Daniel Gafford Underdog NBA Picks Today, 1/27: Basketball Projections + More

On Monday, January 27th, we have a massive opportunity to secure a nice winning day with our Underdog Fantasy NBA Picks and NBA DFS projections as the NBA season marches onward in full force. We have eight games across the association so let’s dive in.
Looking for an edge today, we look at the NBA DFS projections for Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans and Daniel Gafford of the Dallas Mavericks.
Best Underdog Fantasy NBA Picks, Monday, 1/27: NBA DFS Projections
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Zion Williamson NBA Underdog Fantasy Pick: Higher Than 7.5 Rebounds
Let's run it back with Zion tonight after he came through for us on Saturday with his rebound projection. Tonight the line is set at 7.5 rebounds which should be no sweat for Zion who is averaging 9.0 rebounds over 25.7 minutes per game since returning to action. If we get an uptick in minutes from Zion this should be an easy over for us tonight against the Toronto Raptors who could be without both of their centers tonight in Jakob Poeltl and Kelly Olynyk.
- Pick: Higher Than 7.5 Rebounds
Daniel Gafford NBA Underdog Fantasy Pick: Higher Than 9.5 Rebounds
The injury to Dereck Lively has opened the door for Gafford to play big minutes for the Mavericks and this season when he has played at least 30 minutes he is averaging 12.2 rebounds per game which includes a pair of 15 rebound games over the last three since the Lively injury. The lone miss this season when playing 30 minutes came against the Denver Nuggets and we know its difficult to rebound against Nikola Jokic. The Wizards however are not the Nuggets, allowing the most rebounds per game to opponents this season.
- Pick: Higher Than 9.5 Rebounds
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Player News
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reports Ace Bailey prefers to be drafted to teams that are currently not picking in the top five, specifically Washington, New Orleans and Brooklyn.
Givony’s report also indicates that Bailey continues to decline workouts for Philadelphia, Charlotte and Utah. This doesn’t mean that Bailey will surely slip outside the first five picks; one of his preferred teams may have to trade up to nab him. It has been an interesting process for Bailey entering the draft, and it will be interesting to see how it impacts where he ends up.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reports Al Horford has a “pretty robust free agent market outside of Boston.”
Charania’s report indicated there is a lot of “uncertainty” in Boston with Jayson Tatum (Achilles) set to miss at least most of next season. The 39-year-old Horford could opt to sign elsewhere to try and win another ring, since the Celtics may not be able to put together a strong enough team to make that happen this season. Horford would play a significant role if he remains in Boston now that Kristaps Porzingis is in Atlanta. If he chooses to leave, multiple contenders should have plenty of interest.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reports Fred VanVleet intends to sign a two-year, $50 million contract with the Rockets.
The Rockets will decline VanVleet’s $44.9 million team option for the upcoming season to put the new deal in place. He has a player option for the second season of this deal, so he could opt out again next summer. If he accepts the option, he’ll be under contract through the 2026-27 season. VanVleet is the best point guard option on a team that is looking to win a championship after trading for Kevin Durant, adding the lethal scorer to the team that finished as the No. 2 seed in the West this past season.
NBA Insider Marc Stein reports the Kings are “already being painted as a likely leading suitor for Dennis Schroder.”
Filling the void left by trading away franchise point guard De’Aaron Fox is not an easy task, and Schroder certainly isn’t a long-term solution. However, he is a legitimate lead playmaking option and could run the offense. That would likely result in both Malik Monk and Keon Ellis coming off the bench, barring other moves. Sacramento would be a strong landing spot for Schroder to provide fantasy value, especially as a source of assists.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reports Kyrie Irving is declining his $43 million player option and intends to sign a three-year, $119 million contract with the Mavericks.
Irving is now tied to Dallas through the 2027-28 season. He also has security as he rehabs from the left ACL tear that he suffered in March. The Mavericks have a talented roster that will center around Irving, Anthony Davis and the expect No. 1 overall pick in Cooper Flagg, which will help them be one of the best teams in the West over the next few seasons. Reports from April indicated that Irving could return by January, which would give this core plenty of time to mesh ahead of the postseason.
Georges Niang has been traded to the Celtics as part of the deal that sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Hawks.
Niang was traded to Atlanta at the trade deadline last season and immediately provided a veteran presence in the rotation. He had some big nights from beyond the arc, and with Jayson Tatum (Achilles) set to miss at least most of next season, Niang could be part of the rotation in Boston. However, this was simply a move for the Celtics to avoid the second apron.