NBA daily fantasy picks: Five players who could help your lineup for Jan. 15
Nine games dot the NBA schedule on Friday night, and while there isn’t one marquee matchup, we do have a handful of the most intriguing fantasy teams in play. We have four players who check in at $10,000 or more, with teammates Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook bookending Anthony Davis and LeBron James. There are three more players who will run you at least $9,000 and, as usual, point guard is the deepest position on the board. That helps to make it the easiest place to go away from the very biggest name available.
All prices are courtesy of FanDuel and based on a $60,000 budget.
PG: Damian Lillard ($9,200) @ BKN: Of course, we’re not sacrificing too much, if at all, at the position by going with Lillard. He has averaged 51.2 fantasy points per game over his last four games, and should get going against a Brooklyn team that has surrendered the fifth-most points per game to point guards this year.
SG: Dwyane Wade ($7,200) @ DEN: The only concern with Wade this season, from a daily fantasy perspective, has been minutes. When he gets 30-plus, however, he typically delivers. In his last eight games with at least 30 minutes, he has averaged 33.4 fantasy points. If he gets his 30 on Friday, he could have one of his best game of the season. The Nuggets have allowed the most fantasy points per game to shooting guards this year.
Warriors, Spurs courting NBA history at opposite ends of basketball floor
SF: Andrew Wiggins ($6,600) @ OKC: Wiggins has been on a scoring tear of late, averaging 23.4 points per game in his last four games. He hasn’t done a ton in the other fantasy categories in that time, resulting in an average of 35.2 fantasy points per game, an average that doesn’t disappoint, even with his scoring doing so much heavy lifting. Thunder-Timberwolves has the highest over/under of the day, coming in at a healthy 208.5. Wiggins should be one of the players to take advantage.
PF: Dirk Nowitzki ($7,100) @ CHI: Nowitzki and Wade in the same lineup. We’re throwing it back to 2011 here. Nowitzki has given his fantasy owners 34.2 points per game over his last five and hasn’t played since Tuesday, so he should be well rested. On other other side, the Bulls are coming off an overtime game on Thursday, and then had to travel home from Philadelphia.
C: Hassan Whiteside ($7,200) @ DEN: Whiteside returned to the floor for Miami on Wednesday after a one-game absence, scoring 10 points and pulling down 11 rebounds in 27 minutes. He came off the bench in that game, but is expected to start against the Nuggets on Friday. Whiteside has posted 10 points, 11 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game over his last two, and has done so in just 29 minutes per game.
