NBA Daily Fantasy Picks & Playbook: January 15

Published: Jan 15, 2024
We have a five-game NBA DFS main slate on Martin Luther King Day, Monday, January 15th, on DraftKings and FanDuel. We have a lot of pending news that could open up some much-needed value because there aren't many great value options. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Davis are both questionable and Jaylen Brown has been ruled out. LeBron James, Donovan Mitchell, and Bam Adebayo are taking the floor, even if the other superstars aren't.
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!
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Notable NBA Injury Updates
QUESTIONABLE
- Anthony Davis
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- Jaylen Brown – OUT
- Jimmy Butler – IN
- Max Strus – IN
- Kevin Love – OUT
- Aaron Nesmith – OUT
- Bruce Brown – OUT
- D'Angelo Russell
- Patrick Williams – OUT
OUT
PROBABLE
Back-to-Backs
- Indiana Pacers
- Miami Heat
- Oklahoma City Thunder (front end)
Pace Up Spots (Last 10 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
- Pacers: 1st vs. Jazz: 2nd
- Thunder: 10th vs. Lakers: 3rd
- Celtics: 9th vs. Raptors: 6th
Defensive Ratings (Last 10 Games)
- Toronto Raptors: 26th
- Brooklyn Nets: 22nd
- Los Angeles Lakers: 21st
- Indiana Pacers: 13th
- Chicago Bulls: 12th
- Boston Celtics: 8th
- Utah Jazz: 7th
- Oklahoma City Thunder: 6th
- Cleveland Cavaliers: 5th
- Miami Heat: 4th
NBA Game Totals
- Indiana Pacers @ Utah Jazz - 245.5 (UTA -7.5)
- Boston Celtics @ Toronto Raptors - 241.5 (BOS -7.5)
- Oklahoma City Thunder @ Los Angeles Lakers - 238.5 (OKC -1.5)
Top Tier Core Plays
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
SGA has only missed one game this year and it came in early November, so if he can play, he’ll play, but this is the front-end of a b2b for OKC. He’s coming off 37 actual last time out and has a great match-up in this spot against the Lakers. Over the last 10 games, the Lakers are 21st in DRtg and 3rd in pace.
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
I’m pretty skeptical about Anthony Davis’ status here. He’s been probable basically every slate and is now being listed as questionable after a game in which he played 40 minutes and went 5-for-21 from the floor in. LeBron’s fantasy production with or without Anthony Davis remains elite, so if Davis plays/doesn’t, LBJ is firmly an elite option.
Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
Mitchell’s coming off arguably his best game of the year scoring 45 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and four steals for 77 DKP. The Cavs are without Garland and Mobley again and without them this year, Mitchell has a 31.3% USG and averages 1.37 FP/min. They could also be without Max Strus and Mitchell could shoulder an even bigger load in that case.
With word that Jaylen Brown didn’t go through shootaround we directly look Tatum’s way who has been on one of late and is the Celtics best fantasy producer this year. He averages 1.43 FP/min without Brown and his usage spike of +5.8% brings it to 36.3%. He’d be one of the best spends, if not the best, of the night if Brown is in fact ruled out. Still in play if Brown plays too.
Mid-Tier Core Plays
We're in the midst of the best stretch of Markkanen's season for sure. He's put up 48+ DKP in four of five games, has three double-doubles over that span, and missed the other two by one rebound each. Utah's been a great home team this game is between the top-two teams in pace over their last 10 games. Markkanen sits at 1.3 FP/min this year, which leads the team.
Jarrett Allen, Cleveland Cavaliers
Since 12/23, a span of eight games, Allen's topped 48 DKP in six of them and 50+ in five. Donovan Mitchell leads the team by a wide margin in usage without Garland and Mobley, but Allen is right behind him in terms of FP/min. He's at 1.33 without those guys and that's an ELITE number. The Bulls have allowed a LOT of DKP to the center position this year too.
Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder
Whether SGA is in or not, Holmgren is an elite FP producer. He averages 1.28 FP/min this season and that's paired with a 22% USG. His FP/min output is 1.27 without SGA, but his USG rate goes up nearly 2%. This is a nice pace-up spot for OKC and Holmgren here. Obviously good with Jalen Williams too.
Kristaps Porzingis, Boston Celtics
Porzingis doesn't necessarily see a massive FP/min boost without Jaylen Brown, in fact it goes down, but his usage rate goes up nearly 3% and now faces a Toronto front court missing Jakob Poeltl. They're throwing Thaddeus Young, Jontay Porter, and Chris Boucher out there as their center rotation, none of which have any chance against Zinger.
Jordan Clarkson & Collin Sexton, Utah Jazz
One of these two is getting a ton of ownership and one is not. I understand Jordan Clarkson's minutes are seemingly more secure on a nightly basis and he probably has the higher ceiling, but Collin Sexton has been damn good in his own right. Sexton's second on the team in both FP/min (1.16) and USG (27.1%). His minutes dipped recently, but a couple of games had much to do with blowouts and when Utah's needed offense, Sexton's on the floor. I love them both and prefer Clarkson, but in a tournament, pivoting to Sexton could be fruitful.
Value Tier Core Plays
Putting this much faith into Utah is what it is at this point. They're one of the hottest teams in the league and George is playing with confidence off the Jazz bench again. His minutes have ticked up too playing 24 and 27 over the last two, directly cutting into Kris Dunn. George has two 30 FP games over his last four and this is an elite spot for him.
Payton Pritchard, Boston Celtics
The last time we saw Jaylen Brown sit out, the Celtics elected to run their big lineup with Tatum at SF, Horford & Porzingis in the front court, and everyone's favorite value today, Sam Hauser, only played 18 minutes. Pritchard in that game played north of 20, the only member of the Boston bench that did so. Pritchard's played well lately putting up 28+ DKP in three of four games and figures to play a prominent role off BOS bench.
Late-News Core Play Section
*Section for players we are considering “core plays” based on late-breaking news & research
- Jontay Porter, Toronto Raptors (starting at C)
- Andrew Nembhard, Indiana Pacers
- Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana Pacers (tournaments)
- Buddy Hield, Indiana Pacers
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Player Pool
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Player News
Wendell Moore Jr. amassed 14 points (5-of-11 FGs, 4-of-5 FTs) and eight rebounds in Friday’s loss to the Mavericks.
Orlando has only filled one of its three two-way contract slots, with Ethan Thompson signing a deal in February. With Moore having ended the 2024-25 season on a two-way deal with the Hornets, he may be a candidate to fill a similar role for the Magic next season. While the former first-round pick was a frigid 0-of-5 from beyond the arc in Friday’s summer league finale, he was an active contributor defensively and on the glass. At the very least, Moore will hope his play in Las Vegas was enough to gain an invitation to training camp, whether with Orlando or another team.
Maxwell Lewis finished Friday’s win over the Magic with 18 points (7-of-10 FGs), one rebound, one assist and four three-pointers.
Unless the team is still competing for a championship, game five at the summer league in Las Vegas usually features players fighting for an opportunity somewhere. Lewis, who the Nets waived on June 27, certainly qualifies. The 2023 second-round pick had a good day shooting the basketball, making all four of his three-point attempts while leading four Mavericks in double figures with 18 points. Dallas has already filled two of its three two-way contract slots, and Lewis’ performance against Orlando may keep him in the conversation for the third. At the very least, he may be able to earn an invitation to training camp.
Derik Queen underwent left wrist surgery on Friday and will be out for at least 12 weeks.
According to the Pelicans, Queen suffered a torn scapholunate ligament in his left wrist during the Pelicans’ July 15 loss to Portland. The procedure was successful, but the 12-week timeline means the first-round pick may not be ready to go when the 2025-26 season begins. At a minimum, Queen will miss most of training camp, if not all. Yves Missi was positioned to start the season at the Pelicans’ starting center; Friday’s news changes nothing. However, more minutes may be available to Kevon Looney and Karlo Matkovic early on.
MarJon Beauchamp had 28 points (10-of-16 FGs), two rebounds, three assists, one steal, one block and six three-pointers in the Knicks’ 91-88 loss to the Pacers on Thursday.
Beauchamp followed up his 25-point performance against the Nets on Tuesday with another strong outing tonight. The former first-round pick in 2022 is fighting for one of the Knicks’ two-way spots. With 53 points over his last two games, it’s safe to say he’s had a good audition.
Bobi Klintman had 20 points (7-of-11 FGs), four rebounds, one assist, two steals, one block and three three-pointers in the Pistons’ 108-88 victory over the Heat on Thursday.
Klintman needed a big performance to salvage what was an otherwise disappointing Summer League. The 22-year-old power forward had 20 points on 11 shots. While Klintman’s path to significant playing time on the playoff-bound Pistons remains cloudy, the upside in his game is apparent.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reports Damian Lillard is finalizing a three-year, $42 million contract with the Trail Blazers.
The contract includes a player option in 2027. Lillard now will have a 2025-26 set salary of $70M between his Portland and Milwaukee deals, and a salary of $141M over the next two years, according to Charania. The 35-year-old point guard is heading back to where his career began when the Trail Blazers selected him with the sixth overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. Lillard is unlikely to play much if at all this season as he recovers from Achilles surgery, but is now set up to potentially finish his career right where he started it.