Main Slate Breakdown for NBA DFS 1/19:
Jan 31, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet (23) reacts after making a three-point basket during the second half against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-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!
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Golden State Warriors @ Boston Celtics
Vegas Total: 239.0
Vegas Spread: Bos -6.0
Starting with the Warriors, Klay Thompson should be good to go here after missing their previous game which will send Jordan Poole back to the bench and probably out of play at his current price tag. I had a bunch of Steph Curry on Monday’s slate and he had his best game since returning from injury and will be a guy I have no issue going right back to even in a tough matchup with this Celtics defense. Klay dropped a 50 burger against the Celtics earlier this season and is a guy I have no issue going back to on a short slate as well. Draymond Green had a big game last time out and would be a solid secondary option, he’s never really a guy I prioritize because his production is so dependent on ancillary stats, but he’s going to get them more times than not. Andrew Wiggins will be more of a tournament option as he continues to shake the rust off as he returns from injury. Then Kevon Looney has a nice price tag and the Celtics aren’t a great rebounding team, so he’s going to look like a strong option here. From the Celtics, Jaylen Brown comes into this one as questionable, so keep an eye on the Breaking News Feed for updates as we get closer to lock. I’ll operate under the assumption that he’s good to go here for the sake of the article. He had a massive game last time out and will be a great option again here if he’s able to give it a go. Speaking of massive games, Jayson Tatum has at least 54 DraftKings points in four of his last five games and love the matchup against this Warriors defense. Marcus Smart is a fine option, but his price tag feels like it’s right where it should be, if not, a bit overpriced. Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White are solid secondary options as well, they’ve been a bit more volatile than I’d love, but it’s a short slate. The minutes on Robert Williams are trending in the right direction and he’s been around the 30-minute mark much more over his last few games. He is averaging 1.07 fantasy points per minute on the season. Finally, I can’t say I love Al Horford, but I get it at this price tag.
5-star play: Steph Curry, Jayson Tatum
4-star play: Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Kevon Looney, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, Derrick White, Al Horford
Toronto Raptors @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Vegas Total: 231.0
Vegas Spread: Tor -5.0
Starting with the Raptors, Fred VanVleet was a guy I was all over last time against the Bucks and he had one of those vintage Bucks’ killer games. This is a nice matchup again in this one and is a guy I love going right back to here. Pascal Siakam hasn’t been in quite as good of form as he was a few weeks ago, but the minutes are going to continue to be sky-high in a tough matchup with this Wolves frontcourt. That said, he would see a nice boost if Gobert is forced to miss again. Scottie Barnes has been in great form as well and should continue to play all the minutes he can handle again in this one, he has at least 46 FanDuel points in five of his last six games. OG Anunoby is a fine option and has been pretty consistent this season, but probably more of a secondary option while Gary Trent Jr. is a tournament-only guy for me. From the Wolves, Karl-Anthony Towns will remain out while Rudy Gobert comes in as questionable, but I’ll operate under the assumption he’ll be good to go here. Edwards had a tough go of it last night but has been good with Towns off of the court this season with a 30.4% usage rate and 1.24 fantasy points per minute. Gobert will be a fine option if he can give it a go, but due to his recent form he won’t be a guy I’m all that thrilled to play. We kind of know what we’re getting out of D’Angelo Russell at this point, he’s going to play big minutes and probably be pretty solid, but not someone I’ll feel the need to prioritize… although he does feel a bit too cheap. Then guys like Kyle Anderson and Jaden McDaniels are fine secondary GPP options to round out this team. Lastly, we can go right back to Naz Reid if Gobert is out again in this one.
5-star play: Pascal Siakam, Anthony Edwards
4-star play: Fred VanVleet, Scottie Barnes, OG Anunoby, D’Angelo Russell, Rudy Gobert
Deeper Value: Chris Boucher, Precious Achiuwa
GPP Sleeper: Gary Trent Jr., Precious Achiuwa, Kyle Anderson, Jaden McDaniels
Brooklyn Nets @ Phoenix Suns
Vegas Total: 221.0
Vegas Spread: Bkn -1.5
Starting with the Nets, they’ll be without Kevin Durant again in this one, we saw Joe Harris start in his place last time out and looked good, so I would expect more of the same here. Below is how this team operates with Durant off of the court this season:
- Kyrie Irving – 34.9% usage rate; 1.28 fpm
- Joe Harris – 14.9% usage rate; 0.64 fpm
- Ben Simmons – 13.5% usage rate; 1.07 fpm
- Nic Claxton – 18.8% usage rate; 1.21 fpm
- TJ Warren – 23.1% usage rate; 0.88 fpm
These would be my favorite options on the Nets, Royce O’Neale will look good as well, he’s going to play all the minutes he can handle in a great matchup. Those big men in Claxton and Simmons will continue to look great considering the form they’re in. Kyrie ended up missing the last game which helped some of these ancillary pieces as well, but he’s expected to return here. From the Suns, Chris Paul comes into this one as questionable but has missed about two weeks now, so if he plays I’ll assume a limited workload. They’re also expecting Cam Johnson back as well, but he should be extremely limited as he’s been out for a few months, so don’t play him. These guys coming back, or at least expected to, will hurt guys like Duane Washington and Damion Lee… they’ll still get solid minutes as they work these guys back in but it’s going to get a little muddy. I do like Deandre Ayton, however, he had a rough game last time out but I love attacking this Nets team with opposing big men. Mikal Bridges will look good as well with at least 41 DraftKings points in three of his last four games and will play all the minutes he can handle.
5-star play: Kyrie Irving
4-star play: Ben Simmons, Nic Claxton, Royce O’Neale, Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges
Deeper Value: Joe Harris
GPP Sleeper: Joe Harris, Seth Curry, TJ Warren, Duane Washington, Damion Lee, Chris Paul
Quick shoutout to VIP member “Cenzamatic” on a massive $20k win last season! Sometimes paying up for double studs works, and Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant brought it home for him with the help of some Stanley Johnson and Pistons value. Good work and congrats man!
Philadelphia 76ers @ Portland Trail Blazers
Vegas Total: 233.0
Vegas Spread: Phi -2.0
Starting with the Sixers, Joel Embiid has been solid as of late with at least 57 FanDuel points in back-to-back games, he’s going to look like a top spend-up option on this slate. James Harden came crashing down to Earth last time out but has at least 57 DraftKings points in four of his last five games and makes sense in all formats again in this one. Tyrese Maxey is probably more of a secondary option, but we know the minutes will be there and he’s not afraid to demand some usage in this offense, he’s been a bit more volatile as of late however. Then guys like Tobias Harris and De’Anthony Melton are fine tournament options, but not priorities by any means, Harris looked good last time out and has been in much better form over his last two. From the Blazers, Damian Lillard kept it going last time out and now has at least 54 FanDuel points in four straight games. His price tag has finally hit that $10k mark on both sites, but he’s going to look good again in this one. I’ve been playing a ton of Jusuf Nurkic as of late due to his price tag, it did come up a bit but I think he’s a great option again. They’ll need his size against Embiid down low and will look good if he can stay out of foul trouble… which he wasn’t able to do against Jokic last time out. I never love Anfernee Simons when Dame is healthy, so he’ll be a tournament-only option… but I do think Simons is a very solid play. Then Josh Hart and Jerami Grant will continue to play all the minutes they can handle and will make sense at their respective price tags.
5-star play: Joel Embiid, Damian Lillard
4-star play: James Harden, Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey, Jusuf Nurkic, Jerami Grant, Anfernee Simons
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Tobias Harris, De’Anthony Melton, Anfernee Simons, Josh Hart
NBA Lock of the Day: Naz Reid (DK – $4.6k; FD – $5.0k)
I’m going to operate under the assumption that Rudy Gobert is unavailable again tonight, but Reid will look good regardless. If we assume Gobert is out again, Reid has a 24.5% usage rate and 1.28 fantasy points per minute with Gobert and Towns off of the court this season. He would be far too cheap in that scenario. He probably won’t be a core play if Gobert plays, but would be a good option on a short slate. 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!
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