NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Wednesday, January 21

Look no further for expert DraftKings NBA DFS strategy for Wednesday, as RotoWire's Joe Mayo highlights matchups, the injury report and recent performances to find value.
NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Wednesday, January 21

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DraftKings Main Slate NBA Games Today

CLE at CHR: Cavaliers 10-9 on road; Hornets 7-12 at home

IND at BOS: Pacers 2-18 on road; Celtics 12-7 at home

BRO at NY: Nets 6-13 on road; Knicks on four-game slide, 16-6 at home

ATL at MEM: Hawks on four-game slide, 13-12 on road; Grizzlies 8-11 on road

DET at NOR: Pistons on three-game winning streak, 13-6 on road; Pelicans 3-17 at home

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.

NBA Injuries Today

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

CLE - Darius Garland (toe), Sam Merrill (hand): OUT

CHR - Tidjane Salaun (Achilles): Probable; Tre Mann (illness): Questionable 

IND - Bennedict Mathurin (thumb): OUT

BOS - Jaylen Brown (hamstring): Probable; Josh Minott (ankle): OUT

BRO - Haywood Highsmith (knee): OUT

NY - None

ATL - Kristaps Porzingis (Achilles), Zaccharie Risacher (knee): OUT

MEM - Santi Aldama (back): Doubtful; Ty Jerome (calf): OUT

DET - Cade Cunningham (illness), Caris LeVert (illness): Questionable

NOR - Zion Williamson (illness): Questionable; Herbert Jones (ankle), Jose Alvarado (oblique): OUT

Elite NBA DFS Picks

Guards

Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers ($9,500) at Hornets 

Mitchell has logged 44.5-plus DK points in six of his eight appearances so far this month, during which he has averaged 26.1 points, 6.3 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. The star guard will look to bounce back against Charlotte after delivering a poor shooting performance in a blowout loss to the Thunder on Monday, though he still had 34.5 DK points in that contest. 

Trey Murphy, Pelicans ($8,100) vs. Pistons

Murphy has accumulated at least 35.3 DK points in all eight of his appearances this month, including six games with 40.5 or more. The 25-year-old swingman has averaged 29.1 points on 20.0 field-goal attempts per game during that stretch and could see an uptick in attempts if Zion Williamson (illness) is downgraded from questionable to out.

Forwards/Centers

Jalen Johnson, Hawks ($10,200) at Grizzlies

After a brief shooting slump, Johnson got back on track during Monday's loss to Milwaukee, posting 61.0 DK points and a massive double-double. The 24-year-old forward has recorded 43.5 or more DK points in six of his 10 January appearances and hasn't had fewer than 28.3 during that stretch. 

Jaylen Brown, Celtics ($9,800) vs. Pacers

Brown is dealing with left hamstring tightness but is listed as probable to suit up Wednesday. The star forward continues to perform at an elite level and has contributed 44.0 or more DK points in five of his last six outings, averaging 30.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 35.5 minutes per tilt during that period. He has appeared in two of Boston's three games against the Pacers so far this season, posting 51.3 and 46.8 DK points. 

Pascal Siakam, Pacers ($8,400) at Celtics

Siakam has supplied 36.5 or more DK points in eight of his nine January appearances, including 45.0 in a win over Boston on Jan. 12. During that span, the star forward has averaged 24.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists across 34.1 minutes per game. He has chipped in 39.0-plus DK points in two of his three games against Boston on the campaign.

Expected NBA DFS Chalk 

Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks ($8,600) vs. Nets

Although the Knicks have struggled recently, Towns has been a double-double machine. The star big man has logged six such performances over his last seven appearances, finishing with at least 37.5 DK points in each of those six outings. Towns has appeared in both of New York's wins over Brooklyn this season and has dropped 50.5 and 65.0 DK points against the Nets thus far. 

Mid-Range NBA DFS Picks

OG Anunoby, Knicks ($6,400) vs. Nets 

Anunoby has been productive of late, generating 30.0-plus DK points in four of his last seven outings and at least 25.8 in all of those games. He has averaged 18.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.6 three-pointers and 1.3 steals per game over that stretch. Additionally, the 28-year-old forward put up 37.0 DK points in his lone appearance against the Nets this season. 

Saddiq Bey, Pelicans ($5,600) vs. Pistons

Zion Williamson (illness) was a late addition to the injury report Wednesday morning and may join Herbert Jones (ankle) on the sidelines, which would be beneficial for Bey. When Williamson missed six straight games from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11, Bey averaged 19.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per contest, finishing with at least 28.0 DK points in all six outings. Even if Williamson is cleared to suit up, Bey has still recorded 21.0-plus DK points in seven straight appearances, including five with more than 25.4 over that stretch.

NBA DFS Value Picks

Jock Landale, Grizzlies ($5,000) vs. Hawks

Landale shifted to the second unit in Sunday's win over Orlando following a six-game stint in the starting five. However, the big man impressed off the bench, recording 41.0 DK points. The 30-year-old continues to see significant burn due to the absences of Zach Edey (ankle) and Brandon Clarke (calf), and Landale could be inserted back into the starting five against Atlanta with Santi Aldama (knee) doubtful to play. Landale has logged 17.8 DK points in all eight of his outings so far this month, including five games with at least 30.5. 

Collin Sexton, Hornets ($4,800) vs. Cavaliers 

Sexton is coming off back-to-back games with 25.0-plus DK points and will look to remain productive against the team that selected him with the eighth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. The 27-year-old guard has finished with 21.5 or more DK points in nine of his last 11 appearances, averaging 14.2 points, 4.2 assists, 1.9 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 21.3 minutes per contest during that span. 

Duncan Robinson, Pistons ($4,300) at Pelicans

Robinson has been hot from beyond the arc of late, shooting 57.9 percent from downtown on 7.6 attempts per contest over his last five outings. The sharpshooter has finished with at least 18.3 DK points in each of those games, including four straight outings with 23.0 or more. During that five-game span, the 31-year-old has averaged 16.4 points, 4.4 three-pointers, 1.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists across 26.4 minutes per game.

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.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joe is a University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate who has covered the NBA, WNBA and MLB for RotoWire since early 2024.
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