Fantasy Basketball DFS Lineup for January 24: Desmond Bane, Miles Bridges, Toumani Camara and More

I had a bad taste in my mouth regarding my first DFS fantasy basketball lineup of the week, so I’m back today to see if I can redeem myself.

Let’s put together another eight-player lineup for NBA games on Friday, January 24 through DraftKings. We’ll again use FantasySP’s projections and defensive rankings for help in our suggestions.

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Point Guard - Tyrese Maxey ($10,000)

I’m running things back with Maxey after also starting him earlier in the week. He’s been on a tear of late, averaging 49.4 fantasy points over the past 10 days.

Maxey has scored over 50 fantasy points in back-to-back games and should again lead the Sixers with several players out with injuries. It’s a bit tougher of a defensive matchup, but I still like Maxey to deliver big numbers. He scored 36.75 fantasy points the last time the teams met.

Maxey is projected for the second-most fantasy points in our projections for the night.

Shooting Guard - Desmond Bane ($7,900)

Bane has been hot of late too, scoring 42.7 fantasy points per game over the past 10 days. He’s scored 42.5 points in each of the past two games, and had a 57.5-point showing before that.

He’s got a favorable fantasy matchup and is projected for the eighth-most fantasy points on Friday. Bane tallied 43.5 fantasy points in one game against New Orleans, but just 18.75 in the other meeting.

I like Bane to keep up his recent numbers and at least hit 30 fantasy points tonight.

Small Forward - Toumani Camara ($5,200)

I had to start saving a little money, and I did so here by taking Camara. He’s averaging 26.9 fantasy points per game over the past 10 days. Camara is coming off a 36-point fantasy showing in his last game.

Charlotte is a pretty average fantasy matchup for him, and Camara is projected for the 22nd-most fantasy points tonight. He has not faced the Hornets this season.

Power Forward - Miles Bridges ($7,400)

Bridges is questionable for tonight’s game, so keep an eye on his status as the game nears. You could also swap in Deni Avdija if Bridges misses the game. Avdija is worth $7,000.

Bridges is averaging 37.6 fantasy points per game over the past 10 days. He’s scored at least 30 fantasy points in six straight games.

He’s got an average defensive matchup ahead and is projected for the 14th-most points on the night. Avdija isn’t a huge dropoff and is projected for the 15th-most fantasy points tonight.

Center - Guerschon Yabusele ($5,000)

Yabusele is a good option for tonight with several 76ers out, most notably Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond. Yabusele is averaging 29.6 fantasy points per game over the past 10 days and is coming off a 32.25-point showing.

Cleveland is a pretty average matchup whether you tab Yabusele as a forward or center. He’s projected for the 17th-most fantasy points. He scored 15.25 in one game against Cleveland, while tallying 30.75 in the other. 

With so many players out, I’m hoping Yabusele can deliver closer to that 30.75-point showing tonight.

Guard - Kelly Oubre Jr. ($6,000)

Oubre is tied for the 17th-most fantasy points in the projections tonight. He’s averaging 29.6 fantasy points over the past 10 days.

His 20.3-point showing in his last game was his only time below 30 points over the past four games. Oubre scored 19.25 fantasy points in one game against Cleveland, and 30.5 in the other.

If he can split the difference even, that’d be a solid fantasy night to me.

Forward - Robert Williams III ($4,200)

Williams is my big money saver at the forward position. He’s averaging 19.3 fantasy points per game over the past 10 days. Williams tallied 33 fantasy points on Thursday.

I like Williams tonight with a couple of the Portland big men (Deandre Ayton and Donovan Clingan) questionable. If Ayton or Clingan ends up playing, you could pivot to any of the following players: Ricky Council IV, Max Strus, Dean Wade, Georges Niang, Justin Edwards, or many others.

Williams has a below-average matchup against Charlotte, but is still projected for the 27th-most points on the night.

Utility - Nick Smith Jr. ($4,200)

Smith has taken on a larger role after the injury to Brandon Miller. He’s averaging 19.5 fantasy points per game over the past 10 days.

He scored 19.25 points in the last game, but was over 24 in the previous two. Smith has played at least 26 minutes in each of the past three contests.

Smith is projected for the 26th-most fantasy points tonight, and at this price, he’s a nice sleeper option.

DFS Recap

In Thursday’s article, I identified a bunch of player props (all regarding points) on PrizePicks. Let’s recap how things went.

I thought a 5.5-point line for Chris Paul was extremely feasible, but he shot 1-of-5 and scored three points across 24 minutes.

I had Damian Lillard over 18.5 points and he delivered with a 29-point showing. Lillard is on a tear right now, and might be worth targeting over the team’s next few games to see if he can keep rolling.

I took Harrison Barnes over 7.5 points. He made quick work of that mark, tallying 20 points on the night. That came against the Pacers, and Barnes plays them again on Saturday, so you maybe can take the over again with him depending on his line.

I had Myles Turner over 15.5 points and T.J. McConnell over 4.5 points. Both players fell short of their marks - Turner was 5-of-17 and scored 14 points, while McConnell was 2-of-9 and tallied four points. The shot attempts were there, but neither shot well enough to reach their marks.

I had Bobby Portis over 10.5 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo over 23.5 points. Both players went over, with Portis tallying 16 points and Antetokounmpo 25 in the Bucks’ rout of the Heat.

I took Kyrie Irving over 24.5 points and he finished with 24 points. He was 8-of-17 from the floor.

I had Derrick White over 12.5 points. Not only did he fall way short of that mark with three points, but he only played 19 minutes and took five shots.

In the same game, I had Rui Hachimura over 7.5 points. He tallied 10 points, but on 3-of-9 shooting.

I thought Victor Wembanyama’s 29-point line was too high, but he delivered a 30-point outing to make me look silly again.

I looked a lot better saying Paolo Banchero wouldn’t hit 25.5 points. He went 1-of-14 from the floor and scored eight points.

I took Atlanta’s De'Andre Hunter and Jalen Johnson under 19.5 and 21.5 points. I was right for both, with Hunter at eight points and Johnson just three.

Finally, I took De'Aaron Fox under 23 points. He only had 17 points, making just seven of his 24 points.

Hitting on 8-of-15 is definitely not great. It shows how difficult it can be to project results from a singular game. Your best option would likely be to only bet a few of these props, or to flex your results, so that you get rewarded for hitting on so many of your total player props.