NBA DFS Picks, Projections, Lineups, Injuries & More Today: Saturday Playbook

Happy Saturday, January 18th! We have a smaller five-game NBA DFS main slate on DraftKings and FanDuel.

The Celtics injury report is the first major news item we will need to which we will need to pay attention, as all of Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford are listed questionable. Jalen Johnson, Paul George, and Evan Mobley all have impactful questionable tags as well. Let's dive in and discuss some top plays, best pivots, and more!  

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 18th

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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.

UPDATE 3:30 PM ET

• Amen Thompson - Questionable
• Deandre Ayton - Questionable

UPDATE 5:30 PM ET

• Jalen Johnson - Available

UPDATE 6:10 PM ET

• Jayson Tatum - Available
• Kristaps Prozingis - OUT
• Al Horford - OUT
  • Bump for all active Celtics. Luke Kornet (or whoever starts) is now a core value play

UPDATE 6:30 PM ET

• Paul George - OUT
• Guerschon Yabusele - OUT
  • Ricky Council will start and is a strong value play, along with Kelly Oubre, Justin Edwards, and Eric Gordon

NBA Injuries, News & Updates Today, 1/18

• Jalen Johnson - Available
• Zaccharie Risacher - OUT
• Larry Nance - OUT
• Jayson Tatum - Available
• Kristaps Porzingis - OUT
• Al Horford - OUT
• Joel Embiid - OUT
• Paul George - OUT
• Guerschon Yabusele - OUT
• Caleb Martin - OUT
• Kyle Lowry - OUT
• Malcolm Brogdon - OUT
• Marvin Bagley - OUT
• Jonathan Kuminga - OUT
• Brandin Podziemski - OUT
• Kyle Anderson - OUT
• Evan Mobley - Q
• Isaac Okoro - Q
• Donte DiVincenzo - OUT
• Jabari Smith - OUT
• Deni Avdija - D
• Jerami Grant - Q
• Donovan Clingan - OUT

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.

Atlanta Hawks vs. Boston Celtics

• Total: 234.5
• Spread: BOS -9

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Indiana Pacers

• Total: 225
• Spread: IND -9.5

Washington Wizards vs. Golden State Warriors

• Total: 229
• Spread: GSW -13.5

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

• Total: 226.5
• Spread: CLE -6.5

Houston Rockets vs. Portland Trail Blazers

• Total: 223
• Spread: HOU -11.5

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

• Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Maxey, Anthony Edwards, Alperen Sengun

Mid

• Stephen Curry, Paul George, Jaylen Brown, Myles Turner, Kelly Oubre, Andrew Wiggins, Trayce Jackson-Davis

Value

• Jrue Holiday, Naz Reid (DK), Dennis Schroder (FD), Buddy Hield (DK), Jaden McDaniels, Mike Conley, Luke Kornet, Justin Edwards, Eric Gordon, Ricky Council

Stacks

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