NBA DFS action on Saturday, Jan. 30, locks at 8:00 p.m. EST with an enticing eight-game main slate. Before you lock in your lineups on DraftKings, FanDuel, Yahoo and SuperDraft, make sure to check out Awesemo’s daily fantasy basketball rankings and projections. Let’s dig into some daily fantasy basketball picks, including DeMar DeRozan, Damian Lillard, DeJounte Murray and more.
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Awesemo’s NBA DFS Picks: Building Blocks
Yahoo Play of the Day – Dejounte Murray: San Antonio Spurs vs. Memphis Grizzlies
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 37.97 | DraftKings: 38.19
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 29.6% | FanDuel 20.2% | DraftKings 32.9%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $28 | FanDuel $7,000 | DraftKings $6,300
The former University of Washington standout has taken things up to the next level now that he is two years removed from his torn ACL. For most of last season, Murray was held to a minutes cap and he did not play in many back-to-back situations. This year he is averaging 30.9 minutes per game and in the second game of the two back-to-backs for San Antonio he has tallied 31 and 36 minutes.
With the Spurs playing faster and LaMarcus Aldridge logging just 27.3 minutes per game, Murray has had time to show out. Excluding one game where Murray left a minute into the action with a sprained ankle, he has 38-plus Yahoo fantasy points in six of his last seven games.
The only wrinkle in all of this is Derrick White expected to make his return tonight after missing all but one game this season with a fractured toe. He will likely come off the bench and I would expect his minutes to come from Lonnie Walker, Devin Vassell and Patty Mills before he impacts Murray.
DeMar DeRozan: San Antonio Spurs vs. Memphis Grizzlies
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 38.99 | DraftKings: 39.27
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 17.4% | FanDuel 32.1% | DraftKings 22.1%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $33 | FanDuel $7,300 | DraftKings $7,000
Sticking with the Spurs who have a glorious matchup with the Grizzlies, I have a fair amount of interest in DeMar DeRozan. This season he is averaging a career high 7.0 assists and he is clearly San Antonio’s top offensive option. Memphis and San Antonio are both in the top-third of the league with regards to pace and neither team is the slug-it-out defensive squad that they have been in recent years.
This is a back-to-back for the Spurs, but I do not think that will dramatically impact DeRozan’s minutes unless the game is completely out of hand. San Antonio needs to start banking wins if they want to see the postseason and as 3.5 point favorites tonight, that is not a lock by any stretch of the imagination.
Damian Lillard: Portland Trailblazers at Chicago Bulls
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 52.27 | DraftKings: 55.64
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 30.4% | FanDuel 40.5% | DraftKings 19.0%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $48 | FanDuel $9,700 | DraftKings $10,600
While the Portland player salaries are beginning to adjust for the absence of CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic, there is still profit potential for Damian Lillard. Tonight’s matchup with Chicago is a good one as the Bulls play at the second fastest pace in the league with 106.5 possessions per 48 minutes. They also have the fifth worst defensive efficiency allowing 110.6 points per 100 possessions.
In the four games since McCollum was sidelined, Lillard is averaging 37 minutes per game with 32.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 0.8 combined blocks/steals. Additionally he has 44-plus fantasy points in six of his last seven games including three above the 50 fantasy point threshold.
Good Value
Xavier Tillman: Memphis Grizzlies at San Antonio Spurs
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 28.3 | DraftKings: 27.12
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 38.6% | FanDuel 23.9% | DraftKings 58.9%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $11 | FanDuel $4,600 | DraftKings $3,500
Are you ready for Xavier Tillman Day? Memphis has not played in the last dozen days as the team was dealing with a Covid-19 outbreak. Jonas Valanciunas is still sidelined and that should provide Xavier Tillman with the opportunity to play 22-24 minutes with some upside as he played 28 and 29 in the two games prior to the team’s shutdown. Looking through various news items I am not seeing anything that indicates the rookie was one of the Grizzlies suffering from Covid-19. The second round selection out of Michigan State is averaging 0.9 fantasy points per minute and is a steal at his current salary.
Cody Zeller: Charlotte Hornets vs. Indiana Pacers
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 28.95 | DraftKings: 29.39
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 40.8% | FanDuel 15.9% | DraftKings 24.1%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $11 | FanDuel $4,900 | DraftKings $4,500
After recommending Cody Zeller as good value yesterday, I am going right back to the well. As long as he is starting, he should continue to see 24-26 minutes in the rotation with upside to the 28-30 range depending on matchups and game flow. Across his last four games which include two starts and two stints off the bench, Zeller is averaging 1.10 Yahoo fantasy points per minute.
In his last four games against Milwaukee while matching up with Brook Lopez, Zeller is averaging 21 minutes per game. Keep in mind however that Marvin Williams and Frank Kaminsky were also seeing time at center when the game went small and they are no longer with the team. Lopez typically though not always is in the closing unit for the Bucks. In the event he is not on the court in the fourth quarter, it is unlikely Zeller will be as well. That is our downside risk in this matchup where Giannis Antetokounmpo can function as the small-ball center.
Risky Value
Zion Williamson: New Orleans Pelicans vs. Houston Rockets
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 39.8 | DraftKings: 40.5
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 7.6% | FanDuel 12.8% | DraftKings 20.1%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $37 | FanDuel $8,400 | DraftKings $7,400
Tonight we have sixteen teams in action so we really should not be rostering any players that make us uncomfortable. For starters, Zion Williamson is not a bad play, but he is risky. This analysis is going to be one that we can file away for future use.
Pop Quiz I: in Zion’s 16 games this season, how many times has he topped 45 DraftKings points? Answer: Three times with only one coming in his last 13 games. That is eye-opening to say the least. Currently the top selection of the 2019 NBA Draft is averaging 23.8 points per game which is 21st in the league. Additionally his 58.7% field goal rate is the best among any player taking at least 15 field goal attempts per game. The problem is that Williamson is averaging just 7.6 rebounds per game and while his rebounding percentage (12.6%) is higher than last year it is going to be hard to see a lot of upside in that category playing with Steven Adams (17.9%) and Josh Hart (15.1%).
Pop Quiz II: Zion had four made three-pointers in his NBA debut, how many has he had in his next 39 games? Answer: Three, yes one, two, three. Finally, despite being a decent defensive presence, he is averaging just shy of a half a block per game in his career.
Will there be room for upside, improvement and even slate-breaking performances? Of course there will be, but considering he has reached the fifty fantasy plateau only three times in his first forty games, we cannot project these outings with any regularity or certainty.
 Yahoo Daily Fantasy Basketball Discount Dandies
- Gary Trent Jr: POR at CHI – $10
- Cody Zeller: CHA vs. MIL – $11
- Hassan Whiteside: SAC at MIA – $10
SuperDraft Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks
- Enes Kanter: POR at CHI – 1.85x multiplier
- Dejounte Murray: SAS vs. MEM – 1.50x multiplier
- Jerami Grant: DET at GSW – 1.60x multiplier
Final Thoughts on the Saturday, Jan. 30 NBA DFS Slate
Tonight is a compressed schedule with six of the eight games tipping off within 30 minutes of each other. Late breaking news may be frantic up through lock, but we should at least have all of it before first tip. Keep in mind that salaries and scoring formats differ across the various fantasy sites. A slam dunk play on Yahoo may be a below-average option on DraftKings or FanDuel.
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