NBA Daily Fantasy Grind, New Year Edition: 'Young' love & the return of … Josh Jackson?!

Happy New Year! Hopefully, you lose way less money in 2021 than you did in 2020. That may sound facetious, but it’s sincere. That shit was hard. This shit gon’ be aight … hopefully. Anyway, to begin the new calendar, we’ve got 10 games. Ideally, whoever you put money on tonight isn’t hungover.

Oh, and from now on, you get two elites, one sleeper, and a fuck it play, with more mentions in between. Let’s get into it. In the event that my advice sucks, don’t bet all of that $600 you just got today, if you were lucky enough to get it.

Elites:

👍 Trae Young, PG, Atlanta Hawks

Yahoo: $46

DraftKings: $10,100

FanDuel: $9,700

Young blitzed the Brooklyn Nets for 30 points and 11 assists on Wednesday in a 145-141 loss in regulation. Expect another All-Star game tonight, and Young, who is probable (calf), will have the ball in his hands more than anyone. I paired him with Kevin Durant in my lineup on Wednesday and came away a winner. Might try it again tonight … .

👎 Devin Booker, SG, Phoenix Suns

Yahoo: $40

DraftKings: $8,000

FanDuel: $7,700

Most of the elites have favorable matchups and are elite for a reason. This is actually more specific to Yahoo since Booker is tied for the most expensive shooting guard, where on DK, he’s fifth, and on FD, he’s ninth. Booker’s counting stats have been solid with averages of 20.2 points and over four rebounds and assists per game. Except, for fantasy purposes, the scoring is lower than it’s been since his rookie season. The assists have also dropped with Chris Paul now in the fold, and Booker also has 27 turnovers over five games. Tonight the Suns have the Denver Nuggets. Let him catch his rhythm first. CJ McCollum is a good alternative in the same range and has Golden State. Marcus Smart and Tyler Herro as well if you want cheaper options.

Sleepers:

👍 DeJounte Murray, PG, San Antonio Spurs

Yahoo: $31

DraftKings: $6,900

FanDuel: $7,400

Murray is still a sleeper to some. Customarily, he’s a great option to have if you deem the top point guards overly expensive. He’s a triple-double threat on many nights, and is currently averaging over 18-7-7 through four games, coming off 29 points, seven rebounds and seven assists against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. So nasty that it was probably somewhat of a travesty. The Spurs and Lakers rematch tonight, and if Murray can at least 75 or 80-percent replicate what he did the first time, you’re in great shape. Appealing options for the low? Goran Dragic, who is still very affordable and is still nasty.

Fuck it:

👍 Josh Jackson, SG/SF/PF, Detroit Pistons

Yahoo: $16

DraftKings: $5,200

FanDuel: $4,800

Remember this dude!? Jackson was the fourth overall pick in 2017, had a tumultuous two seasons in Phoenix, was traded to Memphis, where he spent most of last season with their G League program, and now he’s … the Most Improved Player of the year? Okay, let’s relax, but Jackson has been very solid as a buy-low free agent signing in Detroit. He’s averaging around 30 fantasy points per game (over 30 on Yahoo), with 17.3 points and 6.0 rebounds through his first four games. With no Blake Griffin on Friday against the Boston Celtics, give Jackson a run. He’s even starting now!