NBA Draftkings has a total of eight games scheduled on Saturday, January 9, 2021. One game however, the Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76’ers, begins at 3:00pm/ET. That means that there is an actual total of seven games on the main-slate and that is what we’re going to focus on. We’ll go through the best overall plays and some potential values that you’ll likely need in order to construct winning lineups.
With only the Portland Trail Blazers vs the Sacramento Kings tipping off after 8:30pm/ET, there will be the convenience of not having to make a ton of late-night swaps as lineups come out prior to 10:00pm/ET. While that does make things a bit easier for the simple sake of not having to be glued to your phone or refreshing your computer, it can also be a disadvantage. The limited flexibility at night means that you’re on a more level playing field with the casual DFS player. For that reason, it’s of the up-most importance that we find the right players to use, the first time.
Below are the implied Vegas total’s for Saturday, January 9.
Miami Heat vs Washington Wizards | 7:00pm/ET | O/U –
Phoenix Suns vs Indiana Pacers | 7:00pm/ET | O/U – 217
Atlanta Hawks vs Charlotte Hornets | 7:00pm/ET | O/U – 227
San Antonio Spurs vs Minnesota Timberwolves | 8:00pm/ET | O/U – 226
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Milwaukee Bucks | 8:00pm/ET | O/U –
Orlando Magic vs Dallas Mavericks | 8:30pm/ET | O/U – 216
Portland Trail Blazers vs Sacramento Kings | 10:00pm/ET | O/U –
The 2021 NBA season is still very young, and from a daily fantasy perspective a majority of players have been a bit inconsistent thus far. I’ve been digging deep however, and I’ve found us some guys that can help make us some money.
Point Guard – NBA Draftkings Top Plays
Damian Lillard | PG | Trail Blazers – $9,500
Just two weeks into the NBA regular season and people were already avoiding Dam Lillard on Draftkings. Heading into last Thursday’s matchup with the Timberwolves, Lillard’s price point on DK had dropped back down to $9.3k. Was it justified? Maybe. He consistently managed to put up anywhere from 45 to 55 fantasy points on any given night, and while none were a “breakout” performance of 60 plus, he was still playing well for the most part. And then, the Minnesota game happened.
Love our content? Check out the GoingFor2 Live Podcast Network!
That breakout performance that everyone was becoming impatient on waiting for went down. Unfortunately for a lot of those same people, they didn’t have Lillard rostered when he put up 67.25 Draftkings points.
When there is a player as talented as Lillard available at a decreasing price, I highly recommend you take advantage of it. I was lucky enough to have stuck with my daily fantasy instincts and was able to cash Thursday night, partially thanks to Dam. His price has only increased $200 for Saturday’s main-slate, and a matchup with the Kings should be another night to take advantage of the situation.
Luka Doncic | PG | Mavericks – $11,000
The story of Luka Doncic was very similar to that of Lillard’s when this week began. No “slate-breaking” performance, but still consistent fantasy scoring to start the season. I don’t feel as though Doncic and Lillard are too comparable outside of that narrative, because their just different players. However, Luka’s ownership was dropping almost every night and his price was only getting cheaper and cheaper as well.
Until the Rockets game that is.
In back-to-back outings, Doncic has scored 70 fantasy points on Draftkings. His price has crept back up to the $11k mark, but that’s still a good price for the stud point guard, even if he is missing a lot of shots on the court. Luka and the rest of the Mavs will host the injury plagued Magic on Saturday in Dallas. You should feel confident inserting Doncic in your lineup, even at that price point.
Point Guard – Value Play
Raul Neto | PG | Wizards – $4,100
Earlier this week, Wizards start PG Russell Westbrook dislocated his finger, and there were rumors swirling even going into last night that the All-Star would take off at least one of the games on either Friday or Saturday as the team was also on a back-to-back. Surprisingly, that didn’t happen and Westbrook started against the Boston Celtics last night.
Injured finger or not, I expect Westbrook to now sit out tonight’s game against the Miami Heat. If he does indeed sit, the usage rates for several of his teammates obviously increases, but it also opens the door for someone to step into the starting lineup and make an impact. Insert Raul Neto.
The last time Neto started in place of Westbrook was on December 27, 2020. He played 32 minutes in that contest and put up 40.5 Draftkings points. The matchup isn’t great on Saturday, but Neto has been quietly productive in limited opportunities this year. If Westbrook does indeed take the night off, there is a pretty clear path to 30 plus minutes and a solid floor in fantasy scoring for the backup point guard.
Shooting Guard – NBA Draftkings Top Plays
Bradley Beal | SG | Wizards – $9,700
I’m not going to lie, the price is getting up there. We’re going to stick with the Wizards here though, with or without Westbrook in the lineup. Either way, Bradley Beal is a good start. The Wizards play at the fastest pace of any team in the NBA, which is past of the reason that both Westbrook and Beal have both been able to be productive from both a real life and fantasy perspective. Even if they’re on the court together.
If Westbrook does happen to miss however, Beal’s usage will go up even more. On Wednesday night, Beal had his best game of the season. Against a vulnerable 76’ers squad, the shooting guard put up a whopping 79.75 Draftkings points while playing 38 minutes and contributing in nearly every category. With his price tag nearing the $10k mark, we’ll need continued production, but that looks like it won’t be an issue on Saturday.
D’Angelo Russell | PG/SG | Timberwolves – $8,100
Timberwolves guard D’Angelo Russell is yet another player that has seen his best production of the season come in the last few days. His price point is now over $8k for the first time this year on Draftkings. It’s still an affordable number to roster him at however.
As of the time of this writing, the current over/under for the game is 226 and Karl Anthony-Towns is still listed as questionable on the injury report. If KAT remains sidelined for Saturday’s matchup, Russell will likely be the one that continues to put a majority of points on the board for his team. He’s been shooting pretty well from both the mid and three-point range. His minutes do tend to fluctuate, but that’s usually due to the Timberwolves getting stomped on the scoreboard. The T-Wolves are currently seven point dogs to the Spurs, so in theory his minutes should be right around 30 on Saturday. Some exposure to Russell won’t hurt.
Shooting Guard – Value Play
Cole Anthony | PG/SG | Magic – $5,500
Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony is eligible at both PG and SG on Draftkings, but in my preliminary lineups I’ve had him in the shooting guard spot during roster construction. Admittedly, I am writing this as Friday night’s game is set to tip off, so I’m waiting to see how he performs in the starting lineup.
The fact of the matter is though, the Magic have been bitten hard by the injury bug either way. As it stands right now, Evan Fournier, Markelle Fultz, Michael Carter-Williams, Aaron Gordon and many others will not be available to play Saturday. The minutes have to go somewhere for Orlando and someone is going to have to shoot the ball. The guy’s not likely to get “Markelle Fultz minutes,” according to Adam Spolane of Sports Radio 610, but even at 25ish minutes he should be able to get 25-30 points on Draftkings with his expected usage rate.
Small Forward – NBA Draftkings Top Plays
Demar Derozan | SF/PF | Spurs – $7,800
Demar Derozan has had a fairly consistent year so far. His minutes have been up and down, and so has his fantasy scoring. What’s a bit more worrisome however is his field goal shooting. In his last two outings, his percentages were .385 and .333. It’s likely that he’ll rebound from those numbers though, so we wont worry too much.
What’s really appealing today is his matchup against Minnesota. The Timberwolves have struggled against the opposition’s front court lately. At a price point of $7.8k on Draftkings and a projected over/under of 226 you’d think there should be ample playing time available. If Derozan can get 30 plus minutes in this matchup, we should see a floor or roughly 40 fantasy points.
Cedi Osman | SF/PF | Cavaliers – $6,200
The Cleveland Cavaliers are another team that has fallen victim to a plethora of injuries early on. It was announced on Friday evening that Darius Garland wouldn’t play Saturday. As of now, Collin Sexton is also questionable. This opens the door for a higher usage for guys like Andre Drummond, and Cedi Osman.
Over the Cavs last three games, Osman has played 38,33 and 38 minutes. His shooting hasn’t been very good at times, but he’s making up for it in other areas. He has seven assists in three straight, scoring 43.75, 25.75 and 35.75 Draftking’s points along the way. The Cavaliers are going to have to score to keep up, and it’s likely it could be Cedi dishing the ball.
Small Forward – Value Play
Dwayne Bacon | SF | Magic – $3,800
I don’t love this play. Dwayne Bacon isn’t necessarily “good” at basket ball. Once again though, the magic simply have a limited number of guys they can play. Bacon should see 20 plus minutes, and will hopefully score 20 plus fantasy points.
Power Forward – NBA Draftkings Top Plays
Giannis Antetokounmpo | PF/C | Bucks – $10,800
I shouldn’t have to cover too much here in regards to Antetokounmpo. The guy is simply a stud and is the highest priced player on the slate for good reason. Prior to Thursday night, Giannis had three straight games of 61 plus fantasy points. He would have likely had more vs the Pistons too if not for the blow out. In completive games, he’s going to see upwards of 35 minutes, and usually never plays less than 27.
The bad news is, this game could be lop-sided today. If the Cavs are unable to keep up with their limited roster, Antetokounmpo may not get his 35 plus. Either way however, he should keep the bar high in terms of scoring. I might limit my exposure slightly, but not too much with the matchup in mind.
Harrison Barnes | SF/PF | Kings – $6,400
Sacramento Kings forward, Harrison Barnes was in my article last Friday and he’s back this week. Even with a small increase in price. The reason is Barnes has been consistent with his playing time, shooting and fantasy production. He has a safe floor it seems, and is worth rostering at $6.4k.
Power Forward – Value Play
Davis Bertans | PF | Wizards – $4,800
There’s a couple things to like when it comes to Davis Bertans. One, he’s been closing games and is likely to do so moving forward. Secondly, he has a high ceiling due to his three point shooting ability.
He’s yet to really have that “break out” game so far, but the fact of the matter is that he’s still one of the better three point shooters in the league. There’s going to be a game where he hits a higher percentage of his three point attempts in a game. Over his last two games he played over 30 minutes in each. More opportunity on the floor means more opportunity to “go off.”
Center – NBA Draftkings Top Play
Nikola Vucevic | C | Magic – $8,800
This was a toss up here between Karl Anthony-Towns at $9.6k and Vucevic at $8.8k. Towns hasn’t played since the second game of the season, but is making a good recovery and is likely to return soon. Due to the afermentioned injury situation with Orlando, Vucevic easily becomes the most talented member of the Magic on the floor.
He was already a lock for 30-35 minutes and is likely to see even more now. His price came down $200 from yesterday too.
Center – Value Play
PJ Washington | PF/C | Hornets – $5,900
PJ Washington has seen an uptick in playing time and usage as of late and is now playing backup at center. On Thursday he grabbed ten boards, four assists, three blocks and two steals. He’s also scored over 30 fantasy points in two straight. With an even better opportunity moving forward, there is somewhat of a safe floor for Washington.
At $5.9k the price is fair and you can roster him with confidence.
ATTN Dynasty Commissioners: Do you want to do something cool for your league? How about a 1-hour live show dedicated to YOUR league? Team-by-team breakdowns, rankings, and more. For details and to book a show, visit: GoingFor2.com/plp.
