NBA DFS Picks, Projections, Lineups, Injuries & More Today: Thursday Playbook

Published: Jan 16, 2025
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
- Fred VanVleet - OUT
- Tari Eason - Q
- I already had interest in Jalen Green and Amen Thompson. The surprise of FVV getting ruled out only solidifies that interest. Cam Whitmore becomes an interesting value option if Eason is also ruled out.
UPDATE 5:50 PM ET
- Tyrese Haliburton - Available
- Aaron Nesmith - Available (minutes restriction)
NBA Injuries, News & Updates Today, 1/16
- Tyrese Haliburton - Q
- Bennedict Mathurin - OUT
- Aaron Nesmith - Q
- Bradley Beal - OUT
- Jusuf Nurkic - OUT
- Malcolm Brogdon - OUT
- Marvin Bagley - OUT
- Ty Jerome - Q
- Isaiah Hartenstein - OUT
- Devin Carter - Q
- Deni Avdija - D
- Jerami Grant - OUT
- Donovan Clingan - OUT
- Robert Williams - Q
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
- Amen Thompson, Jalen Williams, Jalen Green, Norman Powell, Pascal Siakam, Ivica Zubac, Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson
Value
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Stacks
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