Daily Fantasy

NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: Tues., Jan. 3

FantasyPros considers the best player values for DraftKings and FanDuel NBA DFS.

Joel Bartilotta, FantasyPros

January 3, 2023 4:30 PM

Teammates Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox are both players to consider Tuesday night as the Kings face the Jazz.

After a massive 11-game card on Monday, we have just three games on this Tuesday slate. That means we only have six teams to examine, leaving us with an extremely thin player pool. Many of the best players on this slate are on the injury report, so that makes things tough on us 24 hours in advance, but we’ll do our best to project who will play and who will sit.

Injury Report

Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) Questionable
Jrue Holiday (hamstring) Questionable
Bradley Beal (hamstring) Questionable
Khris Middleton (knee) Questionable
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (ankle) OUT
Aleksej Pokusevski (leg) OUT
Malik Monk (wrist) Questionable
Kevin Huerter (back) Questionable
Collin Sexton (hamstring) OUT
Robert Williams (knee) Questionable

Core Plays

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (PG/SG – OKC): $10,300 DraftKings, $10,400 FanDuel
Many people might fade SGA because he has the toughest matchup on the slate, but it doesn’t really matter with this kid. Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 37 DraftKings points in all but four games this season, averaging 30.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game. You might be scared to use him against an elite Celtics defense, but SGA scored 59 DK points in their one meeting earlier this season.

Domantas Sabonis (PF/C – SAC): $10,500 DraftKings, $10,300 FanDuel
We weren’t so sure how Sabonis would look with his broken thumb, but he looks as good as ever. The big man has scored at least 42 DK points in 14 straight games, generating a 52-point average in that span. He’s also got at least 56 fantasy points in six of his last eight games, stuffing the stat sheet at ease. He should fill the box score again versus the Jazz, with Domantas dropping 53 DK points in this matchup last weekend.

Cash Game Considerations

Giannis Antetokounmpo (PF/C – MIL): $12,100 DraftKings, $12,300 FanDuel
We’re not exactly sure if Giannis will be able to suit up, but he’s the best play on the board if he does. The Kia MVP candidate is averaging nearly 60 fantasy points per game, scoring 81 and 84 DraftKings points in his two most recent outings. That’s one of the best stretches of his career, but it’s no surprise since he’s being asked to do more with Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday sidelined. Washington is a wonderful matchup, too, with Antetokounmpo averaging 71 DK points per game in their last five matchups.

Jayson Tatum (SF/PF – BOS): $10,700 DraftKings, $11,000 FanDuel
Tatum’s MVP campaign has hit a bit of a snag, with Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic going nuts over the last week, but he has been unbelievable as well. The Celtics wingman has at least 38 DraftKings points in all but two games this year en route to a 52-point average. That’s an elite floor from a cash game option, especially since Tatum faces a Thunder defense that ranks 25th in points allowed. He had a cool 55 fantasy points in their one matchup earlier in the year.

De’Aaron Fox (PG – SAC): $9,000 DraftKings, $8,800 FanDuel
Fox has had a few off-games due to injury this season, but he’s been one of the best $9K players in the NBA. The speedster has scored at least 29 fantasy points in all but three games this year, and all three of those were affected by injury. Fox is also posting a 45-point average in those other 29 games, running this Kings offense at ease. Facing Utah is fantastic, too, with the Jazz ranked 23rd in points allowed and 25th in defensive efficiency. When they played last weekend, Fox finished with 44 DraftKings points!

GPP Targets

Jordan Clarkson (PG/SG – UTA): $7,000 DraftKings, $7,100 FanDuel
We were worried that this backcourt would be convoluted with Mike Conley and Collin Sexton, but Clarkson has established himself as the primary playmaker in Utah. The volatile guard has scored at least 28 DK points in 18 of his last 21 games, totaling a 34-point average in that span. That’s on par with his career-best average, and we expect it to continue with Sacramento sitting 23rd in defensive efficiency and 24th in points allowed.

Bobby Portis (PF/C – MIL): $7,000 DraftKings, $6,500 FanDuel
With Middleton, Holiday, and Antetokounmpo all nicked up, Portis could be the go-to man in Milwaukee. He’s already amid a career year in a bench role, averaging 14.0 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. That’s pristine production from a reserve player, but Portis could be the focal point of the offense if even two of those guys are missing. That’s allowed Portis to score at least 38 DraftKings points in three straight outings, and one of those came against this Washington defense. If all three of those guys are out, lock Portis into every lineup!

Value Plays

Mike Conley (PG – UTA): $5,300 DraftKings, $5,800 FanDuel
This veteran is approaching the final years of his career, but he’s too good to be this cheap. The southpaw has scored at least 24 DK points in six of his last seven games, amassing a 30-point average across his last four fixtures. He’s also played at least 31 minutes in all of those, and it’s rare to see a starting point guard with that sort of role in this price range. One of those was against this Sacramento defense, with Conley comping 34 DK points!

Al Horford (PF/C – BOS): $4,800 DraftKings, $5,600 FanDuel
Horford and Conley are very similar players. Both of these former All-stars are on the back nine of their careers, but both guys are immense values with these diminished price tags. The Boston big-man is averaging over 25 DK points per game, playing nearly 30 minutes a night. That’s all you can hope for from a $5K player, and he should thrive against a Thunder team that owns a 26th OPRK against opposing big men. Horford has at least 32 DK points in each of his last three meetings with Oklahoma City, posting a 36-point average against them.

Rui Hachimura (SF/PF – WAS): $4,500 DraftKings, $5,600 FanDuel
It’s tough to trust a pure scorer off of the bench, but Rui has been remarkable over recent weeks. The former Top-10 pick has at least 39 DK points in two of his last three games. That’s absurd from such an affordable player, with Rui registering 39 fantasy points in a matchup with Milwaukee over the weekend. All you need is 25 DK points for Hachimura to be a good value, and that’s one of the best bets from a player in this price range.

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