DraftKings & FanDuel NBA Daily Fantasy Picks Based on Awesemo Grades & Values | 1/15

For Friday night, we get an eight-game slate to attack, and below are some of my favorite NBA daily fantasy picks for both FanDuel and DraftKings based on Awesemo’s grades and values.

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NBA Daily Fantasy Picks: Awesemo Grades | Jan. 15

Center: Nikola Vucevic

DraftKings Grades: A, Values: B
FanDuel Grades: A, Values: A

Vucevic is severely underpriced on both DraftKings and FanDuel tonight. He will be facing an undermanned Celtics team, and the Magic will remain without Markelle Fultz (knee) and Evan Fournier (back) for the fourth straight game. With these two starters absent, Vucevic has destroyed his opponents for 52.7 DraftKings points per game in these past three. Overall, the center has taken on a 32.3% usage rate, a 25% assist rate and has scored 1.5 DraftKings points per minute when Fournier and Fultz have been off the floor in 2020-21. These are all team highs for this exact situation, and the Celtics should be a mess defensively.

Even before their COVID-19 outbreak, this Boston club was struggling on the defensive end, ranking 21st in efficiency. Vucevic should surpass 50 fantasy points for the third consecutive outing, and he is the strongest high-end value of this eight-game slate.

Projected NBA DFS ownership projection: DraftKings 20.5% FanDuel 16.7%

Small Forward: Jaylen Brown

DraftKings Grades: A, Values: B
FanDuel Grades: A, Values: B

It has been confirmed that Boston will be without Jayson Tatum (health protocols), Robert Williams (health protocols), Carsen Edwards (health protocols) and Kemba Walker (knee) tonight, but Brown (health protocols), Daniel Theis (health protocols), Semi Ojeleye (health protocols) and Javonte Green (health protocols) are all listed as questionable. But, given that the Celtics are three point favorites over the Magic tonight, I have to believe that Vegas is expecting Brown to be active. If he wasn’t, there is no chance this Celtics team without their top three players would be favored against any team in the league.

Assuming he is in, Brown should dominate the usage for this depleted Celtics squad. He has topped 50 DraftKings points in back-to-back games, and when Tatum, Walker and Williams have been missing this season, Brown has a team-high 35.6% usage rate and 1.4 DraftKings points per minute. These are huge upgrades from the 29.2% usage and 1.24 DraftKings points per minute he sees when the Celtics are at full strength. As mentioned above, the Magic are also missing a few key pieces tonight, and in these last three with Fultz and Fournier sidelined, their defense has ranked as the second-worst group in the league. The bottom line is Brown was arguably playing the best basketball of his career before the Celtics ran into this health scare, and he should seize the opportunity tonight as their primary weapon. His price tags on both FanDuel and DraftKings have reached new career highs, but Brown should still out produce these salaries if deemed active.

Projected NBA DFS ownership projection: DraftKings 19.4% FanDuel 20.9%


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Point Guard: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

DraftKings Grades: A, Values: A
FanDuel Grades: A, Values: A

Gilgeous-Alexander had an ugly night against the Lakers on Wednesday (20.5 DraftKings points), but he is in the perfect bounce-back spot tonight when the Thunder host the Bulls. The Lakers are the top-rated defense in terms of efficiency, and they beat Oklahoma City by 29 points, limiting Gilgeous-Alexander to only 27 minutes. Prior to this blowout, the 22-year-old was supplying 47.6 DraftKings points and logging 35 minutes per game across his previous four.

The Bulls defense ranks second-to-last in efficiency this year and is giving up the third-most DraftKings points per game per game to opposing point guards. Plus, Thunder starting power forward Darius Bazley (questionable, ankle) might miss his first game of the season on Friday, and his absence would bring Gilgeous-Alexander’s rates to new heights. In 51 total minutes without the forward this season, Gilgeous-Alexander’s usage rate has risen a team-high 6.3%. The point guard is an excellent spend for all formats either way, but if Bazley is inactive tonight, Gilgeous-Alexander would enter must-play status.

Projected NBA DFS ownership projection: DraftKings 29.5% FanDuel 20.2%

Power Forward: Jarred Vanderbilt

DraftKings Grades: D, Values: C
FanDuel Grades: D, Values: C

The Timberwolves are the latest team to fall victim to the Coronavirus pandemic, and they will be without Ricky Rubio, Jake Layman and Juancho Hernangomez tonight. The latter has been Minnesota’s starting power forward for their last six, and he has received 26.3 minutes per game during this time. His absence creates a clear path for Vanderbilt to log 25-30 minutes, starter or not, which is more than enough time for the 21-year-old to excel in this solid game setting against the Grizzlies (Minnesota -2, 224.5 over/under game total).

Vanderbilt is amassing 1.1 DraftKings points per minute through nine games this season. He has been great when given over 20 minutes, scoring 29.9 DraftKings points per game. With a lack of appealing punts for this eight-game slate, Vanderbilt feels like an obvious choice on both DraftKings and FanDuel.

Projected NBA DFS ownership projection: DraftKings 7.9% FanDuel 1.3%


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