We have a four-game NBA DFS main slate on Thursday, January 11, on DraftKings and FanDuel and it's an NBA on TNT slate of games. The biggest news of the night is that Luka Doncic is out and that opened the floodgates of ownership in Dallas. We have two teams on a back-to-back and the stars are out as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Kyrie Irving, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander take the floor.

NBA DFS Tools to dominate tonight's NBA DFS slate!

Make sure to check out today's NBA DFS projections and NBA DFS ownership projections before finalizing your lineups today. We also have the NBA Consistency Report to help identify players that have exceeded value based on their current price tag this season and of course our NBA DFS Lineup Generator!

Here's the NBA DFS Podcast for today's slate. Like the video and subscribe to our channel!

Notable NBA Injury Updates

QUESTIONABLE

OUT

PROBABLE

Back-to-Backs

Pace Up Spots (Last 15 Games)

Pace definition: Pace is the total number of possessions a team uses in a game.

*key* Green is elite pace of play, Blue is decent pace of play, & Red is slow pace of play.

Green = Fast Paced team

Blue = Neutral Paced team

Red = Slow Paced team

  • Celtics: 18th vs. Bucks 2nd
  • Trail Blazers: 15th vs. Thunder: 5th
  • Knicks: 14th vs. Mavericks: 6th
  • Suns: 19th vs. Lakers: 7th

Defensive Ratings (Last 15 Games)

NBA Game Totals

Top Tier Core Plays

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

For just the second time over his last 12 games, SGA didn’t put up at least 50 DKP on Wednesday. That goes to show how HOW consistent he’s been. Portland ranks 24th in DRtg over the last 15 games, which is the worst mark on the board. This game has to stay close in order for SGA to pay off his price. OKC is 14-5 ATS at home, the best mark on the year.

Anthony Davis & LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers

It’s hard to pick one or the other and ultimately, If you’re playing one of the stars, just choose the lower owned guy. Davis is at 1.49 FP/min and a 27% USG player this year and James is at 29.5% USG and 1.45 FP/min. Both are elite options against a bottom-10 defense.

Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks

Without Luka Doncic and Dante Exum this year, Kyrie Irving has a 26% USG and averages 1.27 FP/min. He’s on a heater right now posting four straight games of 50+ DKP which has included 24+ points, 8+ rebounds, 4+ assists, and 2+ steals. He’ll be one of the highest rostered plays of today’s slate.

Mid-Tier Core Plays

Julius Randle, New York Knicks

The Knicks are have been amazing over his last five games coinciding with the OG Anunoby trade. Randle has been great during that span and in general this year. He has put up 48+ DKP in five of his last seven games. Without Barrett, Quickley, and Mitchell Robinson this year, Randle has a 32% USG and averages 1.32 FP/min.

Anfernee Simons, Portland Trail Blazers

If Portland is going to keep this close at all it’s because of Anfernee Simons. He’s a bucket. Without Ayton and Williams this year, he’s averaged 1.15 FP/min and 30.7% USG, which leads the team in both categories. It’s also a big pace-up spot for Portland, too. It’s a GPP play only, but one that will pay off in a close game.

Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder

This dude, y’all. I know everyone loves SGA and Chet, and same, but Williams has been incredible of late. He’s played 34+ minutes and 35+ DKP in four straight games. He’s sitting at 22% USG and is sitting at 1.02 FP/min this season.

Jusuf Nurkic, Phoenix Suns

I know we think about the Suns and think “big 3” but what if I told you during the 94 minutes that Nurk has been on the floor with them, he LEADS them in FP/min at 1.44? Again, not a big sample, but that speaks to how good he can be in the fantasy space. The Lakers have not been great defensively lately ranking 20th in DRtg and this is also a nice pace up spot for the Suns.

Isaiah Hartenstein, New York Knicks

Another ceiling rebounding game on the way? He is facing off against a smaller front court with Dwight Powell starting at center. Hartenstein has had 14+ rebounds in three of four games and has been incredibly consistent from a FP perspective putting up 34+ DKP in five straight games.

Value Tier Core Plays

Shaedon Sharpe, Portland Trail Blazers

It looks like Portland is going to make a lineup change and that could result in Shaedon Sharpe drawing a start once again according to Chauncey Billups after the Knicks game. If that’s the case, and Sharpe isn’t limited, he’s an elite value because this is a player we were paying nearly 8K earlier this year. Sharpe has a 22.9% USG and .98 DK/min this year without Ayton and Rob Williams. In a competitive setting, Sharpe can play upwards of 40 minutes.

Jaden Hardy, Dallas Mavericks

Hardy has started for Luka Doncic in each of the last three games he’s missed and in their last game, he nearly triple-doubled. He’s a very high-usage player and gets a 4.2% USG bump without Doncic and Exum. He has a 28.5% USG and averages 1.2 FP/min this year without those guys. Hard to get away from him at his price. He’ll be the HIGHEST owned play of the slate. Plug and play.

Tim Hardaway Jr. & Derrick Jones Jr., Dallas Mavericks

Both guys are firmly in play without Luka Doncic and they couldn’t be more different from one another. THJ is a high usage guy, LEADING the team without Doncic and Exum at 30.5% along with 1.18 FP/min. The price has really dipped to a comfortable price. Jones is playing big minutes and although he’s a streaky fantasy producer, he does have a 30+ FP ceiling.

Slate Thoughts:

  • It's plausible to think despite how good the Thunder are, that there is a little less in the tank tonight after a big road win IN Miami last night. Portland could keep this game more competitive and if they do, this game has the chance to be the best of the night.
  • It looks as if Portland will make a lineup change (or two) with Shaedon Sharpe at the forefront. We could also see Jabari Walker possibly start at the 5 over Duop Reath if he returns from injury.
  • Dallas is super popular. Obviously. I'm not fading most of them in cash, but in tournaments, let's not lose site in high usage guys and guys that benefit from a fantasy standpoint when Luka Doncic and Dante Exum are off the floor.

Late-News Core Play Section

*Section for players we are considering “core plays” based on late-breaking news & research

Check out our NBA DFS Livestream tonight at 5pm ET 

Remember to like the video and subscribe to our channel!

Player Pool

$ Tier {{pos.alias}}

Stacks

{{stack.team.name}} {{player.name}}
DraftKings {{player.fantasy.price.value[8]}}-
Fanduel {{player.fantasy.price.value[6]}}-