FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Sunday 1/29/23

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 basketball is very reliant on a player's 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.

Guards

Ja Morant ($10,000): In a matchup versus an Indiana Pacers' team allowing point guards to score 22.8 real-life points and 47.4 FanDuel points per game this season, Morant is second overall with 51.5 FanDuel points. With two starters likely out on Sunday, the 23-year old is averaging 1.43 FanDuel points per minute and a 35.8% usage rate.

Darius Garland ($8,900): After a 62.9 fantasy performance on Friday, Garland's salary has moved up 4.7% to his highest point this season against a Los Angeles Clippers' squad ranked 22nd in fantasy production allowed (48.6) to his position. If Donovan Mitchell is ruled out, Garland's fantasy output is boosted by 0.15 to 1.24 FanDuel points per minute.

Jrue Holiday ($8,000): In the past week, Holiday's FanDuel salary has decreased by 9.0% while averaging 1.09 FanDuel points, 0.18 rebounds, and 0.19 assists per minute. The 32-year old is rated third among guards with 38.6 expected FanDuel points versus a Pelicans' team ranked sixth in defensive rating.

T.J. McConnell ($7,700): Since the Pacers inserted McConnell into their starting lineup on January 21st, the veteran has seen a huge uptick in his role, averaging 36.3 minutes per game and 1.18 FanDuel points per minute.

Bennedict Mathurin ($6,200): Even in a bench role, Indiana's rookie has accounted for impressive offensive production in his last five appearances, recording 0.69 real-life points per minute and a 24.5% usage rate.

Norman Powell ($6,100): If Paul George and Kawhi Leonard are ruled out for the second half of their back-to-back, Powell's fantasy production jumps by 0.18 to 1.16 FanDuel points per minute with a 31.7% usage percentage.

Chris Duarte ($5,600): Despite a 9.8% salary increase, Duarte could be a viable mid-salary option after Indiana's guard produced 1.04 FanDuel points, 0.15 rebounds, 0.14 assists, and 0.08 steals per minute in his last three starts.

Caris LeVert ($5,500): The 28-year old sees a 0.11 increase in his fantasy output to 0.89 FanDuel points per minute if Donovan Mitchell is unable to suit up on Sunday.

Dillon Brooks ($5,200): At his lowest salary this month, Brooks is third in value with a 5.6 rating and a 29.1 fantasy projection versus a Pacers' team ranked 22nd in defensive rating.

Terance Mann ($4,900): After a 7.5% salary decrease, Mann is currently ranked fourth overall in value with a 5.55 rating and a 27.2 fantasy expectation while the 26-year old averages 0.81 FanDuel points per minute with Leonard and George off the floor this season.

Forwards

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,600): Since his return last week, "The Greek Alphabet" has been in premier form, accounting for 1.86 FanDuel points. 0.42 rebounds, and 0.15 assists per minute. In his last meeting against New Orleans, Milwaukee's superstar went off for 42.0 real-life points and 56.5 FanDuel points on 17.0 shot attempts.

Evan Mobley ($7,800): Cleveland's second-year forward has stepped up his game in his last four starts, accounting for 1.11 FanDuel points, 0.64 real-life points, and 0.25 rebounds per minute. Mobley's fantasy production also is boosted by 0.10 to 1.09 FanDuel points per minute if Donovan Mitchell is inactive.

Jaren Jackson Jr. ($7,600): The Grizzlies' defensive leader has seen a 7.3% decline in his salary in the past week after he averaged 26.6 FanDuel points per game. Jackson sees a sneaky 0.11 boost to 1.48 FanDuel points per minute when Steven Adams and Desmond Bane are off the floor this season.

Buddy Hield ($7,100): Despite a 18.3% usage rate in his last three starts, Indiana's shooting specialist has provided efficient production, accounting for 1.16 FanDuel points per minute during this time period while his FanDuel salary has increased by 9.2%.

Brandon Clarke ($6,000): Even after a 7.1% spike in his FanDuel salary, Clarke ranks as an optimal choice with a 5.47 value rating and a 32.8 fantasy projection against a Pacers' team ranked 19th in points allowed in the paint.

Naji Marshall ($5,300) / Trey Murphy III ($4,900): If Brandon Ingram is held out on Sunday, Marshall could see a potential increased role, producing 0.85 FanDuel points per minute with Ingram off the floor this season while Murphy's average stands at 0.66 FanDuel points per minute with today's expected rotation.

Grayson Allen ($4,700): In his last seven appearances, Allen is recording 0.90 FanDuel points, 0.13 rebounds, and 0.10 assists per minute while logging 29.0 minutes per minute.

Nicolas Batum ($4,000): The veteran currently ranks second overall in value with a 5.83 rating and a 23.3 fantasy projection if the 34-year old were to start versus a Cleveland Cavaliers ranked ninth in opposing true shooting percentage.

Centers

Myles Turner ($7,900): Despite producing 1.29 FanDuel points per minute, Turner's FanDuel salary has not moved since his return on January 16th. The Pacers' center is currently ranked fifth overall with 38.4 expected fantasy points versus a Memphis team allowing 50.8 FanDuel points per game to his position.

Jarrett Allen ($7,300): After a 5.1% salary drop, Allen is an intriguing option in a sneaky matchup against a Clippers' defense ranked 20th (53.5) in fantasy production allowed to centers this season. numberFire's models currently project Allen for 14.1 real-life points and 34.2 FanDuel points.

Ivica Zubac ($5,700): At his lowest salary during January, Zubac is third among centers in value with a 5.22 rating and a 29.8 fantasy projection even in a difficult spot versus a Cleveland unit ranked first in defensive rating.