NBA Daily Fantasy Picks & Playbook: January 13
Published: Jan 13, 2024
We have a seven-game NBA DFS main slate on Saturday, January 13th, on DraftKings and FanDuel, and boy oh boy it's a messy one. There are eight teams on back-to-backs and there are a LOT of players popping up on tonight's injury report. The likes of Stephen Curry, Desmond Bane, and Zion Williamson have all been ruled out while Brandon Ingram, C.J. McCollum, Dejounte Murray, and Jaren Jackson Jr. have all popped up as questionable or out.
NBA DFS Tools to dominate tonight's NBA DFS slate!
Make sure to check out today's NBA DFS projections and NBA DFS ownership projections before finalizing your lineups today. We also have the NBA Consistency Report to help identify players that have exceeded value based on their current price tag this season and of course our NBA DFS Lineup Generator!
Notable NBA Injury Updates
QUESTIONABLE
- Desmond Bane – OUT
- Jalen Brunson
- Draymond Green – OUT
- Dereck Lively II – DOUBT
- Dillon Brooks – PROB
- Santi Aldama – OUT
- Josh Green – IN
- Landry Shamet – IN
- Doug McDermott – DOUBT
- Jaren Jackson Jr. – DOUBT
- Brandon Ingram – OUT
- CJ McCollum – OUT
- Trey Murphy III – OUT
- Patrick Williams – OUT
- Dejounte Murray – IN
OUT
- Luka Doncic
- Stephen Curry
- Zion Williamson
- Victor Wembanyama
- Franz Wagner
- Marcus Smart
- Chris Paul
- Tari Eason
- Dante Exum
- Markelle Fultz
- Wendell Carter Jr.
- Moses Moody
- Gary Harris
- Joe Ingles
PROBABLE
Back-to-Backs
- Houston Rockets
- Atlanta Hawks
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Orlando Magic
- Golden State Warriors
- Chicago Bulls
- San Antonio Spurs
- New Orleans Pelicans
Pace Up Spots (Last 15 Games)
Pace definition: Pace is the total number of possessions a team uses in a game.
*key* Green is elite pace of play, Blue is decent pace of play, & Red is slow pace of play.
Green = Fast Paced team
Blue = Neutral Paced team
Red = Slow Paced team
- Wizards: 3rd vs. Hawks: 9th
- Magic: 21st vs. Thunder: 5th
- Warriors: 23rd vs. Bucks: 2nd
- Spurs: 1st vs. Bulls: 30th
- Pelicans: 25th vs. Mavericks: 6th
Defensive Ratings (Last 15 Games)
- Warriors - 29th
- Hawks - 28th
- Wizards - 27th
- Spurs - 21st
- Rockets - 17th
- Bucks -15th
NBA Game Totals
- Washington Wizards @ Atlanta Hawks - 249.5 (ATL -6.5)
- Golden State Warriors @ Milwaukee Bucks - 243.5 (MIL -14.5)
- Orlando Magic @ Oklahoma City Thunder - 232.5 (OKC -11.5)
- New Orleans Pelicans @ Dallas Mavericks - 231.5 (DAL -2.5)
Top Tier Core Plays
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Golden State is coming off a big road win on Friday, but the Bucks are different team than the Bulls. Giannis gets to match up against the league’s 29th ranked defense (last 15 games) in the midst of a dominating stretch. This game has the second most implied points and nobody on Golden State will stop him.
What a spot to shake off an awful shooting performance. Young gets to match up with one of the worst teams in the league. It’s a rare pace up spot for ATL and Young, across three meetings with Washington, has averaged 57.3 DKP/game. Washington ranks last at defending point-guards this year.
Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks
Irving is in the midst of an amazing stretch of basketball, notching 51+ DKP in five straight games and is coming off a 44 point double-double along with 70 DKP. He’s done it in some tough spots considering he’s faced the Timberwolves, Grizzlies, and Knicks over the last three games. Without Doncic and Exum this year, Irving sits at 1.36 FP/min and a 28% USG.
Mid-Tier Core Plays
Julius Randle, New York Knicks
The Knicks' offense has gone through Randle a LOT this year and he could be asked to do even more if Jalen Brunson, listed as questionable, sits. Without Quickley, Barrett, and Robinson this year, Randle has a 32% USG and averages 1.3 FP/min. If Brunson sits, Randle becomes one of the top per-dollar plays of the slate.
Kyle Kuzma, Washington Wizards
Atlanta has had a LOT of trouble on the defensive side of the ball this year and Kuzma is in a great spot to bounce back from a bad shooting night. He went 4-of-15 last time out and still recorded his second straight double-double. He's really good peripherally and in competitive games, you get his minutes in the mid-to-upper 30's. The last time Kuzma saw ATL, he dropped 38 actual on them.
I'm taking after Jon Impemba's approach from last night. It's really hard to just pick one considering every one of the Bulls are underpriced in the 7K tier. LaVine has 49 and 61 DKP in his last two games, Coby White is shooting 51% from three and averaging 42 DKP/game over his last SIX, DeMar DeRozan is coming off 39 ACTUAL last night, and Nikola Vucevic has two double-doubles in three games. I'm good with getting to any of them and also OK with using max two in the same lineup.
Devin Vassell, San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs are missing a bunch of pieces and most notably, Victor Wembanyama tonight. Without all they're missing, Vassell has a 26.7% USG and 1.19 FP/min. If this game is to stay close (six-point spread) than it's because Vassell has shot them into the game.
Jordan Poole, Washington Wizards
Are we chasing here? You be the judge of that, but we know Jordan Poole has a high ceiling despite his struggles this season. Poole's been better scoring lately putting up 28 and 24 actual points in each of the last two games and nothing like keeping the streak going when you see Atlanta on your schedule. Despite struggling this year, he has a 27% USG and averages .96 FP/min.
Tim Hardaway Jr., Dallas Mavericks
No, it's not Kyrie Irving who leads the Mavericks in usage rate without Doncic, Exum, and Lively, it's Hardaway. THJ sees a 6.7% USG bump to a robust 31% when those guys are out while averaging 1.23 FP/min. He exploded for 32 actual and 51.5 DKP last time out and there's no reason to think he won't come out firing once again in this game.
Value Tier Core Plays
Daniel Gafford, Washington Wizards
Sometimes it's tough to gauge how many minutes Gafford will play on a nightly basis, but we saw him play 37 minutes against the Pacers last time out and nearly put up 40 DKP. He has a high ceiling as evident by his 1.08 FP/min this season. This is one of the best overall matchups for opposing centers.
Xavier Tillman, Memphis Grizzlies
This is a nightmare situation for Memphis. Does Tillman even get extended here when you factor in they've ruled out Bane, Jackson Jr., Aldama on top of everyone else? Do they have enough to not play him for an extended period? He played 31 minutes and was one rebound shy of a 20-point double-double. He's played 28+ minutes and 34+ DKP in each of the last two games.
Rest of Memphis
There's a lot here. They ruled out Desmond Bane, Santi Aldama, Rose, and Jaren Jackson Jr. is doubtful. What does that mean for their lineup?
- Jacob Gilyard could start at point guard. He played 20 minutes last night, including eight in the first half before garbage time.
- Luke Kennard starts at the other guard spot. He played 29 minutes yesterday and has 28+ DKP in b2b games.
- Vince Williams Jr. starts, probably the most unappealing starter due to price.
- David Roddy has played very well in two straight and is a big body they could use for Julius Randle. 21+ DKP & 25+ minutes in b2b.
- Xavier Tillman ^ see above.
- Ziaire Williams is likely the sixth man. He's put up 19+ DKP in five straight games and 13+ points in 4/5.
- Gregory Jackson, or GG Jackson is getting ownership, but Jake LaRavia is the guy who played 20 minutes last night & was a 1st round pick last year. Prefer Laravia to Jackson.
Dario Saric, Golden State Warriors
I'm not entirely sure if Golden State can keep this game close. When they ruled out Stephen Curry, the line went from 11.5 to 14.5. Saric likely draws another start here and if they keep it close, we know he has a ceiling because he's a very skilled offensive player. Saric played 28 minutes in his start on Friday night.
Dominick Barlow, San Antonio Spurs
It's interesting to see so many more people gravitating to Sandro Mamukelashvili over Barlow in this spot. Mamu is a good FP/min guy, but so is Barlow and he's likely getting the first crack in the rotation. He's over a FP/min this year without all the guys playing (Wemby, Collins, Bassey, McDermott) and has shown a 31 FP ceiling too. Also, the minutes have been more secure than Mamu's as well.
Late-News Core Play Section
*Section for players we are considering “core plays” based on late-breaking news & research
- Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Hawks (bounce-back spot)
- Jeremy Sochan, San Antonio Spurs
- Dyson Daniels, New Orleans Pelicans
- Jordan Hawkins, New Orleans Pelicans
- Naji Marshall, New Orleans Pelicans
- Jonas Valanciunas, New Orleans Pelicans
- Herbert Jones, New Orleans Pelicans
Player Pool
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