FanDuel NBA Lineup Advice: Saturday (1/18)

Welcome to the Saturday edition of FanDuel NBA lineup advice. The matchup between LeBron James and James Harden in Houston is the highlight of tonight’s nine-game main slate, which features six studs sporting six-figure salaries. There isn’t much injury news to monitor as of this writing but with eight teams headed into the second half of a back-to-back set, there will surely be news coming out as the day progresses towards tip-off. Let’s dive in.

Check out today’s NBA Shot from FanDuel

Point Guard

Chris Paul (OKC): $7,100 vs. POR
Paul may have the safest floor of any point guard the entire season. He’s played at least 30 minutes in 34 of the Thunder’s 41 games and has a solid 21.9% usage rate on the season. While that kind of floor is nice, he may be able to get to his ceiling tonight against the Blazers, who give up the second-most FD points to point guards on the season. There’s a good chance he booms tonight and very little chance he busts.  

Others to consider:

Kemba Walker (BOS): $7,000 vs. PHO
Walker put up 58.7 FD points in his last outing against the Bucks and only saw his price tag climb a paltry $300. We’ve seen him go on extended hot streaks before and another 50+ FD point performance isn’t out of the question tonight in a pace-up spot against the Suns. 

Coby White (CHI): $3,900 vs. CLE
The only thing that’s been consistent for the rookie from North Carolina over the past seven games is the minutes he’s seeing on the court. The good news is he’s facing the Cavs tonight, who sport the league’s second-worst defensive rating and give up the most FD points to point guards on average. He’s a nice salary saving option that could crush his value at just $3,900.

Shooting Guard

Donovan Mitchell (UTA): $6,600 vs. SAC
Mitchell’s price tag inexplicably remains at $6,600 after he exploded for a season-high 59.2 FD points in his last outing against the Pelicans. He faces off with the Kings tonight, who give up the fourth-most FD points to shooting guards on the season and have given up the most over the past 15 games. He may not handle the ball quite as much with Mike Conley set to return tonight, but after missing the last 14 games with a hamstring injury he isn’t a huge threat to Mitchell’s usage.  

Others to consider:

Zach LaVine (CHI): $8,600 vs. CLE
Just looking at his fantasy output might lead you to believe that LaVine is cooling off, but two of his past three games have come on the road against the Celtics and 76ers, two of the top five defensive teams in the league. That’s not the case tonight when the lowly Cavs travel to Chicago. LaVine is averaging 45.3 FD points so far in the month of January and you should expect him to top that in tonight’s juicy matchup.

Svi Mykhailiuk (DET): $4,400 at ATL
Mykhailiuk has settled into a steady role for the Pistons, averaging over 30 minutes on the court over Detroit’s past nine games. He’s averaged 28.6 FD points over his last two games and shouldn’t be slowed down tonight Atlanta’s bottom-five defense.

Small Forward

LeBron James (LAL): $11,100 at HOU
LeBron plays in the showcase game tonight against the Rockets in Houston. He’s the second-highest priced player on the slate, $300 cheaper than Harden, and I’d rather take the discount with James. The Rockets play at the second-fastest pace in the NBA, which will allow James and his 30.9% usage rate an even better than usual chance to rack up a triple-double

Others to consider:

Joe Ingles (UTA): $5,600 vs. SAC
Much like his teammate Donovan Mitchell, Ingles’ seems underpriced for what he brings to the table against the Kings tonight. He averaging 37.3 FD points over his last three games while contributing in nearly every statistical category.  

Cameron Johnson (PHO): $3,600 at BOS
Johnson is a bit of a salary-saving punt, but the rookie should at the very least continue to see solid minutes behind Mikal Bridges while Kelly Oubre remains sidelined with a concussion. Johnson has shown a bit of a ceiling for his price range, topping 30 FD points three times this season.

Power Forward

Sekou Doumbouya (DET): $4,800 at ATL
Two weeks ago I wrote that you had to play Doumbouya while you could at the minimum $3,500 salary because he would probably never be there again this season. Even at $4,800, he’s a worthwhile play tonight. He’s started the past eight games for the Pistons and average 22.2 FD points over that span. Over the past two games, however, he’s averaged 31.5 FD points, a mark that’s realistic for him to hit again tonight in Atlanta.

Others to consider:

Anthony Davis (LAL): $10,900 at HOU
Davis has missed the past four games and is listed as questionable as of this writing but if we get word that he’s active you can roll him out with full confidence. He’s averaged 38 minutes on the floor the other two times he’s returned from missing a game this season and the Lakers would love to make a statement on national TV tonight.

Larry Nance Jr. (CLE): $3,800 at CHI
Nance has been slowly returning to form after missing six games to injury earlier in the month. There’s a decent chance that the Cavs rest Kevin Love on the second half of back-to-back games tonight and if they do, Nance becomes possibly the best value on the slate at $3,800 against the Bulls, who have given up the most FD points to power forwards on average this season.

Center

Andre Drummond (DET): $10,100 at ATL
The NBA’s leading rebounder has had a few off nights in the past week but he could have some extra motivation tonight. We always hear about the “revenge game” narrative but this could be the first case of “you’re going to regret not giving up a first-round pick for me” narrative. Narratives aside, Drummond should smash against the Hawks, who give up the sixth most FD points to centers on the season and the fourth most over the last seven games.

Others to consider:

Kyle O’Quinn (PHI): $4,000 at NY
There are a plethora of high priced centers on tonight’s slate but if you want to go a bit contrarian and pay down at the position O’Quinn is the perfect option. He’s only seen the court twice in the last month but he’s averaged 27.3 FD points in those two appearances. The 76ers won’t have much choice but to play him tonight; Joel Embiid is still injured and they didn’t convert Norvel Pelle’s two-way contract. He should easily pay off his $4,000 salary tonight. 

Here’s an example of a lineup you can roll out tonight. It’s a bit of a “studs and scrubs” lineup that comes with a few risky plays that could pay off huge dividends, making it more suitable for tournament lineups.

PG: Chris Paul – $7,100
PG: Coby White – $3,900
SG: Zach LaVine – $8,600
SG: Donovan Mitchell – $6,600
SF: LeBron James – $11,100
SF: Cameron Johnson – $3,600
PF: Sekou Doumbouya – $4,800
PF: Larry Nance Jr. – $3,800
C: Andre Drummond – $10,100

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Aaron Larson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Aaron, check out his archive and follow him @aalarson.