Happy Thursday, January 16th! We have a smaller, five-game NBA DFS main slate on DraftKings and FanDuel.

There is still plenty to discuss despite the smaller slate. The Suns, Pacers and Thunder are dealing with some impactful injuries, and Kawhi Leonard could potentially rest for the Clippers on a back-to-back. Let's dive into some of the top plays, best pivots, and more for this slate! 

 

 

Before actually diving into the meat and potatoes, welcome to the NBA DFS season. If this is your first time reading our column on NBA DFS picks, I just want to welcome you and give you a few tips and tricks on what you should be looking for each night.

  • News outlets: reliable sources that give us injury news & starting lineups
  • Pace of play: who's playing fast vs. who's playing slow. Which teams get a pace-up spot (more possessions) vs. pace-down (fewer possessions)
  • Usage rates: is a percentage of how many plays that player is being used in
  • NBA DFS Projections
  • Lineup Generator
  • NBA Ownership

NBA DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook Today, January 16th

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Pre-Lock Update

This section will be used for anything that changes from the morning until right up to roster lock. 

Injury updates, players we’re higher on than we were in the morning and so much more.

UPDATE 4:45 PM ET

UPDATE 5:50 PM ET

NBA Injuries, News & Updates Today, 1/16

 

 

 

NBA DFS Slate & Game Overviews

With the NBA season just kicking off we don't have data yet for teams regarding pace of play and defensive matchups. In the section below, I’m listing the most notable things we need to look at in Las Vegas, including notable O/U and spreads.

Phoenix Suns vs. Washington Wizards

  • Total: 231.5
  • Spread: PHX -11.5

Indiana Pacers vs. Detroit Pistons

  • Total: 228.5
  • Spread: DET -1.5

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

  • Total: 233.5
  • Spread: OKC -2

Houston Rockets vs. Sacramento Kings

  • Total: 225
  • Spread: SAC -4

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Portland Trail Blazers

  • Total: 219.5
  • Spread: LAC -7

 

 

 

NBA DFS Core Player Pool & Lineup Picks

Here are the core players I’m looking at for my NBA DFS picks tonight. You can see the full analysis of tonight’s NBA DFS projections and player pool below or skip ahead to building the best lineups possible by locking these into the aforementioned lineup generator now.

High

Mid

Value

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Stacks

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