Tuesday's NBA schedule consists of eight games, providing FanDuel players with ample options to fill their rosters with. There's just one player with a salary cap number above $10,000 who will play Tuesday night, Sacramento center DeMarcus Cousins ($11,200), and he's up against a young Denver front line that played in Oakland against Golden State Monday night. For his career Cousins, who's currently averaging 29.0 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, is averaging 20.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per contest against the Nuggets.
Denver's front court is led by Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic, with the decision to move Nurkic out of the starting lineup helping with the team's offensive spacing. But the Nuggets are still having issues defending opposing centers, giving up 45.2 FanDuel points per game to opposing center units this season and an average of 53.4 points per contest over the last five. Those stats make it likely that many FanDuel players will look to build their roster around Cousins. But with there also being a host of players with good value in the $7,000-$9,000 range, saving some money by not taking Cousins could pay off as well.
Here are our selections for Tuesday's games, working with a $60,000 salary cap to fill out a nine-man roster. (Getty)
PG: John Wall, Washington
Opponent: at Dallas
Price: $9,300
One night after taking on James Harden and the Rockets, Wall and the Wizards are back in action as they visit the Dallas Mavericks. Wall's performed well on zero days rest this season, averaging 28.8 points, 8.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game on the prior four occasions, shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from beyond the arc. Dallas has been solid defensively this season, but this is still a matchup that Wall can be very productive in. (Getty)
PG: Tyler Johnson, Miami
Opponent: at Phoenix
Price: $5,900
Miami's starting point guard, Goran Dragic, has missed three of the last four games due to back soreness and he's a game-time decision for Tuesday's game against his former team. If Dragic can play Johnson's value does take a hit, but given the tricky nature of back injuries it may not be a bad idea to pick up Johnson. Prior to tallying 24.7 FanDuel points in Sunday's loss to Detroit, Johnson had two straight games of 33 FanDuel points or more and he's averaging 26.5 FanDuel points per contest on the season. Given Miami's injury issues (Hassan Whiteside's been out as well), players such as Johnson stand to see an increase in opportunities. (Getty)
SG: Zach LaVine, Minnesota
Opponent: at Philadelphia
Price: $6,500
LaVine has exceeded his FanDuel average of 29.2 points just once in his last five games, and he's coming off of an outing against Portland in which he accounted for just 18.1 points. In that game LaVine shot 5-for-12 from the field in scoring 13 points, to go along with three rebounds, one assist and one steal. LaVine is talented enough to have a far greater impact for Minnesota, even if his shot attempts are falling. With Philadelphia's perimeter rotation not exactly packed with star power, LaVine should find a way to bounce back Tuesday night. (Getty)
SG: Gary Harris, Denver
Opponent: vs. Sacramento
Price: $4,700
Since returning from injury nearly three weeks ago, Harris exceeded his average of 21.7 FanDuel points per game in four of his last even outings ahead of Monday's game against the Warriors. In Friday's 124-122 loss to Philadelphia, Harris accounted for 17 points, four rebounds and four assists with his overall stat line good for 26.8 points. And according to Rotowire, Sacramento is allowing 37 FanDuel points per game to opposing shooting guards this season, with that average up to 38.5 points over their last five games. (Getty)
SF: Paul George, Indiana
Opponent: at Sacramento
Price: $7,500
The Pacers have played four games against Pacific Division teams this season, and in those games George has averaged 23.0 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. On Wednesday he and the Pacers visit the Kings, a team that's currently ranked 21st in points allowed per game and 24th in defensive rating. George and Kings starting small forward Rudy Gay may exchange some baskets, but in the end George's all-around game should result in a nice night by FanDuel standards on Wednesday. (Getty)
SF: Harrison Barnes, Dallas
Opponent: vs. Washington
Price: $6,800
In Friday's loss to the Warriors Barnes, who began his career with Golden State, scored 25 points in 28 minutes of action. Barnes finished that game with 35.1 FanDuel points, following up on a solid 33.8 point effort in the game prior against the Lakers. Over their last five games the Wizards have allowed 39.6 FanDuel points per game to opposing small forward units, which bodes well for Barnes Tuesday night. (Getty)
PF: Tobias Harris, Detroit
Opponent: vs. Atlanta
Price: $6,000
Harris has tallied more than 26.7 FanDuel points (his season average) in seven of the last eight games for the Pistons. And he's been solid against the Hawks this year, averaging 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in two games while shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from three. Harris has been a better offensive player off the bench, averaging 21.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game with an offensive rating of 121, but that doesn't mean he's been a bad offensive player while in the starting lineup. Defensively he'll have his work cut out for him in defending Paul Millsap, but Harris is good enough to score a few points himself in that matchup. (Getty)
PF: James Johnson, Miami
Opponent: at Los Angeles Lakers
Price: $5,500
With Justise Winslow undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery Thursday, there's one less wing that Erik Spoelstra can call upon within the course of a game. That opens the door for more minutes for Johnson, who's tallied 33 FanDuel points or more in three straight outings. In 25 minutes against the Kings Wednesday night, Johnson accounted for 14 points, six rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots in the five-point victory. Miami faces a Lakers team that played Thursday night in Portland, which could help Johnson post a solid stat line. (Getty)
C: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia
Opponent: vs. Minnesota
Price: $7,200
Boston's Al Horford also has a salary cap number of $7,200, but with his opposition being Utah and elite defender Rudy Robert, we're going with Embiid. In the first meeting of the season between the 76ers and Timberwolves, Embiid accounted for ten points and ten rebounds in the 110-86 defeat. With Philadelphia relaxing its minutes restriction on Embiid some, as he's now allowed to play 28 minutes per night, the rookie out of Kansas is on a run of three consecutive games of 23 points or more. (Getty)
FanDuel NBA Lineup Picks, Advice & Analysis for January 3