NBA Daily Fantasy Projections & DFS Picks for DraftKings & FanDuel 1/22

On tap for Saturday night is a three-game slate, and even with only six clubs in action, NBA fantasy lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel will be flush with high-level talent and value plays. The Awesemo NBA Starting Lineups page will provide breaking news when starters are announced as well as a full injury report on players who might be missing in action. Below are some NBA daily fantasy options that stand out for tonight’s slate using Awesemo’s Boom/Bust Tool and NBA DFS projections.

Boom/Bust NBA Daily Fantasy Projections & Picks

Boom: Bobby Portis: $6,700 DraftKings/$6,300 FanDuel

55.6% DraftKings Boom/55.7% FanDuel Boom

Bobby Portis has thrived lately scoring over 30 DraftKings points in five straight games. During that time he is averaging a double-double with 14.0 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. He leads the slate in our Boom/Bust tool with the highest boom percentage on both sites. This is mainly due to Giannis Antetokounmpo getting moved to doubtful to play tonight. Portis has increased both his scoring production and rebounding with Giannis out of the lineup this season.

Playing against the Kings is the best spot on the slate. The Kings rank 27th in defensive rating and this should be a very uptempo game as both the Kings and Bucks rank in the top eight in pace this season. This game also has a slate-high total of 230.5 points with the Bucks implied to score 118.75 points. The Kings have allowed a league-high 52.6 points per game in the paint this season. With no Giannis, Portis should be able to thrive in the paint.

Boom: JaVale McGee: $4,400 DraftKings/$4,400 FanDuel

48.2% DraftKings Boom/45.4% FanDuel Boom

Rostering JaVale McGee certainly hasn’t been a layup lately, but he continues to pop like crazy in our Boom/Bust tool. McGee has the second-highest boom percentage on both sites tonight. Deandre Ayton is still out for the Suns which will likely keep McGee in the starting lineup. McGee has only averaged 7.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in his last two games as a starter. He has been outshined by Bismack Biyombo recently, so we may need to monitor the starting lineup for the Suns to make sure that McGee is still starting. If Biyombo starts, play him instead.

Not only is McGee popping in boom percentage, but Awesemo projects him to be the second-best value play on the slate for both sites. The Pacers will be without their starting frontcourt in Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis. They will start Goga Bitadze which is a massive downgrade for the Pacers. McGee should have no trouble scoring tonight as the Pacers allowed 62 points in the paint in their last game without Turner and Sabonis. They still somehow beat the Warriors last game while they also gave up 53 rebounds. Is this finally the game McGee pops again? A double-double is on the table.

Boom: Jarrett Allen: $8,300 DraftKings/$9,000 FanDuel

23.2% DraftKings Boom/22.2% FanDuel Boom

The center position is absolutely loaded tonight with value and ceiling. Trivia question – who leads the league in paint touches this season? I can’t imagine many people answered with Jarrett Allen. Allen leads the entire league with 12.4 paint touches per game. This undersized Thunder frontcourt is in for a tough battle against Allen and Evan Mobley. Mobley is better on FanDuel where he has a boom percentage of 34.3 percent, which is the second-highest on the slate.

For the season, Allen has been more consistent between the two Cavaliers centers as he is averaging a double-double with 16.3 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. Per Cleaning the Glass, Allen has a distinct advantage over Mobley rebounding the ball. That is where the Thunder struggle the most allowing a league-high 48.6 rebounds per game. Since returning from the COVID protocols, Allen has had a double-double in seven of his last 10 games. The Thunder also allow their opponents to average 6.2 blocks per game, which is the second-highest in the league. Allen will dominate the paint tonight.

Latest NBA DFS Content

Bust: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: $8,600 DraftKings/$9,000 FanDuel

52.0% DraftKings Bust/64.7% FanDuel Bust

The Thunder are in the worst spot on the slate tonight. They are implied for only 98.25 points as they are 12-point road underdogs against the Cavaliers. They have also lost nine of their last 10 games and have a road record of just 6-17. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been playing pretty well recently, but most of those matchups were against teams who played at a much faster pace. The Cavaliers not only rank 22nd in pace this season, but they also rank third in both defensive rating and points allowed as they have given up only 102.8 points per game.

Another detriment to Gilgeous-Alexander this season has been playing alongside rookie Josh Giddey. Gilgeous-Alexander only averages 39.7 DraftKings points to go along with a 28.9 percent usage rate per game when Giddey is in the lineup. He leads the team in scoring with 22.6 points per game, but Giddey leads the team in both rebounds and assists. Gilgeous-Alexander will need to rely on his points, but that will be very difficult in this matchup.

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