Happy Friday, January 3rd! We have a nice seven-game NBA DFS main slate on DraftKings and a nine gamer on FanDuel as they're including the late games. 

The stars are out as Nikola Jokic, LeBron James, Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jayson Tatum take center stage. It's an interesting slate with multiple teams on back-to-backs and some great game environments everywhere you look.

 

 

 

Before actually diving into the meat and potatoes, welcome to the NBA DFS season. If this is your first time reading our column on NBA DFS picks, I just want to welcome you and give you a few tips and tricks on what you should be looking for each night.

  • News outlets: reliable sources that give us injury news & starting lineups
  • Pace of play: who's playing fast vs. who's playing slow. Which teams get a pace-up spot (more possessions) vs. pace-down (fewer possessions)
  • Usage rates: is a percentage of how many plays that player is being used in
  • NBA DFS Projections
  • Lineup Generator
  • NBA Ownership

NBA DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook Today, January 3rd

Be sure to like and subscribe to the Fantasy Alarm YouTube channel!

 

 

 

Pre-Lock Update

This section will be used for anything that changes from the morning until right up to roster lock. 

Injury updates, players we’re higher on than we were in the morning and so much more.

6:15 pm ET

6:25 pm ET

6:30 pm ET

  • Jaylen Brown is OUT. Kristaps Porzingis is IN. Al Horford was ruled out earlier today.
  • With no Brown/Horford this year: Jayson Tatum - 38.1% USG (+7.3%), 1.66 FP/min, Derrick White - 23.7% USG (+8% USG), 1.2 FP/min, Kristaps Porzingis - 29.8% USG (+4.6% USG), 1.05 FP/min, Jrue Holiday - 17% USG, .82 FP/min
  • Wendell Moore Jr. is starting, not Ausar Thompson. I'm OK getting to a minimum salary Moore, but it's a secondary play. This does take me off Ausar Thompson a bit, although he should still see mid-20s minutes.

NBA Injuries, News & Updates Today, 1/3

 

 

 

NBA DFS Slate & Game Overviews

With the NBA season just kicking off we don't have data yet for teams regarding pace of play and defensive matchups. In the section below, I’m listing the most notable things we need to look at in Las Vegas, including notable O/U and spreads.

Memphis Grizzlies vs. Sacramento Kings

  • Total: 238.5
  • Spread: SAC -3.5
  • Grizzlies are 1st in pace, Kings are 16th in pace
  • Grizzlies are 4th in DRtg, Kings are 16th in DRtg

San Antonio Spurs vs. Denver Nuggets

  • Total: 236
  • Spread: DEN -7.5
  • Spurs are 19th in pace, Nuggets are 5th in pace
  • Spurs are 14th in DRtg, Nuggets are 19th in DRtg

Washington Wizards vs. New Orleans Pelicans

  • Total: 232.5
  • Spread: NOLA -7
  • Wizards are 4th in pace, Pelicans are 17th in pace
  • Wizards are 27th in DRtg, Pelicans are 29th in DRtg

Atlanta Hawks vs. Los Angeles Lakers

  • Total: 231.5
  • Spread: LAL -4
  • Hawks are 2nd in pace, Lakers are 20th in pace
  • Hawks are 17th in DRtg, Lakers are 22nd in DRtg

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Dallas Mavericks

  • Total: 230.5
  • Spread: CLE -6.5
  • Cavaliers are 8th in pace, Mavericks are 11th in pace
  • Cavaliers are 8th in DRtg, Mavericks are 10th in DRtg

New York Knicks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

  • Total: 220.5
  • Spread: OKC -5
  • Knicks are 25th in pace, Thunder are 10th in pace
  • Knicks are 13th in DRtg, Thunder are 1st in DRtg

Boston Celtics vs. Houston Rockets

  • Total: 220.5
  • Spread: BOS -3
  • Celtics are 22nd in pace, Rockets are 15th in pace
  • Celtics are 7th in DRtg, Rockets are 2nd in DRtg

Orlando Magic vs. Toronto Raptors

  • Total: 216.5
  • Spread: ORL -1.5
  • Magic are 29th in pace, Raptors are 6th in pace
  • Magic are 3rd in DRtg, Raptors are 26th in DRtg

Charlotte Hornets vs. Detroit Pistons

  • Total: 216
  • Spread: DET -5.5
  • Hornets are 24th in pace, Pistons are 18th in pace
  • Hornets are 18th in DRtg, Pistons are 20th in DRtg

 

 

 

NBA DFS Core Player Pool & Lineup Picks

Here are the core players I’m looking at for my NBA DFS picks tonight. You can see the full analysis of tonight’s NBA DFS projections and player pool below or skip ahead to building the best lineups possible by locking these into the aforementioned lineup generator now.

High

Mid

Value

Don't Miss The NBA DFS Playbook Live Show At 5 PM ET

Stacks

{{stack.team.name}} {{player.name}}
DraftKings {{player.fantasy.price.value[8]}}-
Fanduel {{player.fantasy.price.value[6]}}-