FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Sunday 1/10/21

If you're new to daily fantasy basketball -- maybe you started your DFS journey during the MLB or NFL seasons, or maybe basketball is your sport and this will be your first year giving it a shot -- you're in for a treat. The NBA scene changes on a week-to-week, day-to-day, and -- depending on injury news -- even a minute-to-minute basis, making every slate a unique one that requires an ever-changing approach.

With so much changing so quickly, we're here with plenty of tools to help you out. We have daily projections, a matchup heat map, a lineup optimizer, and a bunch of other great resources to help give you an edge.

Daily fantasy NBA is very reliant on opportunity, so you'll need to make sure that you're up-to-date with key injuries. Our projections update up until tip-off to reflect current news, we have player news updates, and the FanDuel Scout app will send push notifications for pressing updates regarding your players.

We'll also be coming at you with this primer every day, breaking down a few of the day's top plays at each position.

Let's break down today's main slate on FanDuel:

The Slate

All the missing totals are no surprise given that we lack information on several key NBA stars. The most ambiguous status of the slate belongs with the Boston Celtics, who may be without Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown against the Miami Heat. Tatum is doubtful, as he is expected to miss 10 to 14 days due to COVID protocols, but Brown is truly questionable. While the duo missing the game would free up plenty usage, it would be hard to see a Boston team with Marcus Smart as the top option finding much offensive efficiency versus Miami.

Another duo in flux are Brooklyn Nets leading scorers Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Durant is probable, and that moves him to the front of options given that he and Caris LeVert are likely to run the show on a high-paced, efficient squad with Irving potentially set to miss another game. There is no news of why Irving has not suited up in the last two games.

The final star pairing worth mentioning is the ongoing saga with the Los Angeles Lakers' nagging injuries. Anthony Davis sat on Friday due to an adductor injury and is listed as questionable for this affair against the Houston Rockets, and LeBron James is questionable, as well, with his season-long ankle issue. The Lakers have made no secrets about resting their stars against weaker teams as heavy favorites, and Houston has not profiled as that thus far -- indicated by their status as just a 3.5-point home underdog. The early expectation would be that both of LA's stars play Sunday.

Point Guard

Dejounte Murray ($6,600): No one loves spending top dollar at point guard more than yours truly. But on this slate, I want more salary for other spots, and there are plenty of solid starters seeing 30-plus minutes in great matchups with decent salaries. Murray lands in the helper in back-to-back days, and he delivered on Saturday's slate with 48.8 FanDuel points. The ceiling was nice to see, and the floor is never in question, as he has eclipsed 30 points in eight of the nine games he has played this far. With a repeat matchup Sunday at a $500 salary discount, Murray is justified chalk with Derrick White still yet to make his season debut.

Dennis Schroder ($5,100): The salary on Schroeder has dipped more than $1,000 the past week, and it's because his results have been frigid. He posted three straight games with fewer than 20 FanDuel points before reverting back above his season-long average with 31.6 FanDuel points Friday against the Chicago Bulls. While that was aided by Anthony Davis' absence, Schroeder has seen 31 or more minutes in seven of his last eight games in an elite offense, and his 24.1% usage is still third among Lakers with more than 20 minutes played on the season.

Other Notable Plays: Stephen Curry ($10,000), Elfrid Payton ($5,500), Payton Pritchard ($5,200)

Shooting Guard

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($7,600): SGA is finally cashing in on his elite usage, as he is averaging 50.5 FanDuel points per game in his last two contests. His season-long usage indicated this was coming, as his 27.7% usage rate is far and away tops on the Oklahoma City Thunder, with the next highest starter at just 21.1%. His momentum is peaking at the right time for his matchup with the Nets, who are fourth in pace. The potential for Kyrie Irving to miss this contest and keep the game within reach longer for the Thunder will only help the fantasy potential of Gilgeous-Alexander and his OKC teammates.

Marcus Smart ($6,300): The time-tested battle of usage versus efficiency will be on display at TD Garden on Sunday. The Celtics are down several players due to COVID-19 protocols, and by far, the most experienced and talented player on their roster -- which may barely clear the league minimum of players -- will be Marcus Smart. The question becomes if that could still pay off in three quarters, as Smart would likely be one of the Celtics to sit the fourth quarter should this game end ugly against the reigning Eastern Conference champs. In the rare minutes without Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on the court this year, Smart has the top usage rate among Boston starters (25.4%).

Other Notable Plays: DeMar DeRozan ($7,800), Malik Beasley ($5,500), Gary Harris ($3,900)

Small Forward

Kevin Durant ($9,900): Durant's "Robin" to his "Batman" has gone AWOL. Irving has decided to stop playing basketball, but with Durant returning from COVID-19 protocols, he should run the show against his former Oklahoma City squad. Brooklyn's usage is unbelievably concentrated without Irving on the floor, as Durant (38.6%) and Caris LeVert (36.2%) are the two parties to target. They are stackable as they may not share the court an overwhelming amount with Durant starting and LeVert likely to play off the bench. With SGA on one side and LeVert and Durant on the other, this game is a high-paced affair to stack.

OG Anunoby ($5,800): With heavy salary increases to Pascal Siakam and Chris Boucher to account for a projected second straight game without Kyle Lowry, Anunoby is one of the few remaining affordable access points to rebounds in a high-paced affair with the Golden State Warriors. Lowry is playing, but Anunoby does not rely on usage (15.6%) or field goals (0.12 per minute) to accrue FanDuel points. He is a high-minute option, seeing at least 34 minutes in all but two games this season, and largely relies on rebounds, steals, and blocks to account for his 0.77 FanDuel points per minute. Those are great categories to target in games against pace, and Golden State will provide plenty of that.

Other Notable Plays: Jimmy Butler ($8,100), RJ Barrett ($6,700), Will Barton ($5,900)

Power Forward

Christian Wood ($8,800): Many league executives were pretty surprised that the Houston Rockets invested so heavily in Christian Wood, but he has proven so far that he was well worth the three-year, $41-million deal he signed this offseason. Wood is 17th in the NBA in FanDuel points per minute (1.34) and is second to only James Harden (1.37) on a Rockets squad playing so well that they have quietly quelled the Harden trade rumors. Wood's ceiling is incredible for this salary as Wood has broken 50 FanDuel points three times this campaign. He has played at least 31 minutes in all but one game, as well, so he checks all the boxes.

Draymond Green ($5,100): While many were rightfully impressed with Steph Curry torching the Los Angeles Clippers, the buy spot on the Warriors might be another former All-Star in Draymond Green. Green is starting to realize his full minutes again, and as a result, Draymond has logged more than 30 minutes in back-to-back games. As he is knocking the rust off, he is averaging a poor 0.75 FanDuel points per minute, but he would need to increase that to just 0.83 FanDuel points per minute to exceed value here. Considering he averaged 1.01 last season, it is certainly within his range of outcomes.

Other Notable Plays: Julius Randle ($9,400), Darius Bazley ($6,800), P.J. Tucker ($4,200)

Center

Bam Adebayo ($8,500): Both Adebayo and Jimmy Butler are high-risk options due to a potential blowout of the short-handed Celtics, but if this game somehow stays close, both should feast. In a full-strength matchup with Boston, Adebayo continued his success against the C's dating back to September's postseason, as he posted 43.8 FanDuel points in a game in which Tristan Thompson, Grant Williams, and Robert Williams were all active. Boston will be without all those big men in this matchup, leaving the job to Daniel Theis. Adebayo scored only 15 points on his way to his big game Wednesday, which means his ceiling could be even higher if he can score more on Boston's backups -- though he may have to do it in three quarters of action.

Other Notable Plays: Nikola Jokic ($11,500), Tacko Fall ($4,500)

Austin Swaim is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Austin Swaim also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username ASwaim3. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.F