FanDuel NBA Lineup Advice: Friday (1/31)

Tonight’s slate features a seven-game lineup with the Toronto Raptors and Denver Nuggets operating on a back-to-back. The main slate – which includes all seven games – kicks off at 7:00 p.m. EST. The slate offers a handful of intriguing stud options, though the Dallas Mavericks won’t have PG Luka Doncic available due to an ankle injury.

Check out today’s NBA Shot from FanDuel

Point Guard

Ja Morant (PG – MEM): $7,400 @ NO
The schedule tonight poses some intriguing matchups, though none are as enticing and present a better atmosphere than the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans contest. Morant is the headliner for the Grizz and is coming off three consecutive 40+ point performances, dominating across the board statistically and contributing as a defender. The Pelicans rank 25^th in defensive rating, 6^th in pace, and this contest leads the night in implied totals at 241. There is no possibility of a better environment than this game, as it hosts two bad defensive teams and two pacey offenses.

Jalen Brunson (PG – DAL): $3,600 @ HOU
As mentioned above, Doncic is out of this contest as he nurses a bum ankle. Replacing the superstar is Brunson, sliding right into the vacated starting point guard spot. Brunson comes in just above the dead minimum price tag on FanDuel, providing you with a chance to pay-down at the point guard spot and find a guy who has a great shot to smash value. The Houston Rockets are ranked 15^th in defensive rating and 2^nd in pace. This game is 2^nd in implied totals for the night.

Shooting Guard

Dennis Schroder (SG – OKC): $6,000 @ PHO
Over his past six games, Schroder has become as steady and consistent as a rock as he has totaled between 33 and 47.1 FanDuel points in each contest, yet his price tag continues to remain at the $6,000 mark. Schroder registers a bunch of playing time, typically in the range of 31 minutes, making his bench role obsolete in the grand scheme of things. The Phoenix Suns present a plus matchup, ranking 18^th in defensive rating and 9^th in pace.

Jrue Holiday (SG – NO): $7,600 vs. MEM
You will see me reference this game multiple times, and Holiday becomes the second player listed from the contest already. In a game that is as pacey as this one, expect a lot of potential for defensive points, and no player is a bigger threat to coup points on the defensive side of the ball than Holiday. Pegging the offensive production for the Pelicans will be tough, but Holiday always carries the ability to rack up defensive production with him, helping his point-totals even when his shot isn’t dropping. The matchup is a very good one as the Grizzlies rank 20^th in defensive rating and 4^th in pace.

Small Forward

LeBron James (SF – LAL): $11,200 vs. POR
Tonight’s game will be the first for the Los Angeles Lakers since the passing of the great Kobe Bryant, and as simple as it seems, LeBron is a major threat because of it. Not only does he have the external motivation to play his heart out for his good friend and Laker/NBA legend, but the Portland Trail Blazers present a great matchup as they rank 26^th in defensive rating and 11^th in pace. I would not bet against LeBron tonight.

Trevor Ariza (SF – POR): $4,300 @ LAL
With Carmelo Anthony out of tonight’s game due to injury, Ariza will not only start, but he’ll likely register a ton of playing time. At just $4,300, Ariza doesn’t need a ton of per-minute production to reach value, and if he approaches 40 minutes in playing time, he should absolutely be able to reach value, even against a tough team in the Lakers.

Power Forward

Brandon Clarke (PF – MEM): $5,200 @ NO
Starting PF Jaren Jackson Jr. will miss tonight’s contest due to a one-game suspension, providing Clarke with an opportunity to slide into his starting spot. Clarke has been very productive in his last four games, reaching value twice and reaching 7x value twice. The opportunity for more minutes as a starter will do wonders for his production, as Clarke usually only registers somewhere between 23-25 minutes of playing time. As I mentioned prior, the matchup is also excellent.

Zion Williamson (PF – NO): $6,500 vs. MEM
And on the other side of this matchup, Zion presents a solid play as the second-highest priced PF after only Anthony Davis, who occupies a land of his own at PF tonight. Zion’s minutes continue to rise with his 29-minute performance in his latest contest, and that was three days ago, providing adequate rest time for tonight’s matchup. Expect Zion to register 30+ minutes of playing time in a pacey contest against a weak defense. The #1 overall pick has a shot to do work offensively and scoop up plenty of defensive production in the process.

Center

Deandre Ayton (C – PHO): $8,200 vs. OKC
Ayton is coming off back-to-back monster 50+ point performances. The matchup is considerably tougher tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder than his last two games, but he’s on such a dominant roll and has produced defensively lately, leading me to believe he could string together another strong performance tonight against someone like Steven Adams.

Create FanDuel lineups using our DFS Lineup Optimizer tool

Sosa Kremenjas is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Sosa, check out his archive and follow him @QBsMVP.