Draftkings & Fanduel Expert Survey for Tuesday, January 9Th

Our panel of experts is here to give you their NBA DFS picks for the upcoming slate by answering a handful of questions to help you make crucial lineup-building decisions. Want to know squirrelpatrol’s favorite tournament play? Or Noto’s favorite salary saver? Find out below!

NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings & FanDuel Expert Survey for Tuesday, January 9

Who is your favorite player to spend up for in cash games?

Notorious:

squirrelpatrol:

headChopper:

Stevietpfl:

Who is your favorite player to spend up for in large-field tournaments?

Notorious:

squirrelpatrol:

headChopper:

Stevietpfl:

Who is your favorite salary relief play in cash games?

Notorious: (FD) / (DK)

squirrelpatrol:

headChopper:

Stevietpfl:

Who is your favorite salary relief play in large-field tournaments?

Notorious:

squirrelpatrol:

headChopper:

Stevietpfl:

Who will be the biggest bust relative to salary?

Notorious:

squirrelpatrol:

headChopper:

Stevietpfl:

Who are you most afraid of being underweight on compared to the field?

Notorious:

squirrelpatrol:

headChopper:

Stevietpfl:

Who do you believe you’ll be most overweight on compared to the field?

Notorious:

squirrelpatrol:

headChopper:

Stevietpfl:

Which team are you targeting players from the most?

Notorious: DET

squirrelpatrol: MEM

headChopper: MEM

Stevietpfl: MEM

Which team are you looking to avoid players from the most?

Notorious: MIN

squirrelpatrol: MIN

headChopper: MIN

Stevietpfl: MIN

Which useful trend or statistic stuck out most during your research?

Notorious: I knew was in good form but didn’t realize how good he was until I pulled up his game log. He has scored at least 50 fantasy points in 6 straight games and has scored 64 and 70 fantasy points, respectively, in his last 2 games. He has averaged 1.32 DK / 1.35 FD points per minute with and off the floor.

squirrelpatrol: The new-look Raptors will be even newer look tonight with out. With Poeltl off the court (along with , , and now in NY), is 3rd on Toronto in minutes, putting up 0.94 DK points per minute in 88 minutes. is 4th in minutes with 67, putting up 0.59 DK points per minute. Either could get the start tonight.

headChopper: In the 2 games has missed this season, went 32/10/11 and 35/10/4, topping 60+ fantasy points in each game.

Stevietpfl: The Orlando Magic rank 4th in defensive rating this season, but over their last 5 games, they’re ranked 14th. , , and are three of the best defensive players on this team, and they’re all ruled out for tonight.

Who is your top overall play (when considering price, matchup, roster construction, etc.) on the board and why?

Notorious: – The Kings have the highest team total of the slate and are expected to score 7.8 points more than their season average. They have an elite matchup against the Pistons, who are 17th in rebounding rate, 26th in points allowed per game, and 27th in defensive rating. Sabonis can fill up all areas of the stat sheet and feels like the safest spend on the slate. He has scored over 60 fantasy points in 3 of his last 5 games.

squirrelpatrol: – leads the remaining Raptors in defensive rating and is expected to miss tonight’s game. It’s not clear who on the team will be able to guard . Davis has put up 57.8 DK points per game over the past two weeks, higher than his 54.2 average for the season, and he draws a sneaky good matchup with the Raptors missing their starting center.

headChopper: – He is just expensive enough not to get tagged as a salary saver but still priced low enough that he is an incredible value with out. In 19 games this season, he has averaged 14 points, 4.5 assists, and 2.6 rebounds. He’s always good to kick in some defensive stats, too (2.1 steals per game this season). Ja is done for the year, and this is now Smart’s team.

Stevietpfl: – In 409 minutes this season with and off the floor, Smart has a 23.1% usage rate and is averaging 0.95 fantasy points per minute. is doubtful, and is questionable. If one or both sit, it’s a bump for Smart. When considering price and matchup, it’s hard for me not to be overweight on him tonight. As much as I like , I think Smart can fill up the stat sheet more.

Who is your top contrarian play (when considering price, matchup, projected ownership, etc.) on the board and why?

Notorious: – Don’t look now, but Hartenstein is playing his best basketball of the season. He has scored over 40 fantasy points in each of the last 3 games and has averaged 45 fantasy points per game during that stretch. He should see a matchup boost with Deandre Ayton expected to miss tonight’s game. Hartenstein’s playing time continues to trend upward. It doesn’t look like many are willing to pay a premium for him tonight, so it’s not hard to be overweight on the field.

squirrelpatrol: – James is carrying his standard questionable tag tonight, but I expect him to play, and he draws the same sneaky good matchup with the Raptors missing . With the Raptors starting lineup in flux and this game starting late, I don’t mind the idea of pairing LeBron and/or AD with a Raptor or two, providing maximum roster flexibility for later in the night.

headChopper: De’Aaron Fox – Perhaps this game being in Detroit can help keep this thing semi-close. Even if the Pistons can’t, the Kings should score enough through 3 quarters to finish favorably in DFS scoring. looks to be the more popular play on the Kings, so I don’t mind going against the grain and playing a low-owned Fox instead.

Stevietpfl: – Davis has a tough matchup against Toronto, but these are the types of matchups I like to roster him. He should play 35+ minutes in a close game. He has scored at least 65 fantasy points in his last 3 games against tough defensive opponents (Miami, Minnesota, and Boston). It’s a small sample size, but I think Davis has a high ceiling in these matchups. He’s currently projecting for some of the lowest ownership among the studs on this slate.

What is your hot take of the day?

Notorious: outscores .

squirrelpatrol: The late-night hammer 10:30 PM ET game between the Lakers and Raptors ends up as the highest-scoring game of the night.

headChopper: scores 40+ real-life points.

Stevietpfl: has a 30-10-5 game.

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NOTE: Our analysts do their best to update their answers as news comes out throughout the day. For the most up-to-date picks and projections as lineup lock approaches, be sure to head to LineupHQ.

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