NBA DFS Picks for Thursday, 1/26/23 – Build Around Luka Doncic
Thursday produces a solid six-game daily fantasy basketball slate. It’s my favorite slate size, and it’s made better because there are not a ton of studs available to us.
That can obviously be bad, but in my opinion, it makes your spend up process very simple, and leaves everything else wide open.
Of course, as is the case with any daily fantasy slate, you need to start things off with your core plays. I’ll try to point you in the right direction with my preferred NBA DFS picks.
Here’s my favorite four for Thursday night at Draft Kings.
Luka Doncic, PG, Dallas Mavericks ($12.7k)
Doncic is super pricey here, but he has the best projection on the slate by eight fantasy points. That, and this is probably too small of a slate – with too few elite options – to get away with fading him.
I have to assume Doncic will be high-owned on Thursday, but this is expensive chalk I don’t mind stuffing my face with.
Doncic does have a tough road tilt with the Suns, but he’s been fine on the road this year, and has averaged 57.6 fantasy points against Phoenix across two meetings.
You want more than that at this price, but we know the upside is there.
Jalen Duren, C, Detroit Pistons ($5.1k)
Duren is one of my favorite NBA DFS value plays on the board right now. A lot can change heading into lock, but he’s way too cheap for the ceiling he can provide.
Just look at what he did in his last game.
That effort resulted in a monstrous 52-point fantasy outing. I don’t think we should expect that again, but he has now topped 31+ fantasy points in three of his last four games, and he’s had at least 25+ in each of his last five.
Duren is a great points per dollar option, and a date with the Nets feels like a smash spot, too.
Caris LeVert, G/F, Cleveland Cavaliers ($5.6k)
LeVert is another value pick I like for daily fantasy basketball lineups tonight. He’s always viable when he’s this cheap, but he’s even more in play with Donovan Mitchell once again on the shelf.
If Spida is for sure out, Darius Garland ($8.6k) will also look really good, but you’re getting more bang for your buck with LeVert.
He can have a low floor, but per RotoGrinders.com’s CourtIQ, he does sport a solid 22% usage rate and averages nearly one fantasy point per minute when Mitchell is off the floor.
Chris Paul, PG, Phoenix Suns ($7.7k)
I’ll cap off Thursday’s top NBA DFS picks with CP3. Devin Booker is still out, and he’s joined on the sidelines by Cam Payne and Landry Shamet.
You could go cheaper with Mikal Bridges or even Cam Johnson here, but Paul is a pretty good run-it-back stack option if you’re paying for Luka.
Paul dealt with a blowout in his last game, but still managed to put up 38 fantasy points. The game before, he erupted for 54.
He’s healthy and has a massive role (22.9% usage rate, 1.17 fantasy points per minute) with Booker and these other guys off the floor.
Other NBA DFS Picks for Thursday Night
- Darius Garland, PG, Cleveland Cavaliers ($8.6k)
- Malcolm Brogdon, PG, Boston Celtics ($6k)
- Cameron Johnson, F, Phoenix Suns ($5.3k)
- Isaiah Hartenstein, C, New York Knicks ($3.3k)
There are loads of daily fantasy basketball picks to consider, so I’ll leave you with four more. If you don’t pay for Doncic – and perhaps even if you do – you should look at Garland.
He’s especially appealing if his ownership ends up being low due to his price and the presence of Luka.
Marcus Smart is going to be out 1-2 weeks, so you can look at the Celtics guards again on Thursday night. I’d start with Broggy, who has looked fantastic as of late.
For more value, you can use Cam Johnson for just over $5k, or you can punt with Hartenstein. He is splitting center minutes with Jericho Sims with Mitchell Robinson out.
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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