NBA DFS Showdown Playbook January 12: New Orleans Pelicans vs. Denver Nuggets Top Picks
Happy Friday NBA fans. I hope you all had a great work week, and a great NBA DFS Main Slate tonight. Now it is time to shift focus to the NBA DFS Showdown slate, and we have a great matchup. The New Orleans Pelicans travel to Denver to take on the two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets. Let's go ahead and dive into the details of this matchup.
Finding some of the NBA DFS top picks could be easier if you look at Fantasy Alarm’s NBA DFS Projections, powered by FanJections. Let’s dive into the complete breakdown for tonight’s showdown slate.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Denver Nuggets
Total: 228.5
Spread: Denver Nuggets (-8.5)
New Orleans Pelicans Injuries:
- Zion Williamson - Questionable
- Brandon Ingram - Questionable
- CJ McCollum - Questionable
- Trey Murphy - Questionable
- Matt Ryan - OUT
Denver Nuggets Injuries:
- Julian Strawther - OUT
- Vlatko Cancar - OUT
NBA DFS Showdown CPT/MVP Top Plays
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Nikola Jokic is far more expensive than anyone else on the slate. He is one of few guys who can put 70-90 fantasy points on any night. It has been a long time since we have seen him get there. But the guy has still been great scoring over 50 fantasy points in three of his past five games and the last time these two teams matched up Jokic killed the Pelicans going for one of those ceiling games with 80 fantasy points. If you fade Jokic tonight, you may regret it.
Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets
The next best option for the captain spot tonight is Jamal Murray. He has just been so consistent as of late. He has scored over 40 fantasy points in eight of his last 10 games played. Murray continues to stay aggressive and is second on the team in usage rate with 28% just slightly behind Nikola Jokic. If you want to pay down at the captain spot tonight, Murry is a nice play against the Pelicans.
CJ McCollum, New Orleans Pelicans
If you are looking to go against the field and play someone at the captain spot from the Pelicans, I lean toward CJ. McCollum, Williamson, and Brandon Ingram are all questionable to play tonight but I feel he has the best chance to go out of them. He doesnt have quite the ceiling as the guys from the Nuggets. However, if he gets hot from the field he can go for 50 + fantasy points as he did earlier this week. McCollum is a solid pay-down option at the captain position.
NBA DFS Showdown Utility Top Plays
Jonas Valanciunas, New Orleans Pelicans
Even with getting his minutes poached by Larry Nance Valanciunas has still been producing at a very steady clip. He hasn't played over 30 minutes in seven straight games, but he has still scored at least 28 fantasy points in four of those seven games. His price is a bit high sitting at $7,600 on DraftKings, but I can see the Pelicans needing him extra tonight to match up with Nikola Jokic. The last time he played the Nuggets he finished with 39 fantasy points. I see him being a big factor tonight.
Aaron Gordon, Denver Nuggets
Playing Aaron Gordon in DFS has been a bit of a roller coaster as of late. In his last six games, he has scored over 30 fantasy points which you will gladly take. But in two out of the other three games he failed to score over 20 fantasy points just ravaging your lineup. I like the matchup for Gordon tonight as I do not expect Zion Williamson to play. In the last matchup against the Pelicans, he scored 29 fantasy points posting a 14-point eight-rebound night.
Trey Murphy, New Orleans Pelicans
Murphy has been dealing with injuries for most of the season. It looks like he is finally starting to get into a rhythm after going through a shooting slump. Over his last two games, he has played 24 minutes in each and scored 24 and 34 fantasy points. He has shot 10-20 from the field during that span and 7-17 from deep. We love that type of volume from deep for him. He won't hit 30 minutes tonight, but is still a solid play.
NBA DFS Showdown Utility Top Plays
Larry Nance, New Orleans Pelicans
I know I wrote above how I liked Valanciunas tonight but that doesnt mean we can't play Larry Nance. Nance is going to play around 20 minutes and get you around 20 fantasy points. He doesnt do much other than rebound, defend and rim-run, but what else do you need from your backup big? at $4,400 you can do much worse than Larry Nance.
Dyson Daniels, New Orleans Pelicans
With the Pelicans dealing with a multitude of injuries this season, Dyson Daniels has carved out a solid role off the bench. Like Larry Nance, he is going to play around 20-25 minutes, but he has a higher ceiling than Nance because he can score a bit. We saw him go for 30 fantasy points just a few games ago and his price is just at $4,000. If you are playing high-priced Jokic tonight, you most likely need to pay down for someone like Hawkins.
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Player News
Buddy Hield had 15 points (5-of-14 FGs), three rebounds, one assist, one steal and four three-pointers against the Timberwolves in Game 2 on Thursday.
Hield moved into the Warriors’ starting lineup in the first round and the team became somewhat reliant on his scoring. With Stephen Curry (hamstring) out in Game 2, Hield started and played 29 minutes. The 32-year-old shooting guard led the Warriors in field goal attempts, though no one in a Golden State uniform was able to reach 20 points. The Warriors weren’t able to overcome a double-digit first half deficit. Despite the four made three-pointers, they’re going to need more from Hield as the series shifts to Golden State, especially if Curry remains out.
Jimmy Butler had 17 points (6-of-13 FGs), seven rebounds, four assists, one steal and two three-pointers against the Timberwolves in Game 2 on Thursday.
Butler couldn’t get it done without Stephen Curry (hamstring) on the road in Game 2. The Warriors fell behind by double-digits early and never recovered. Butler had 17 points on 13 shots, which wasn’t far off from the 20 points he had in Game 1. Still, the Warriors have to regroup as they head home for Games 3 and 4 as they try to figure out a way to keep this series close until Curry can return to the court.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 20 points (7-of-13 FGs), two rebounds, three assists, one block and four three-pointers in Game 2 against the Warriors on Thursday.
Alexander-Walker was a key scorer off the bench in Game 2. He, Naz Reid and Donte DiVencenzo combined for 10 made three-pointers off the bench. In a game where the Warriors were desperate for scoring without Stephen Curry (hamstring), those bench points were too much to overcome as the Timberwolves won by 24 points.
Julius Randle had 24 points (10-of-17 FGs), seven rebounds, 11 assists and one three-pointer in Game 2 against the Warriors on Thursday.
Randle led the Timberwolves in scoring in the Game 2 victory. The 30-year-old power forward was just three rebounds away from a triple-double. He was a steadying presence in his 33 minutes as Anthony Edwards dealt with an ankle injury towards the end of the first half. Edwards recovered from his injury to play 34 minutes, but Randle is still the next most important player in this series for the Timberwolves.
Anthony Edwards had 20 points (6-of-13 FGs), nine rebounds, five assists, three steals, one block and two three-pointers in the Timberwolves’ 117-93 victory over the Warriors in Game 2 on Thursday.
Edwards appeared to suffer a sprained left ankle towards the end of the second quarter as the Warriors’ Trayce Jackson-Davis landed on his foot. Edwards turned the same ankle in the first round against the Lakers and appeared to re-aggravate the injury. The 23-year-old shooting guard would go on to start the second half and play a team-high 34 minutes in the Game 2 victory. Edwards will only have one full day off before the series resumes in Golden State for Game 3 on Saturday.
Warriors will start Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Quinten Post in Game 2 against the Timberwolves on Thursday.
No surprise here as Curry was always a long shot to make it back for Game 2 after leaving Game 1 with hamstring injury. While there has been a report that the 37-year-old point guard is expected to miss a week, there is no firm timetable for his return. The Warriors will go big with their starting lineup for Game 2 with center Quinten Post entering the lineup in Curry’s absence.