The second slate of the new years brings the return of Joel Embiid to the floor. Embiid has missed the last handful of games due to injury but will be playing tonight against old foe Andre Drummond as the 76ers take on the Chicago Bulls. While Embiid's return is the big story of the night there are also some very interesting matchups which includes the Boston Celtics vs the Oklahoma City Thunder.  The second best team in the Western Conference is a three-point home underdog to the Boston Celtics who have the best record in the NBA. This slate is also interesting due to the NBA schedule. The Charlotte Hornets are the only team playing on the second night of a back-to-back but there are seven teams playing on the first leg of a back-to-back which means if these games get into blowouts we may see starters resting knowing that there are games tomorrow to be played.

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 off their current price tag this season and of course our NBA DFS Lineup Generator!

 

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Notable NBA Injury Updates

Out

Questionable

Teams on Back-to-Backs

Second Leg

First Leg

Pace Up Spots

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

Notable NBA Game Totals

Top Tier Core Plays

Joel Embiid, C Philadelphia 76ers

Not a lot needs to be said here I don't think. Embiid is the front runner for league MVP as he continues to put up better numbers this year than last year when he won the award. He has missed the past few games due to injury but is good to go here tonight in a matchup against Andre Drummond whom he has a notorious past against due to his domination of the player in their previous meetings.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, PG Oklahoma City Thunder

We always say that great players are matchup proof and we have certainly seen that with SGA this season where the only time he really struggles to hit value for us is when games get out of hand. Tonight doesn't seem like one of those nights where the Thunder are going to jump out to a massive lead as they are home underdogs to the Boston Celtics. Yes, this is a tough matchup with Boston boasting one of the, if not the, best defensive back court in the NBA with Jrue Holiday and Derrick White but if this game is to be as high scoring and stay within the four point spread then you know SGA is going to be a big reason why.

Paolo Banchero, PF Orlando Magic

Both Banchero and Wagner continue to get overlooked when it comes to pricing as we go slate to slate and I guess we will just continue to take the gifts as this is a great matchup for the Orlando forward as he goes up against a Warriors team that doesn't have the defensive identity of years past, especially with Draymond Green still suspended. Banchero is averaging 47 fantasy over the past five games and he has gone for 50+ FP in each of the last two contests.

Brandon Ingram, SG/SF New Orleans Pelicans

We often talk about the Zion usage impact when it comes to the other players in the Pelicans rotation but it's becoming increasingly clear that Ingram is a player that is relatively unphased by the Zion impact when on the floor and more than capable of not only producing but actually being the team's leading fantasy point scorer on any given night. There are few games on this slate that are considered “competitive” due to point spread but this is certainly one and Ingram is in a good spot against a Nets team that is also struggling with its defensive identity. 

Mid-Tier Core Plays

Franz Wagner, SF Orlando Magic

You can pretty much copy and paste everything I wrote up for Banchero and put it here except Wagner is even cheaper. Over the last five games he is averaging 45 FP and has twice gone over 50 FP in the last four contests. It's really a two-man show in Orlando right now and this matchup against the Warriors shouldn't be one that slows them down.

Zion Williamson, PF New Orleans Pelicans

We love the usage rate and the ceiling for Zion but he, more than others, leaves us with wanting more most nights. The matchup against the Nets is one where we could see him go out there and have a 30 point double-double or one where he gets in foul trouble, plays 29 minutes and gives us 40 fantasy points. We are obviously hoping for the ceiling not the floor here today.

Devin Vassell, PG San Antonio Spurs

One of the few teams not with a back-to-back on today's slate is the San Antonio Spurs which is great for fantasy managers. Vassell has been awesome this season from a point per minute stand point. The problem here is the fact that the Spurs are double-digit underdogs today against the Memphis Grizzlies and when the Spurs get blown out we tend to see Vassell limited to just 30 minutes. With Wembanyama on a minutes restriction there is certainly a chance that happens tonight but I still am intrigued by the upside here should the Spurs hang around long enough in this game for Vassell to get some fourth quarter run.

Nic Claxton, C Brooklyn Nets

When it comes to ownership today there is a very obvious choice to spend up for and a few obvious choices when it comes to value but Claxton is a pretty interesting mid-tier play. He has the upside to go for 50 fantasy points with double-doubles and defensive upside. The Pelicans play at the rim a lot with Valanciunas and Zion so the shot blocking opportunities will be there. Lets just hope he stays clear of foul trouble.

Value Tier Core Plays

Chris Paul, PG Golden State Warriors

CP3 entered the starting lineup the other day and had a ceiling scoring game. I don't think that happens tonight against a tough Magic back court but I do think, as long as he is starting, his price tag is too cheap and double-digit assists are in play with this matchup here as he facilitates the Warriors offense. 

Kelly Oubre, SG/SF Philadelphia 76ers

With De'Anthony Melton ruled out Oubre figures to step in and replace his lost minutes here and while Joel Embiid is back for the 76ers here tonight we have to love the price tag for Oubre if he is going to be playing 30+ minutes on tonight's slate given what we know he can bring to the table from both a scoring and defensive stand point.

Trayce Jackson-Davis, C Golden State Warriors

As I mentioned above, there are some obvious value center players on tonight's slate and this is one of them. TJD has a good matchup here against a weaker Orlando center position as they continue to rotate around Wendell Carter Jr., Mo Wagner and Goga Bitadze. Jackson-Davis is averaging 26 FP over the past five games while playing only 22 minutes a night but the last two games has seen him play 26 and 29 minutes while going for 30 and 29 FP.

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Player Pool

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