FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks and Helper: Friday 1/5/23

Since NBA DFS is easier to predict than baseball or football, it would likely get plenty of votes as the best sport to play on FanDuel. Basketball players usually stick to the same minutes and produce at roughly the same rate. Sounds easy, right? Trust me -- it's not!

As a result, NBA daily fantasy is highly reliant on a player's opportunity, so you'll need to ensure that you're up to date with key injuries. numberFire's projections update up until tip-off to reflect current news. numberFire also has player news updates, and the FanDuel Scout app will send push notifications for pressing updates regarding your players.

In addition to daily projections, numberFire also offers a matchup heat map and lineup optimizer to help give you an edge.

On top of all that, here at FanDuel Research, we'll come at you each day with this NBA DFS primer, which breaks down a few of the day's top plays at each position.

Let's dive into today's main slate on FanDuel.

NBA DFS Picks

Guards

Top Plays

Tyrese Haliburton ($11,400) -- Tonight's bout between the Atlanta Hawks and Indiana Pacers has a 262.0-point over/under -- 262! That's 22.5 more than the next-closest game. Music to Tyrese Haliburton's ears. Hali has put up at least 55 FanDuel points (FP) in six straight games. He averaged 27 points, 15.2 assists, and 4.0 threes over that span and is in another great spot against a Hawks team that's 26th in defensive rating and fifth in pace.

Jrue Holiday ($7,500) -- Jrue Holiday has been inconsistent on a deep Boston Celtics squad, but he's in a nice spot to produce against the Utah Jazz. Per FantasyPros' Defense Vs. Position chart, the Jazz are bottom-10 in FP allowed to both guard positions. The defensive stalwart could further benefit from Utah's 29th-ranked turnover rate. Holiday has averaged 1.2 steals per game since the beginning of December.

Cason Wallace ($4,300) -- Cason Wallace tied his season-high with 15 points in the Oklahoma City Thunder's most recent outing, notching 22.2 FP in the process. That was his first 20-FP night since December 11th, but Wallace has some appeal tonight given his friendly salary. OKC's implied total is 119.5 against a Brooklyn Nets team that's dropped four of their last five by double-digits.

Others to Consider

Trae Young ($10,200) -- Trae Young should benefit from the same incredible game environment as Haliburton but carries a more manageable salary. Young has slate-breaking potential, having eclipsed 60 FP four times. He's been locked in with 54 FP per game across his last 11 and now takes on a Pacers defense that's 28th in defensive rating and second in pace.

Josh Giddey ($6,400) -- Although Josh Giddey is coming off a quiet 19.6-FP outing, he'd averaged 33 FP across his previous three games. Both of his 20-point games this season came during that stretch, so it's fair to say he's trending up. Tonight, Giddey faces a Nets team that's bottom-10 in defensive rating and FP allowed to SGs.

Payton Pritchard ($4,600) -- There aren't a ton of value guards tonight, but Payton Pritchard is interesting at $4,600. Pritchard has quietly averaged 21.1 FP over his last seven games. There's garbage-time potential here given that Boston is a 14.0-point favorite, and they own a 126.75 implied total.

Wings

Top Plays

Anthony Edwards ($9,700) -- I prefer to save salary at forward tonight, but it's hard not to like Anthony Edwards, even against the Houston Rockets. ANT has been on a tear of late, averaging 32.7 points and 50.0 FP over his last 10 games. He exceeded 40 FP in all 10 of those outings. The Minnesota Timberwolves are only implied to score 110.5 points tonight in the slate's lowest over/under (218.0), so Edwards is the only part of this game I'm interested in.

Jalen Johnson ($7,200) -- Jalen Johnson has trended up in each of his last four games since returning from injury and has scored 44.6 and 51.9 FP in the last two games. Given the massive total for this Hawks-Pacers matchup, Johnson has the exact kind of mid-range salary we want to target. For as porous as Indy's defense has been, they're most vulnerable to the forward position. The Pacers give up the fourth-most FP to SFs and the most to PFs. numberFire projects Johnson for 36 FP, making him the best point-per-dollar value among forwards.

Bennedict Mathurin ($5,400) -- On the opposite side of that matchup, Bennedict Mathurin is intriguing at his salary. Though he's been inconsistent, Mathurin has already scored 60.3 FP across two matchups with the Bucks this week. In addition to Atlanta slotting in at No. 26 in defensive rating, they've let up the second-most FP to SGs and the fifth-most to SFs.

Others to Consider

Kawhi Leonard ($9,300) -- Following a four-game absence, Kawhi Leonard has kicked off the new year with a pair of 50-FP outings. Tonight's matchup is tough -- the New Orleans Pelicans are stingy against forwards and rank seventh in defensive rating -- but the game environment is solid. The Los Angeles Clippers have a 116.0 implied total in a game with a 230.5 over/under.

Saddiq Bey ($6,000) -- Sensing a trend? I'd be hard-pressed not to find room wings in this Pacers-Hawks matchup. Saddiq Bey fits the mold as a salary-saver coming off six consecutive games with 25-plus FP. He scored 27 FP the last time these teams met, and it doesn't hurt that Bey is eligible at SF and PF.

Nicolas Batum ($4,000) -- Nicolas Batum has managed 14.6 FP in both games since returning from injury. It's unclear if he'll still be on a minutes restriction, but he could see increased run with De'Anthony Melton already ruled out. The Philadelphia 76ers have a 118.75 implied total, and the New York Knicks have quietly given up the second-most threes per game to opposing PFs.

Bigs

Top Plays

Joel Embiid ($12,600) -- Joel Embiid is the clear top big man tonight, but his sky-high salary reflects that. Still, it's hard to not build my lineup around him. He's eclipsed 60 FP in 13 of his last 14 games, and the matchup isn't anything to shy away from. Since Mitchell Robinson went down on December 9th, New York has dropped from 16th to 22nd in defensive rating and first to eighth in rebound rate. I don't see Embiid having trouble with their frontline, and neither do the projections. numberFire pegs Embiid for 58 FP tonight -- by far the highest projection of the slate and 15 more than the next-closest center. If you expect a big game from Embiid, FanDuel Sportsbook has a Basketball Odds Boost for Embiid to post 30-plus points and 10-plus rebounds (+120).

Tobias Harris ($7,600) -- PF-eligible Tobias Harris is a fun game stack with Embiid tonight. Harris has averaged 43.5 FP over his last six games and could see a spike in usage with De'Anthony Melton out. It's only a two-game sample, but Harris has averaged 45.9 FP via a 27.2% usage rate without Melton, per RotoGrinders' CourtIQ. It doesn't hurt that the Knicks have given up the seventh-most FP to opposing SFs, either.

Obi Toppin ($5,400) -- Let's swing back to the 262.0-point over/under and seek value in Obi Toppin. Toppin has eclipsed 30 FP in two of his last three games and now faces a Hawks defense that's allowed the fourth-most FP to opposing PFs. There'd be even more upside here if Bruce Brown Jr. (questionable) were ruled out, but he's a low-salary way to get a piece of Pacers-Hawks, regardless.

Others to Consider

Jarrett Allen ($9,200) -- Jarrett Allen is my favorite non-Embiid center tonight, but he also has PF eligibility. Allen and the Cleveland Cavaliers get a rematch against the Washington Wizards after they pounded them for 140 points on Wednesday. He was limited to 29 minutes in the blowout but still managed 17 points, 19 rebounds, and seven assists. Allen has now surpassed 55 FP in four of his last five games -- a mark he could hit again considering Washington allows the most FP per game to centers.

Nick Richards ($6,000) -- If you're looking for a value center, Nick Richards should catch your eye. Richards carries a 31.4-FP numberFire projection, making him the best point-per-dollar value on the board. The seven-footer has averaged 25.9 FP since Mark Williams went out on December 8th. The Charlotte Hornets' slate-low 106.25 implied total is hard to get behind, but the Chicago Bulls have given up the fifth-most FP to centers.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.