Best NBA DFS Picks for January 23rd Include Collin Gillespie and Dillon Brooks

The NBA will feature (6) games tonight, all of which show high-upside players to use on FanDuel and/or DraftKings DFS.

Jan 19, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Collin Gillespie (12) shoots the ball during the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images

The Thursday slate may have been one to forget, but we move on. Nothing in life is perfect, and nobody bats 1.000 . Nonetheless, we did find some winners in Peyton Watson, above all. In fact, he was the #1 DFS performer of the entire slate. Tonight, the Main Slate awards us with another (6) NBA Games to attack. This features a mismatched rivalry against the Celtics and the Nets, as well as a battle between two top teams in the Rockets and Pistons. Be sure to consider using any of these five best DFS plays.

Collin Gillespie, PG/SG (PHO) — $5,700 (FanDuel) | $5,800 (DraftKings)

Gillespie is a lethal shooter and this matchup will favor that. When the top-150 defensive matchups are ranked, the Hawks are 101st when ranking versus Point Guards. Though being mid-pack in defense against Point Guards, they will let up. As for Gillespie's statistics, he does average over 5x of this salary. He does have no more than (2) turnovers in nine of his last ten games. This also should be a highly competitive game, aiding late-game volume.

Donovan Mitchell, SG/PG (CLE) — $9,400 (FanDuel) | $9,700 (DraftKings)

We actually find what I might classify as a discounted salary on Mitchell. He can often cost over $10,000, and so I will take this. His Usage Rate of (31.2%) is elite and when on the court, he will produce high-numbers. Defensively, the Kings are 19th versus Shooting Guards, and they do have to suffer the cross-country travel to this affair.

In terms of how this salary actually favors us, Mitchell does average 4.7x of it. He is off of three straight games of <40 fantasy points, but to me, that means he is due, via the "law of averages". I believe where many may not...

Dillon Brooks, SF/SG (PHO) — $5,600 (FanDuel) | $6,000 (DraftKings)

Brooks is a quite volatile player, but one worth playing in a favorable matchup. His floor can be low, but his ceiling very high. In a risk analysis, we will play him when the risk is lower than the reward.

Defensively, the Hawks are 30th ranked versus Small Forwards. They are among the worst overall defenses in the NBA. As for Brooks, he has a very high Usage Rate at (27.3%). In his last two matchups deemed "highly-favorable", he put up 32+ fantasy points, hitting about 6x of salary.

Saddiq Bey, SF/PF (NO) — $5,400 (FanDuel) | $5,400 (DraftKings)

Bey was viewed as an attractive salary for us earlier this week. In that game, he hit just below 5x of salary. That is not terrible, nor elite, but his salary is one I will not give up on. I do like his value as it has much higher-upside than most.

On average, Bey is hitting exactly 5x of his salary tonight. He has not once hit less than (20) fantasy points in each of his last eight games. He has hit 46+ fantasy points twice over his last 13 games. In this game itself, the Grizzlies will oppose the Pelicans, hosting a shortly traveled game. The Grizzlies are 27th versus Small Forwards and 19th versus Power Forwards.

Dylan Cardwell, C (SAC) — $4,700 (FanDuel) | $4,500 (DraftKings)

The Kings are inching Domantas Sabonis back into his role. However, this will take some time. He played two games of mid-20 minutes, and he sat out the last game. They hope for him to play tonight, but he will likely be limited again. That opens the door for Cardwell, who has remained ultra-effective when on the court.

Cardwell is averaging about (21) fantasy points per game on the season. In recent weeks, he is playing about 10% more minutes than usual. He has also hit 28+ fantasy points in each of his last three games, two of which were with Sabonis. Cardwell can hit his floor, but his is mostly trustworthy, hitting no less than (18) fantasy points in all but one game since December 21st.