NBA daily fantasy picks: Five players who could help your lineup for Jan. 29
Friday features a busy nine-game slate, but there isn’t a ton of star power relative to the number of teams in action. Just three players—Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and James Harden—cost more than $10,000, and only two more are north of $9,000. A lot of daily fantasy owners will want to get invested in Rockets-Thunder, and with good reason. The over/under on that game is 221.5, which is about as high as a game total can be in the NBA. Here, we’ll give you players you can put around anyone you might grab from those two rosters.
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PG: Deron Williams ($5,600) vs. BKN:Williams has fallen into a rut of late, scoring fewer than 20 points in all of his last three games. He was in a groove before that, however, putting up at least 32.4 points in four of his previous six. The bet here is that he gets back on the positive side of the ledger sooner rather than later, and the Nets could be the perfect cure. They’ve allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to point guards this season.
SG: Rodney Hood ($5,800) vs. MIN:Hood has been the inverse of Williams over the last couple weeks, surging to his best production of the season. In his last four games, he’s averaging 23 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3 assists and 33.1 fantasy points. He gets a Minnesota team on Friday that is basically league-average against shooting guards from a fantasy perspective. Moreover, he gives us the savings necessary to go after the next guy in our lineup.
SF: Kevin Durant ($10,600) vs. HOU:With the fireworks expected in Oklahoma City tonight, it would not be wise to fade Westbrook, Durant and Harden in cash games. You can only afford one, though, and Durant is the preference here. First of all, Houston is terrible against small forwards, surrendering the third-most fantasy points per game to the position this season. Secondly, Durant has been a monster over the last two-plus weeks, scoring fewer than 41 points just twice in his last eight games and averaging 47.4 points in that span.
PF: Thaddeus Young ($6,400) @ DAL:Nets-Mavericks isn’t expected to be the fantasy bonanza that Rockets-Thunder is, but don’t let that keep you away from Young on Friday. Dallas has allowed the sixth-most fantasy points per game to power forwards, which certainly bodes well for Young. He has come down from the dizzying heights he was at earlier in the season, but he’s a safe bet for 30-plus fantasy points in what is, without question, a great matchup.
C: DeAndre Jordan ($7,900) vs. LAL:The only concern for Jordan on Friday is that the Clippers pull away early and he doesn’t get his usual complement of minutes. If he’s out there for 35, he’s going to have a huge night. The Lakers have allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to centers, and are coming off a night where old friend PauGasol put up 21 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists at the Staples Center. Jordan, obviously, isn’t quite as offensively skilled as Gasol, but he still should abuse this defense.
