NBA DFS Picks for January 12

Picks for every position and price point in Friday's NBA DFS contests.

Friday boasts a nine-game NBA slate to kick off the weekend. Consider using some of the players below and plugging them into our NBA Lineup Optimizer to hopefully build winning lineups on a night with multiple avenues of roster construction.

Point Guard

Spencer Dinwiddie, vs. Hawks (FD: $6,700, DK: $6,600)

Projected Points: FD: 36.61, DK: 36.92

Dinwiddie went ice cold against the Pistons on Wednesday night hitting only one of five shots in 26 minutes of play. After a game like that, you'll see a lot of people lay off the player in question thanks largely to an over-reliance on recent results. However, smart DFS'ers know that past performances aren't necessarily indicative of future results. Dinwiddie is in a good spot to bounce back against an unimposing Hawks defense on Friday.

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Jarrett Jack, vs. Timberwolves (FD: $4,700, DK: $4,600)

Projected Points: FD: 26.13, DK: 26.74

Jack fully impressed in the double-OT loss to Chicago on Wednesday, notching his second triple-double of the season. Jack is getting more run of late, and as his playing time increases, so does his usage rate. Jack is an ideal punt play, coming in at low prices on both sites.

Shooting Guard

Eric Gordon, vs. Suns (FD: $8,100, DK: $7,400)

Projected Points: FD: 34.46, DK: 36.31

Gordon is a great value on both sites, especially DraftKings where he’s in the mid-$7,000s. He’s putting up a whopping 57.3 DraftKings points per game over his last four contests, making his price tag even more of a mystery. His exact damage in those four games is 24.8 points, 6.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game. I don't see any reason at all why you should exclude him from your DFS lineups.

Devin Booker, vs. Rockets (FD: $7,800, DK: $8,200)

Projected Points: FD: 39.37, DK: 41.22

If Isaiah Canaan (groin injury) is out again for the Suns on Friday, Booker will take on further ball-handling duties. He’s already the team’s primary scorer, with his usage rate climbing to 32.3% with Canaan off the floor. Give someone with Booker’s scoring ability further opportunity, more minutes and the ball in his hand more often, and it’s easy for him to hit his DFS value.

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Small Forward

Otto Porter, vs. Magic (FD: $7,100, DK: $6,000)

Projected Points: FD: 33.1, DK: 32.61

Porter returned to action Wednesday night against the Jazz scoring after missing one game with hip soreness. He looked healthy, putting up 14 points, six rebounds, three steals and two threes in 37 minutes. The hip has been an issue for Porter since his first day in the league, but he’s mostly able to manage it, evidenced by his playing 37 minutes in his return to the floor. He and the Wizards face on Orlando team on Friday allowing 42.25 DraftKings points per game to small forwards.

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Andrew Wiggins, vs. Knicks (FD: $6,200, DK: $6,100)

Projected Points: FD: 28.27, DK: 28.34

The Timberwolves are one of the hottest teams in the league, winning seven of their last 10 games. Wiggins is at the center of it all, averaging 21.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, one block and one steal per game over his last three contests. He gets a great matchup Friday with a Knicks team that allows higher than league-average fantasy points to the small forward position on a nightly basis. Wiggins should keep his hot streak rolling.

Power Forward

Kevin Durant, vs. Bucks (FD: $10,600, DK: $10,200)

Projected Points: FD: 47.29, DK: 47.4

After missing a couple of games with a right calf strain, Durant returned to the floor without missing a beat. He scored 40 points in his return, becoming the 44th player in NBA history with 20,000 career points. Durant knocked down 14 of his 18 field goal attempts, connecting on six three-pointers. Durant is the ideal lineup centerpiece for Friday.

JaMychal Green, vs. Nuggets (FD: $5,100, DK: $4,700)

Projected Points: FD: 21.68, DK: 22.13

Green is coming off one of the best games of his career, in which he scored 20 points and pulled down 14 rebounds in a win over the Pelicans on Wednesday. DK points (20 points, 14 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.) He has put up double-digit points in each of his last three games, and his usage is on the rise, sitting at 22.8% in that small timeframe. Green made it into the perfect lineup on DraftKings the last time the Grizzlies played the Nuggets, helping make him one of Friday’s best punt plays.

Center

DeMarcus Cousins, vs. Trail Blazers (FD: $11,000, DK: $10,800)

Projected Points: FD: 57.5, DK: 59.95

Along with Durant, the other high-priced player you have to consider on Friday is Cousins. He has been playing tremendously well since Anthony Davis went down with a right ankle injury, becoming even more the focal point of the Pelicans offense. Davis may return on Friday, but that doesn’t take any of the bloom of of Cousins’s rose. This should be a close, fast-paced game, leading to plenty of possessions and scoring potential for the best player on the floor.

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Marcin Gortat, vs. Magic (FD: $4,500, DK: $4,900)

Projected Points: FD: 26.05, DK: 25.9

Gortat, too, is a great source of salary relief on Friday. He’s having one of his worst seasons in recent memory, but the price tag is simply too low, and makes him an ideal player to offset Durant’s or Cousins’s salary. Orlando allows the seventh-most fantasy points per game to centers this season.