.
5-star play: Luka Doncic, Jalen Brunson, Cole Anthony
4-star play: Dorian Finney-Smith, Maxi Kleber, Wendell Carter Jr., Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner, Mo Bamba
Deeper Value: Dwight Powell
GPP Sleeper: Dwight Powell, Terrence Ross
Utah Jazz @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Vegas Total: 227.0
Vegas Spread: Min -1.0
Starting with the Jazz, they’ll continue to be without Rudy Gobert here as Donovan Mitchell comes in as questionable, so keep an eye on the Breaking News Feed for updates surrounding his status. I’ll operate under the assumption that he’s out again due to how long he’s been out. Mike Conley will look like a solid option in all formats, as usual, he’s generally a point-per-minute guy and gets a nice matchup. I do like going to Jordan Clarkson again here assuming Mitchell is out, he’s been volatile as of late but the matchup sets up really well for him here. I love going right back to Hassan Whiteside as well, I’ve been targeting bigs against the Wolves for about two years now and won’t stop today. Then guys like Bojan Bogdanovic, Joe Ingles, and Rudy Gay look like fine secondary or GPP options here. From the Wolves, we’ll need news from this backcourt as Patrick Beverley and D’Angelo Russell both come in as questionable in this one. Beverley has been out for their last four games so I’ll assume he misses again and Russell is a go. Russell and Edwards both look like nice GPP options here at the very least. Anthony Edwards is coming off of a 60 point fantasy game last time out giving him 60 points in two of his last three games. Karl-Anthony Towns will look nice here as well against a Gobert-less frontcourt and even though Whiteside puts up nice defense stats, he sucks on defense. Then I have no issue landing on Jarred Vanderbilt in all formats.
***Assuming Donovan Mitchell is OUT***
5-star play: Hassan Whiteside, Karl-Anthony Towns
4-star play: Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson, D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Bojan Bogdanovic, Joe Ingles, Rudy Gay, Jarred Vanderbilt
I wanted to give a quick shoutout to VIP member “GhostfaceKillaa” on his $30k win earlier in the season. A pivot to Curry off the chalky Doncic was the key for him, congrats man!
San Antonio Spurs @ Phoenix Suns
Vegas Total: 228.0
Vegas Spread: Pho -13.5
Starting with the Spurs, they’ll be without Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, and Jakob Poeltl here so there’s going to be a bunch of value to get to with them. I would expect a starting lineup something similar to the below along with their production numbers with these three off of the court this season:
- Tre Jones – 16.1% usage rate; 0.88 fpm
- Devin Vassell – 18.0% usage rate; 0.82 fpm
- Doug McDermott – not enough sample size
- Keldon Johnson – 23.6% usage rate; 0.81 fpm – small sample
- Drew Eubanks – 18.0% usage rate; 1.06 fpm
All of these guys will look like great options at their current price tags. I’ll like Tre Jones, Devin Vassell, and Keldon Johnson, in particular, quite a bit while Doug McDermott is more of a scoring dependant guy and the minutes will be unpredictable for Eubanks. From the Suns, there’s a chance they get Deandre Ayton, JaVale McGee, and Jae Crowder back in this spot, as they all come in as questionable, so keep an eye on the Breaking News Feed for updates on them and the frontcourt as a whole. Devin Booker and Chris Paul both look like great options here against the Spurs B-unit. My interest in Cam Johnson will depend on the availability of those front-court guys, but the price tag did come up quite a bit on him, but for good reason. Lastly, Mikal Bridges will continue to be a fine “last piece in” type guy.
5-star play: Tre Jones, Keldon Johnson, Devin Booker, Chris Paul
4-star play: Devin Vassell, Lonnie Walker IV, PHO front court TBD
Deeper Value: Tre Jones, Drew Eubanks, Lonnie Walker IV, Josh Primo
GPP Sleeper: Doug McDermott, Josh Primo, Jock Landale
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NBA Lock of the Day: Tre Jones (DK – $3.0k; FD – $4.1k)
Jones is the dead min on DraftKings and still playable at his price on FanDuel due to the role he’ll play today. Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, and Jakob Poeltl are all out for the Spurs tonight so I would expect Jones to run the team today and has averaged 20.5 DraftKings points per game in two games as a starter this season. I think that’s more of a floor we’re looking at today. At this point in the day, I would think he makes my core, but check out our VIP Cheat Sheets as we get closer to lock for staff picks on Core plays, 8x locks of the day, and tiers notes as well!
As always, watch Twitter for updates throughout the day, and stay updated in our VIP Coaching forums as news breaks throughout the day!
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