NBA DFS Picks for 1/20/23 – Early Plays to Build Around on Friday
After a small four-game slate on Thursday, Friday welcomes daily fantasy basketball fans with open arms (and a 9-gamer).
This should be fun, especially since there’s a lot of injury news to consider. More news will surely trickle out, but my job here is to point you to my favorite NBA DFS picks well before the action gets going.
Why is an early look even important? I think it builds a positive foundation for your process throughout the day, while news that comes later could sway you – even though it perhaps should not.
With that, let’s cover my favorite daily fantasy basketball picks for 1/20 at Draft Kings.
Dejounte Murray, PG, Atlanta Hawks ($7.8k)
I also love Darius Garland here, and he’s fresh off of a big 58-point fantasy outing. He’s going to be a core play with Murray if Spida sits again, or you just use the guy who is in the best spot.
Ownership could also play a factor, but Murray is the cheaper option and these guys project very similarly.
You’ll want to keep tabs on the status of Trae Young.
I love both of these guys tonight, as they’ll have monster projections if their teammates take a seat. They’ll be owned, but I think rostering at least one of them will make a lot of sense on this slate.
Dyson Daniels, SF, New Orleans Pelicans ($3.7k)
This is a pretty big slate, so there will probably be a lot of good value that opens up. That said, I don’t mind Daniels, who is starting games and logged 33 minutes in his last contest.
He’s probably not going to go nuts, but he’s cheap, and he’s going to get run.
New Orleans will continue to be without both Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, while Naji Marshall and Herbert Jones are in doubt for this one.
That’s four bodies the Pelicans may be forced to play without. If those guys sit, Daniels has a cemented role and may need to be more aggressive offensively, as well.
LeBron James, PF, Los Angeles Lakers ($11.3k)
I started out Friday’s NBA DFS picks with a nice mid-range option, and I also offered up a solid daily fantasy basketball sleeper.
My preferred stud on this slate is none other than King James.
He’s seemingly always questionable to play, but the guy sports a sick 35% usage rate and averages 1.52 fantasy points per minute with The Brow sidelined.
I mean, just look at what he did two games ago against the Houston Rockets:
Obviously a date with the Memphis Grizzlies presents a tougher matchup, but James still has such a massive role that I can’t ignore him.
The only other guys you should be looking to pay up for are Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic, and due to the prices, I’d imagine James will be the lowest owned of that trio.
Hopefully my top three NBA DFS picks gets you started on the right foot on Friday. If I have time later in the day, I will circle back to update this post. If not, start with this daily fantasy basketball advice and work from there.
Thanks for stopping by, and good luck!
Writer at Daily Fantasy Fade
DFS Keanu has been covering fantasy sports, DFS, and props for the better part of a decade, all while fighting The Matrix and a litany of assassins.
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