NBA Daily Fantasy Picks - Jan. 26
Ariel Epstein breaks down her top plays for the NBA DFS slate on Wednesday, Jan. 26
Video Transcript
ARIEL EPSTEIN: Happy Wednesday. I'm the Prop Queen Ariel Epstein, and this is Yahoo Daily Fantasy in the NBA. It's Wednesday, January 26, and I've got two plays and a value play to give out for tonight's DFS slate. Let's start with a man that most people should know if you're playing NBA DFS, and that's the Atlanta Hawks leading scorer Trae Young.
Young's $45 on Yahoo and he's up against the Sacramento Kings, who are on the second leg of a back-to-back. Now the Kings not only struggle with points allowed, they struggle in rebounds a lot also. This isn't why I'm choosing young. However, this defense has gotten worse.
Sacramento's defense went from allowing 114 and 1/2 points per game overall this season to in the last 10 allowing just under 118 points per game. Young absolutely loves facing bottom 10 defenses because he's averaging just over 31 points per game against them and 10 assists. 5 rebounds thrown in there. However, if you can get a double-double with a 30-point performance, heck yeah, he's worth $45. I'm putting Trae Young in my lineup.
I've realized that I've had this theme of going with players who are facing teams on the second leg of a back-to-back. Weirdly, Tuesday's are usually pretty slow nights, and yesterday was a pretty busy night in the NBA. Now one of those teams on the second leg of a back-to-back is the Los Angeles Clippers. Facing them? The Orlando Magic.
In my lineup I'm putting $26 on the Magic power forward Wendell Carter Jr. The Clippers have been one of the worst rebounding defenses in the league. They allow the second most rebounds per game overall. In the last 10, the Clippers have allowed for the most rebounds per game.
The Clippers have also been 27th in defensive rating in the last five games. Wendell Carter Jr. has been great on the glass. He's averaging a double-double against bottom 10 rebounding defenses with 13 and 1/2 points per game and just over 10 rebounds. I'm putting Carter Jr. in my lineup.
For my value play, it's kind of crazy. It's a small sample size. However, for $14 it's worth a shot on the Indiana Pacers center Goga Bitadze. The Charlotte Hornets are on the second leg of a back-to-back.
There have been a bunch of back-to-back against the Hornets. And in those second legs, centers are averaging just under 22 points and just over 14 rebounds. I know there's only been four games this year, and there's been three straight where the Indiana Pacers do not have their Big man Domantas Sabonis.
When Sabonis has been out, Bitadze has done OK in the last three games. He's averaging just under 14 points and just over 8 rebounds. For a $14 value play on a center and such a huge part in the NBA tonight, it's worth saving some money and potentially getting a double-double out of him. I'm putting Bitadze in my lineup.
Here's your NBA DFS recap. For $45, I'm playing Trae Young. For $26, Wendell Carter Jr's going in my lineup. $14 value play on Bitadze. That's it for me, your Prop Queen Ariel Epstein, here at Yahoo Daily Fantasy in the NBA. Happy Wednesday, and good luck tonight.
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