Need a jump start on your lineups before Awesemo’s NBA DFS rankings or projections? No worries, Damien Mathews has you covered his Pick 5! favorite NBA DFS Picks for DraftKings and FanDuel for Friday, Jan. 24. With 11 games on tap, we have a myriad of options to choose from. Damien has some takes on Russell Westbrook, Nikola Vucevic and more!
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NBA DFS Point Guard: Russell Westbrook $10,400 FanDuel $10,400 DraftKings
Russell Westbrook is averaging 1.47 fantasy points per minute the last month with a 34.3 usage percentage and 34.2 assist percentage. He has outplayed James Harden five games in a row with a cheaper price tag. This surely will not continue, but until Westbrook slows down, he has to be considered the top option. Over his last five games, he is producing 1.73 fantasy points per minute, good for 62 fantasy point per game.
*Honorable Mention: Chris Paul $7,500 FanDuel $7,400 DraftKings
**Honorable Mention: Derrick Rose $6,900 FanDuel $7,600 DraftKings
***Honorable Mention: Lonzo Ball $6,900 FanDuel $7,100 DraftKings
NBA DFS Shooting Guard: Fred VanVleet $7,100 FanDuel $7,700 DraftKings
Since coming back from injury, Fred VanVleet has been on fire, sporting a 26.4 usage percentage which has resulted in 1.59 fantasy points per minute over his last three games. He is also doing this with the team healthy again, so this looks to be somewhat sustainable. Toronto is really getting him involved in a starting rotation despite a lot of mouths to feed.
*Honorable Mention: DeMar DeRozan $8,200 FanDuel $7,900 DraftKings
**Honorable Mention: Zach LaVine $8,800 FanDuel $8,800 DraftKings
***Honorable Mention: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander $8,000 FanDuel $7,800 DraftKings
NBA DFS Small Forward: T.J. Warren $5,600 FanDuel $6,000 DraftKings
T.J. Warren has been very consistent recently and his price hasn’t changed to reflect his production of late. He is averaging 32.2 minutes, 18.0 points on 14 attempts, shooting 51 percent from the field and getting one of steal/block per game. For his price point, Warren grades out great against the Golden State Warrior team with a bottom-10 112.5 defensive rating.
*Honorable Mention: Brandon Ingram $8,600 FanDuel $8,300 DraftKings
**Honorable Mention: Kelly Oubre Jr. $6,700 FanDuel $6,900 DraftKings
***Honorable Mention: Pascal Siakam $7,300 FanDuel $7,700 DraftKings
NBA DFS Power Forward: Jerami Grant $5,200 FanDuel $6,000 DraftKings
Jerami Grant has been playing lights out in place of the injured Paul Millsap having been inserted into the starting rotation. Also, he went for 41 FanDuel points in his last game at $4,200. Grant is basically min price yet is playing 30-plus minutes which makes him great option on a loaded slate that allows us to roster the studs we want.
*Honorable Mention: Daniel Theis $4,900 FanDuel $5,300 DraftKings
**Honorable Mention: Nerlens Noel $4,400 FanDuel $5,100 DraftKings
***Honorable Mention: Kawhi Leonard $9,800 FanDuel $10,300 DraftKings
NBA Center: Nikola Vucevic $8,500 FanDuel $8,400 DraftKings
Nikola Vucevic is averaging 1.36 fantasy points per minute thanks in large part to a team-leading 27.4 usage percentage over the last month. Vucevic also has a solid 17.7 assist rate and 26.6 defensive rebounding percentage to go with his 19.0 points and 11.1 rebounds. He is clearly in midseason form both offensive and defensively, getting you one of block/steal per game as well.
*Honorable Mention: Karl Anthony-Towns $9,800 FanDuel $10,200 DraftKings
**Honorable Mention: Nikola Jokic $9,900 FanDuel $9,700 DraftKings
***Honorable Mention: Deandre Ayton $8,000 FanDuel $8,500 DraftKings