NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Thursday, January 18

NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Thursday, January 18

This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.

Slate Overview

WAS at NYK: Wizards 2-8 in last 10 games; Knicks 12-5 at home 

CHI at TOR: Bulls 6-13 on road; Raptors 10-10 at home 

OKC at UTA: Thunder on two-game slide; Jazz on six-game win streak 

MEM at MIN: Grizzlies 11-10 on road; Timberwolves on three-game win streak 

IND at SAC: Pacers on two-game slide; Kings on three-game slide

For the latest spreads and over/unders, visit RotoWire's NBA Odds page. There you can also find player props, futures, picks, articles and sportsbook bonus codes.

Injuries to Monitor  

For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report       

WAS - Daniel Gafford (concussion): OUT
Marvin Bagley is up for a major role. 

NYK - Josh Hart (knee): Questionable
Miles McBride and Quentin Grimes could be up for more action.  

CHI - Ayo Dosunmu (shoulder), Andre Drummond (back): Probable; Patrick Williams (ankle): Questionable
Andre Drummond should see more opportunity without Williams. 

TOR - Jakob Poeltl (ankle): OUT
Jontay Porter, Chris Boucher and Thaddeus Young continue to get more action in the frontcourt, especially with the recent trade of Pascal Siakam to the Pacers.

OKC - Luguentz Dort (illness): Questionable
Isaiah Joe and Cason Wallace could get more action. 

MEM - Desmond Bane (ankle), Marcus Smart (finger): OUT
Luke Kennard, Ziaire Williams and Vince Williams are up for significant playing time. 

IND - Bennedict Mathurin (ankle), Aaron Nesmith (leg), Obi Toppin (calf): Questionable; Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring), Pascal Siakam (not injury related): OUT
Jalen Smith, Andrew Nembhard and Buddy Hield have to handle more minutes. 

Elite Players

Guards

Jalen Brunson, Knicks ($8,500) vs. Wizards 

Brunson looked great with 30 points on 11-for-21 shooting in the last game, which marked his return from a two-game absence. He also averaged 27.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 7.6 assists in the five games prior to the absence, including four games with more than 40 DK points and a high of 55.8. He has a great chance to flourish again, with a matchup against the Wizards, who give up a league-high 125.3 points per game, while allowing opponents to shoot 50.0 percent from the field. 

Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves ($8,400) vs. Grizzlies 

Edwards continues to stuff the stat sheet, averaging 26.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.8 blocks over the last 10 games, including three games with more than 50 DK points and a high of 63. Edwards faces another great opportunity to shine against the Grizzlies, who are shorthanded and who allow opponents to shoot an average of 38.4 percent from downtown, which is the sixth highest in the league. 

Forwards/Centers

Scottie Barnes, Raptors ($8,100) vs. Bulls

Barnes reached the 20-point mark in two of the last five games, topping 40 DK points both times, including 42.3 DK points in the last game. He is likely to continue filling it up, with a more well-defined role as one of the Raptors' top offensive options, now that Pascal Siakam is out of the picture. Barnes also totaled 42.5 DK points in his last meeting with the Bulls and should excel again, as he has a size advantage at power forward. 

Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves ($8,000) vs. Grizzlies 

Towns could have his hands full against Jaren Jackson, but he managed an impressive 24 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a steal in his last meeting with the Grizzlies on December 8. Towns is also on a roll lately, averaging 24.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.4 steals over the last five games, including two with more than 50 DK points. 

Rudy Gobert, Timberwolves ($7,400) vs. Grizzlies 

Gobert has been dominating the paint recently, reaching at least 45 DK points in each of his last four appearances, while averaging 19.8 points and 15.8 rebounds over that span. He is likely to keep rolling against the Grizzlies, who give up the league's fifth-most rebounds per game to opposing centers. Gobert also totaled 57 DK points in his previous encounter with the Grizzlies. 

Expected Chalk 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder ($10,200) at Jazz 

Gilgeous-Alexander is coming off a relatively quiet game, where he finished with 30.5 DK points. It also marked his second consecutive game with less than 40 DK points, despite going over 50 on five occasions, including a high of 65.3 in the previous 10 outings. Nonetheless, he has a great chance to get up toward the higher end of his range of production against the Jazz, who give up the league's fourth-most three-pointers, second-most turnovers and ninth-most points per game. 

Mid-Range Money 

Mike Conley, Timberwolves ($5,900) vs. Grizzlies 

Conley topped 20 DK points in four of his last five appearances, including two with more than 30 and a high of 36.3. He faces an excellent opportunity to shine against the Grizzlies, who are significantly shorthanded in the backcourt. He also totaled 34.5 DK points in his last encounter with the Grizzlies. 

RJ Barrett, Raptors ($6,600) vs. Bulls 

Barrett has topped 40 DK points in three of the last five games and is averaging 20.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists over nine games since joining the Raptors, including a high of 58 DK points. He will likely continue to put up significant numbers as the top-scoring option for the new-look Raptors, whose offense is now largely focused on Barrett and Scottie Barnes. He also has a favorable matchup against the Bulls, who give up the league's most three-pointers per game. 

John Collins, Jazz ($5,500) vs. Thunder

Collins is averaging 14.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists over the last 10 games, including six with more than 25 DK points and a high of 48.8 in the game before last. Collins will have a tough matchup against Chet Holmgren, but he should find opportunity to pad his stats, as the Thunder give up the league's sixth-most rebounds to opposing centers. They also give up the league's second-most offensive rebounds per game. 

Value Picks

Gary Trent, Raptors ($4,300) vs. Bulls 

Trent is up for a second straight start, after he poured in a team-high 28 points in the last game. Trent should continue to see plenty of touches in the Raptors' new-look offense, and he has a great chance to get a rhythm going against the Bulls, who struggle to guard the three-point line. 

David Roddy, Grizzlies ($4,600) at Timberwolves 

Roddy will continue to see extended playing time, while the Grizzlies manage a number of injuries. He topped 20 DK points in each of the last four games, while averaging 13.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 27 minutes per game over that span, including a high of 33 DK points. 

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Dan Bruno plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: duelingdan.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dan Bruno
Dan has been writing all things NBA for RotoWire since 2014. He is an active fantasy sports player, with a love for DFS. Dan is a certified Coach with the Ontario Basketball Association and is a recreation professional in his home city.
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