NBA DFS Show DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Preview January 23
Published: Jan 22, 2024
NBA DFS Strategy & DraftKings Top Picks 1/23
We have a five-game NBA DFS main slate on Tuesday, January 23rd, on DraftKings and FanDuel. We have elite options that are hitting the floor with Anthony Davis, Nikola Jokic, Jalen Brunson, and Tyrese Haliburton playing. Unfortunately, the slate will be without LeBron James as he's already been ruled out. Let's dive into the NBA DFS podcast for 1/23 and break down our top NBA DFS plays of the day. Jon Impemba and James Grande break down the main slate by going position-by-position and bringing an example lineup into the fold at the end. Be sure to check out our NBA DFS projections, powered by FanJections, NBA DFS Lineup Generator, and all of the rest of our NBA DFS content and tools.
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Player News
ESPN’s Shams Charania reports Jock Landale is being waived by the Rockets.
Landale’s contract included a guarantee date of July 7. The 29-year-old center had no place on the Rockets roster any longer with the team re-signing Steven Adams and bringing in Clint Capela. Landale is expected to sign with his preferred destination, according to Charania, though it’s unclear where he’s headed to just yet.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reports Jared Dudley is finalizing a deal to become the top assistant coach for the Nuggets.
The Nuggets fired Mike Malone with only a few games left in the regular season last year. David Adelman took over and was made the permanent head coach after the season. Now Dudley will join him as the lead assistant coach with the Nuggets. The 39-year-old Dudley has been an assistant coach with the Mavericks since he retired from the NBA in 2021. Dudley played for 14 seasons.
Spotrac’s Keith Smith reports the Bucks waived Chris Livingston.
Livingston, the 58th overall pick in the 2023 draft, could not carve out a role for himself in Milwaukee. He appeared in 21 games in both seasons, most recently averaging 1.4 points and 1.7 rebounds per game in 2024-25. Livingston’s contract for the 2025-26 season would have been guaranteed if he remained on the Bucks roster come July 15.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reports Deandre Ayton has agreed to a two-year deal with the Lakers.
Unsurprisingly, Ayton has decided to join the Lakers after agreeing with the Trail Blazers on a contract buyout. Los Angeles had a clear need at the center position, and they’ll look to the first overall pick in the 2018 draft to fill it. While he has averaged a double-double in his first seven seasons, Ayton’s last two years in Portland were underwhelming. Limited to 40 games last year due to injury, he averaged 14.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.0 three-pointers in 30.2 minutes. Ayton is not the uber-athletic center who tends to flourish playing alongside Luka Doncic, but he’ll play starter’s minutes for a hopeful contender. Being in a lineup with Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves will limit Ayton’s fantasy ceiling, but providing top-100 per-game value should not be an issue.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reports the Mavericks and Dante Exum have agreed to a one-year deal.
Despite signing D’Angelo Russell, the Mavericks clearly needed more ball-handlers. Kyrie Irving (ACL) is set to miss a significant portion of the 2025-26 season, and Spencer Dinwiddie has signed with the Hornets. For this reason, according to Charania’s report, they’ll hold onto Exum for another season. Injuries limited him to 20 games last season, with the former lottery pick averaging 8.7 points, 2.8 assists and 1.7 three-pointers in 18.6 minutes. Since returning to the NBA during the 2023-24 season, Exum has improved significantly as a shooter. The ability to handle the ball and defend multiple positions will help Dallas account for Irving’s absence, but Exum is unlikely to impact fantasy basketball dramatically.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reports that Spencer Dinwiddie has agreed to a one-year deal with the Hornets.
With D’Angelo Russell in Dallas, Dinwiddie became the odd man out in the backcourt, and he’ll take on a backup role behind LaMelo Ball. Given Ball’s voluminous injury history, it wouldn’t be surprising if Dinwiddie played enough to make meaningful contributions for fantasy managers.