Let's get the new year started off the right way by winning in daily fantasy hoops. There are plenty of options with 11 games on the slate on Friday night. Most of the stud players are unlikely to reach their value because their price tags are ridiculously high on DraftKings. There are plenty of value plays at all positions. Small forward continues to be a painful position to fill.
The point guard position has so many great mid-tier options that it makes it hard to spend huge money at that position. Also, there are only a few value plays that are even worth considering tonight. Tyreke Evans continues to be a sensational play whenever he plays at home (averaging almost 40 FP at home) and his price tag is not that high. There are a couple of really good value plays at the position as well. I want to believe in Jeff Green tonight because his price is not that high and he tore the Mavericks apart in their previous matchup, but he's always a risky play. There are plenty of value plays at the small forward that will allow you to spend up at other positions.
Love the power forward position as this is a huge revenge game for Paul Millsap as he faces the Jazz in Utah. Also, Greg Monroe is under priced on Fanduel and dominated the Knicks the last time he faced them. The center position is not a place I'm going to spend up on because the cheap plays should all exceed value. Time to grind.
Here is the Daily Fantasy Basketball Playbook for January 2nd:
Point Guards
| Player | Team | DraftKings | Fanduel | Comments |
| Mike Conley | Grizzlies | 8,400 | 7,500 | Lakers are brutal vs opposing PG's. Amazing value on FD |
| Rajon Rondo | Mavericks | 7,900 | 8,200 | Ultimate revenge game. Solid #1 PG on DK |
| Kemba Walker | Hornets | 9,400 | 8,500 | Solid #2 PG on FD. Will easily attempt 20+ shots. Can downgrade to Teague if you need the extra $$ |
| Kyrie Irving | Cavs | 9,300 | 8,800 | Worth playing over Kemba if you can fit him in your LU |
| C.J. Watson | Pacers | 4,700 | 4,400 | Great value play if he plays. Sloan becomes a great value play on DK if Watson sits. Like T. Burke as well |
Shooting Guards
| Player | Team | DraftKings | Fanduel | Comments |
| Tyreke Evans | Pelicans | 7,800 | 7,300 | Will be in all of my LU's on FD. Plays great at home & HOU is bad vs opposing SG's |
| Victor Oladipo | Magic | 5,600 | 6,300 | Love his low price tag on DK |
| Gerald Henderson | Hornets | 4,600 | 4,700 | Should have no problem exceeding value for the 3rd straight game |
| Tony Allen | Grizzlies | 3,500 | 4,300 | Super cheap for a starting player. Gets steals in bunches |
Small Forwards
| Player | Team | DraftKings | Fanduel | Comments |
| Jeff Green | Celtics | 6,100 | 5,900 | Celtics will need his scoring & his price tag is cheap |
| Draymond Green | Warriors | 7,800 | 7,700 | Best of the expensive SF's |
| Mike Miller | Cavaliers | 3,800 | 3,700 | Nice punt-play that will get more minutes with LBJ out |
Power Forwards
| Player | Team | DraftKings | Fanduel | Comments |
| Paul Millsap | Hawks | 9,100 | 8,400 | Love his price on FD. Had 30 & 17 vs Utah earlier this season |
| Greg Monroe | Pistons | 7,500 | 6,300 | Super cheap on FD. Like Sullinger more on DK |
| Tristan Thompson | Cavs | 6,100 | 5,900 | Good for 10+ rebounds & 30 FP |
| Jonas Jerebko | Pistons | 3,500 | 3,900 | Solid punt play that should exceed value on both sites |
| Kevin Love | Cavs | 9,200 | 8,500 | Price is high, but he did have 64 FP vs CHA in their last meeting. Good stack with K. Irving for GPPs |
Centers
| Player | Team | DraftKings | Fanduel | Comments |
| Cole Aldrich | Knicks | 5,300 | 5,100 | 25+ FP in 3 straight games. |
| Nikola Vucevic | Magic | 8,600 | 8,700 | Best value out of the top tier C's. Would go with Gasol on FD |
| Bismack Biyombo | Hornets | 4,500 | 4,700 | Still skeptical, but did play 26 minute last game. Better on DK |
| Zaza Pachulia | Bucks | 4,100 | 4,900 | Great value on DK |
Player News
Nikola Jokic finished with 17 points (6-of-16 FGs), eight rebounds, six assists, one steal, one block, two three-pointers and six turnovers in Game 2 against the Thunder on Wednesday.
This was Jokic’s worst performance of the postseason, and it came to an end in the third quarter. He fouled out with 1:17 left in the third, which brought his night to a close after he played 32 minutes. OKC was up 41 points when Jokic fouled out, so his night may have been close to over anyway. Jokic dominated Game 1, and the Thunder adjusted. Denver will need other players to step up if they want to have a chance of winning this series, but Jokic will also need to be better than he was in this game.
Michael Porter Jr. struggled on Wednesday and finished with just eight points (2-of-10 FGs), five rebounds, one steal and two three-pointers in Game 2 against the Thunder.
MPJ was slightly better in the second half, as all eight of his points came in the third quarter. However, the game was already out of hand at that point after a terrible first half for both Porter Jr. and the Nuggets. MPJ shot 1-of-8 in Game 1, and they’ll need him to be much better moving forward. The series will now shift back to Denver, and MPJ will look to get back on track during the two home games before the series heads back to Oklahoma City.
Russell Westbrook provided a boost off the bench with 19 points (5-of-11 FGs, 8-of-10 FTs), one rebound, five assists and one three-pointer in a 149-106 loss to the Thunder in Game 2 on Wednesday.
Despite an ugly first half for Denver, Westbrook was productive and entered the break with 15 points. He didn’t add much in the second half, though he sat the entire fourth quarter, still it was enough to lead the Nuggets in scoring. Russ has been awesome over Denver’s last five games, and his continued success will be key to the Nuggets winning this series. Though this game was ugly, they still have homecourt advantage in this series. They’ll look to keep it in Game 3 on Friday.
Chet Holmgren recorded a double-double on Wednesday with 15 points (3-of-8 FGs, 7-of-7 FTs), 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals, two blocks and two three-pointers in Game 2 against the Nuggets.
After struggling in Game 1, Holmgren bounced back and recorded the fourth postseason triple-double of his career, with three of those coming this season. Aside from Game 3 against Memphis, Holmgren has swatted at least two shots in every game during these playoffs, which was a trend that continued in this game despite him only playing 26 minutes. Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein (14/8/5/1/1) will look to continue to limit Nikola Jokic (17 points) in Game 3 on Friday.
Jalen Williams bounced back on Wednesday with 17 points (6-of-11 FGs), four rebounds, seven assists and two blocks in Game 2 against the Nuggets.
Williams was criticized for his poor performance in the Thunder’s Game 1 loss, but he responded well in OKC’s blowout victory. He was on pace for a bigger night, but he only played 26 minutes and sat the entire fourth quarter due to the lopsided score. He shot the ball much better after shooting 5-of-20 in Game 1, and he’ll need that success to carry over into Game 3 in Denver on Friday.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 34 points (11-of-13 FGs, 11-of-11 FTs), four rebounds, eight assists and one three-pointer in a 149-106 win over the Nuggets in Game 2 on Wednesday.
Aside from Game 4 against Memphis, SGA hasn’t been his typical uber-efficient self during the playoffs so far. Well, that changed in Game 2, which contributed to a dominant win for Oklahoma City. This was his fourth straight 30-point game, and that helped OKC bounce back from a two-point loss in Game 1. He only played 30 minutes and sat the entire fourth quarter, but SGA did plenty of damage when he was on the floor. The series will now shift to Denver, and OKC will need to win a road game to retake homecourt advantage in this series. Game 3 will be on Friday.