Big night in the NBA with nine games on the slate. There are a lot of top-tier players to like tonight, so you're going to want to save money at the shooting guard and small forward position to spend up on some stud players. There are plenty of story lines tonight with revenge games, players not making the All-Star game (Damian Lillard), and injuries that will open up some value plays.

Kyrie Irving puts up monstrous numbers whenever LeBron James sits out, which is why he's the top point guard on the night. Damian Lillard is a close second because he's going to want to prove that he deserved to be an All-Star, so expect a huge game from his as well. Jarrett Jack and Mario Chalmers are great value plays. The shooting guard position is loaded at the top with James Harden and Jimmy Butler, but there are a lot of quality mid-tier options as well. The small forward position is the best place to save money at, especially since Rudy Gay isn't as good of a play as he would've been if DeMarcus Cousins was out.

LaMarcus Aldridge continues to play at a high level despite the ligament strain to his non shooting hand. This will be the first time Thaddeus Young plays vs the Sixers in Philadelphia, so I expect him to have a big game tonight. The center position is a great place to save money at with so many solid mid-tier plays in Hassan Whiteside, Joakim Noah, and Gorgui Dieng. Time to grind!

Here is the Daily Fantasy Basketball Playbook for January 30th:

Point Guards

PlayerTeamDraftKingsFanduelComments
Kyrie IrvingCavaliers9,0009,500Practically a must-start whenever LBJ is out
Damian LillardBlazers8,8008,600Solid matchup & he's motivated
Jarrett JackNets6,2007,000Continues to be under priced on DK
Mario ChalmersHeat4,8005,400Great value play with Wade out
Greivis VasquezRaptors4,2004,800Decent punt option that can put up 25-plus FP

Shooting Guards

PlayerTeamDraftKingsFanduelComments
James HardenRockets11,00011,200Better GPP play because his price tag is enormous
Jimmy ButlerBulls7,5008,200Still under priced on DK
Kevin MartinWolves4,6006,500His price is ridiculously low on DK. Wouldn't play him on FD
Eric GordonPelicans5,9005,700Good mid-tier play
Kyle KorverHawks5,1005,100Like his matchup and super cheap price

Small Forwards

PlayerTeamDraftKingsFanduelComments
Nicolas BatumBlazers5,2005,700Playing heavy minutes and will crush his value
Josh SmithRockets5,3005,700GPP option. His usage rate has gone up with Dwight out
Matt BarnesClippers4,9005,100Prefer Trevor Ariza over him now that Redick is playing.
Rudy GayKings7,7007,800Best of the top-tier options even with DMC playing

Power Forwards

PlayerTeamDraftKingsFanduelComments
LaMarcus AldridgeBlazers9,5009,900Put up 56 FP last time they played and he's attempting 20-plus shots a game
Thaddeus YoungWolves6,6006,800HUGE revenge game; Has played 40 minutes or more in 3 straight games
Patrick PattersonRaptors4,0004,600GPP boom/bust option
Marcus MorrisSuns3,5004,000Expect a lot of Suns to have a big game and he's going to get 20-plus FP

Centers

PlayerTeamDraftKingsFanduelComments
DeMarcus CousinsKings10,70010,800Is expensive, but he's going to crush the Cavaliers
Hassan WhitesideHeat6,4006,200Better play if Birdman is out. Still good for GPPs
Joakim NoahBulls6,4006,500Has played 40-plus minutes in 2 straight games.  Has 45 FP in each of those games
Alexis AjincaPelicans3,0004,200Becomes an exceptional value play if Anthony Davis is out
Gorgui DiengWolves7,0007,100Has 38 FP or more in 3 out of the past 4 games