Happy Wednesday, January 15th! We have a nice nine-game NBA DFS main slate on DraftKings and 11 games on FanDuel.

The stars are out as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Victor Wembanyama, Nikola Jokic, and LaMelo Ball are taking the floor. There are some big-time injury statuses that we need to watch out for as Karl-Anthony Towns, Joel Embiid, and Jalen Johnson are questionable. There are also a bunch of teams on back-to-backs and there's rest potential.

 

 

 

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 15th

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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.

6:10 pm ET

7:50 pm ET

  • Keaton Wallace is a min-salary starter tonight in a dream matchup. It's hard to ignore that price point.

8:20 pm ET

  • Nikola Jokic has been ruled OUT. Russell Westbrook, Jamal Murray, Peyton Watson & Michael Porter Jr. are all in play.

NBA Injuries, News & Updates Today, 1/15

 

 

 

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.

Atlanta Hawks vs. Chicago Bulls

  • Total: 245.5
  • Spread: CHI -2
  • Hawks are 3rd in pace, Bulls are 2nd in pace
  • Hawks are 21st in DRtg, Bulls are 23rd in DRtg

Memphis Grizzlies vs. San Antonio Spurs

  • Total: 239
  • Spread: MEM -2.5
  • Grizzlies are 1st in pace, Spurs are 17th in pace 
  • Grizzlies are 7th in DRtg, Spurs are 13th in DRtg

Houston Rockets vs. Denver Nuggets

  • Total: 231
  • Spread: DEN -1
  • Rockets are 18th in pace, Nuggets are 5th in pace
  • Rockets are 3rd in DRtg, Nuggets are 16th in DRtg

Portland Trail Blazers @ Detroit Pistons

  • Total: 226.5
  • Spread: DET -6.5
  • Trail Blazers are 2nd in pace, Pistons are 20th in pace
  • Trail Blazers are 17th in DRtg, Pistons are 22nd in DRtg

Boston Celtics vs. Toronto Raptors

  • Total: 230
  • Spread: BOS -14
  • Celtics are 24th in pace, Raptors are 9th in pace
  • Celtics are 6th in DRtg, Raptors are 27th in DRtg

Dallas Mavericks vs. New Orleans Pelicans

  • Total: 225.5
  • Spread: DAL -2.5
  • Mavericks are 10th in pace, Pelicans are 16th in pace
  • Mavericks are 12th in DRtg, Pelicans are 28th in DRtg

Charlotte Hornets vs. Utah Jazz

  • Total: 220.5
  • Spread: CHA -5.5
  • Hornets are 23rd in pace, Jazz are 13th in pace
  • Hornets are 19th in DRtg, Jazz are 29th in DRtg

New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers

  • Total: 220
  • Spread: NYK -6
  • Knicks are 25th in pace, 76ers are 28th in pace
  • Knicks are 15th in DRtg, 76ers are 17th in DRtg

 

 

 

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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