Fantasy Basketball Value Picks: Top DraftKings NBA DFS Bargain Plays for January 18

The NBA is celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a full schedule of games throughout the day on Monday. Even after the postponement of the game between the Washington Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers, there are four solid matchups lined up for Monday night starting at 7:30 p.m. ET with the Milwaukee Bucks visiting the Brooklyn Nets and new addition James Harden ($10,800) in his second game with his new team. Also at 7:30, the Toronto Raptors host the Dallas Mavericks. At 8:00 p.m. ET, the Chicago Bulls host Harden’s old team, the Houston Rockets, and we close out the night with a West Coast matchup between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers. Especially with all the injury and illness uncertainty, you’ll want to stay tuned to @dklive on Twitter and download the DK Live app to stay up-to-the-minute with all the latest news leading up to tipoff.

Even on a short slate like this, there are some solid value plays to pair with your big-priced stars, here are a few of my favorites.

Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $450K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st]

C James Wiseman, Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers, $4,600

At just 19 years old, the Warriors’ rookie still has a lot of growing to do before he is a finished product, but he is already off to a fast start to his NBA career as a key contributing member of the Warriors’ rotation. He has started all 12 games for Golden State this season and is averaging 23.3 DKFP on 11.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 1.6 blocks per game. He has multiple blocked shots in three of his past four games and is coming off one of his best performances of the season last Thursday when he had 18 points, five boards and 32.75 DKFP against the Nuggets in Denver.

The Lakers typically play big, so expect Wiseman to get as much time on the floor as he can handle. After playing under 20 minutes in four straight contests, the rookie has stepped up to over 25 minutes in each of his past two games, producing 1.3 and 1.4 DKFP per minute for 22.25 DKFP and 32.75 DKFP. His usage rate has been over 23% in seven of his past eight contests and his rebounds and blocks give him a solid floor to go with the high ceiling he provides if his shot is dropping.

SG/SF Garrett Temple, Chicago Bulls vs. Houston Rockets, $4,500

Temple has filled multiple holes for the Bulls while the team has had to adjust for injury and players missing due to health protocols. The versatile veteran has provided coach Billy Donovan’s young backcourt with both a proven presence and solid production while playing at least 27 minutes in five of the six games on the Bulls’ recent road trip. He averaged 13.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.7 3-pointers over those six contests for 24.1 DKFP per contest.

The Bulls are starting to get healthier and adding players back into the mix, but Temple continues to produce, dropping 21 points and a season-high 36.25 DKFP on Sunday in Dallas. While his playing time could get a little shaky with players returning, he has been extremely efficient with a 78.6 true shooting percentage, so look for Donovan to continue to find ways to get him on the court, where he can produce across multiple categories when he’s at his best.

PG Jalen Brunson, Dallas Mavericks vs. Toronto Raptors, $4,000

The Mavericks have been another team that has dealt with health-related absences all season long. Coach Rick Carlisle said that Brunson will be available for this game after the third-year guard missed four games in the health protocols. While he has been out, the Mavs have had to rely on Wes Iwundu ($3,300), Josh Green ($3,100), Tyrell Terry ($3,300) and Trey Burke ($5,600) to play big minutes since Josh Richardson (health protocols), Dorian Finney-Smith (health protocols) and Tim Hardaway Jr. ($6,800; groin) have all been out as well. Hardaway is listed as questionable and could return, but especially if he is out, Brunson should jump right into a key role for Dallas.

Brunson has only played 20 minutes or more in two games this season but showed a high ceiling with 29.5 DKFP in 20 minutes against Charlotte and 49.25 DKFP in 38 minutes against the Bulls. In that game, he was filling in for Luka Doncic, so the scenario was different but it still showed his upside. With the rest of the Mavs on a back-to-back, Brunson could be a nice set of fresh legs to help them keep up with the Raptors. If he is able to be anywhere close to 100%, he should return good value at only $4K.

SG/SF Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers, $3,900

KCP and the Lakers host Wiseman’s Warriors in the final game of what should be an awesome day of action on the hardwood. Caldwell-Pope is working his way back into game shape and a larger role in the Lakers’ rotation after missing time due to an ankle injury. He has played at least 20 minutes in each of his four games since returning and has shot the ball well, going 18-for-35 (51%) from the field and hitting multiple 3-pointers in each of his three most recent games, giving him a true shooting percentage of over 72% in each of those three contests.

In his start against the Pelicans on Friday, he had a season-high 16 points and a solid 22.25 DKFP. With at least 20 DKFP in each of his four games since returning, he’s a solid option under $4K and can give you 5x return as long as he logs his regular minutes and role. He does appear on the injury report for this game but is listed as probable, so he should be good to go against Golden State.

Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $450K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st]

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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Z.Thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.

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