It’s Tuesday, January 21st. The National Basketball Association (NBA) has five games on the schedule, with a doubleheader on TNT/truTV/Max. The New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET at Barclays Center in the front end of the nationally-televised doubleheader, while the Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets meet in the second end at 10:00 p.m. ET.
View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer
NBA DFS Core Plays
- DraftKings: $8,300
- FanDuel: $7,900
Tyler Herro has rolled up some serious offense in January, averaging 24.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.8 three-pointers per game in 11 games. In the first meeting with the Trail Blazers on January 11th in Portland, Herro was good for 32 points, five boards, five dimes and seven triples.
Portland has allowed 116.7 points per game to rank 24th in The Association while allowing teams to hit 47.9% from the field and 37.8% from behind the three-point line.
- DraftKings: $9,900
- FanDuel: $9,700
Tyrese Maxey has a favorable matchup against the Denver Nuggets, who have an opponent rank of 20th. The point guard is averaging 44.9 fantasy points per game.
Maxey has been a powerhouse scorer, and he is coming off a 37-point showing in 41 minutes at Milwaukee on Sunday. He was 14-of-28 from the field, including six 3-pointers, while adding seven assists and six rebounds with a steal. That’s seven straight games with 28+ points. He has grabbed at least six boards in three of the past five, with five or more dimes in nine games in January. You get max effort with Maxey, and you also get what you pay for.
- DraftKings: $9,700
- FanDuel: $10,000
Karl-Anthony Towns hits the floor against the Brooklyn Nets with an impressive 52.1 fantasy points per game. He is facing a Nets defense with an opponent rank of 23. In eight games this month, he is averaging 28.3 points, 16 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.3 three-pointers per game.
Towns is coming off a stinker, though, hitting just five of his 18 attempts from the field, and scoring only 13 points. It was his lowest scoring total since December 21st in New Orleans. In his most recent meeting with the Nets on November 17th, he went for 26 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and one blocked shot on 10-of-16 shooting. Look for a bounce-back performance tonight.
NBA DFS Cash Game Targets
- DraftKings: $6,800
- FanDuel: $6,900
Deni Avdija has racked up a respectable 30.1 fantasy points per game. He faces a Heat team ranked in the bottom third of the league defensively against opposing frontcourt players.
Avdija has managed back-to-back double-doubles with 17.5 points, 12 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game in the past two outings. He has four double-doubles in the past seven games. At this price point, he is a tremendous value.
- DraftKings: $7,500
- FanDuel: $7,500
Jimmy Buckets is back. Jimmy Butler has been a little bit erratic since his seven-game team-imposed suspension. He had 18 points against the Nuggets on Friday in his return, but he managed just eight points on 3-of-7 shooting with seven assists, three boards and two swats on Sunday.
Butler has a favorable matchup with the Trail Blazers. He missed the first meeting between these two teams when he was banished from the team. His salary is super low for his skillset. This value won’t last long.
- DraftKings: $8,000
- FanDuel: $7,700
The Lakers are hosting the struggling Washington Wizards, and you always want to have a couple of opponents of the Wiz in your lineup, if not a healthy DFS stack. The Wizards are horrific defensively, allowing 122.8 points per game PPG (30th in the NBA) while allowing teams to hit 47.6% from the field and 36.4% from downtown.
Austin Reaves didn’t do so hot last time out against the Clippers, going for 14 points with five turnovers. Before that, in a favorable defensive matchup, Reaves dropped 38 points on the Brooklyn Nets with four three-pointers.
NBA DFS GPP Targets
- DraftKings: $6,500
- FanDuel: $6,500
With Jalen Suggs ruled out for yet another game due to a strained back, Cole Anthony and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are likely to see bumps in usage. Anthony is coming off a disastrous 4-of-13 shooting night against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, ending up with just nine points.
However, he had 11+ points in the previous seven outings. He is averaging 15.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.5 three-pointers per game across 10 games in January while averaging just short of 30 minutes.
- DraftKings: $6,200
- FanDuel: $6,400
Mikal Bridges was good for 26 points on 12-of-17 shooting in just 27 minutes on Monday against the Atlanta Hawks. He also tacked on four assists, one rebound and a three-pointer. Bridges has come alive in the past four games, going for at least 23 points in three of those games, while hitting 15 total three-pointers. He is a steal at this price if he can replicate that kind of production.
Kelly Oubre Jr. (SG, SF – PHI)
- DraftKings: $6,300
- FanDuel: $6,800
Kelly Oubre Jr. has been rolling along in January, posting 16.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 three-pointers per game in eight contests. He has gradually improved as the season has gone along, after averaging 12.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game in December, and 10.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in November.
Don’t expect this price to last for long, as his role continues to remain constant and his production picks up.
NBA DFS Value Plays
- DraftKings: $4,100
- FanDuel: $4,000
The Philadelphia frontcourt is a disaster right now, especially in the middle. Joel Embiid continues to sit with his knee injury, while Andre Drummond (toe) is a question mark to return. In addition, Guerschon Yabusele, a favorite of ours in recent weeks, is uncertain to go due to a knee ailment. Adem Bona and Pete Nance could see meaningful minutes in the frontcourt.
Bona has looked good in his past two games with extended minutes, averaging 11 points and six rebounds per game. He is a perfect 9-for-9 from the field in that span. Across the past four games, he made all 13 of his field-goal attempts.
- DraftKings: $3,900
- FanDuel: $4,000
Dalton Knecht is occasionally worth a look when the matchup is favorable. Facing Washington on Tuesday night is one of those situations. The Wizards are horrible defensively, and if the game turns into a blowout, Knecht could see a larger-than-usual role.
Even if it is relatively close, Knecht should shake a few for double-digit points and a handful of three-pointer opportunities. Rostering Knecht will allow you to spend more lettuce up top on high-ticket items.
- DraftKings: $5,000
- FanDuel: $5,600
Jonas Valanciunas turned back the clock on Sunday in Sacramento, going for 23 points, 12 rebounds and three assists, connecting on nine of his 11 attempts from the field in 23 minutes.
If you need a cheap option in the middle, Valanciunas has been playing fairly well in January, averaging 11.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in just over 19 minutes per game.
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