NBA Winners From Downtown: 1-1-16

Winners From Downtown is bringing the top daily picks for your cash games, alongside some value plays, and Vegas notes. Be sure to check out our minutes tool, and Colossus lineup optimizer.

Projections show DraftKings prices and fantasy points.

Vegas Notes

- 76ers-Lakers, and Magic-Wizards are the only two totals over 100. Both have close spreads, so no blowout concerns.

- Toronto and Chicago are in games with lower than 200 totals, but have a projected score of over 100.

- With a five game slate, I can't see a team to really fade due to Vegas.

Top Picks

Salary: FD: $10,200 DK: $9,700

Wall is your obvious play tonight at point guard, who has been playing insane basketball of late. Wall is averaging 18-14-5 in the last five games. He is not shooting well, but the assists are helping. He has averaged 18-8-5 against Orlando in two games this season. The Magic rank in the middle of the league in fantasy points allowed to opposing point guards. He has double-digit assist in nine of the last ten games, and the one game he didn't, he had nine assists against Memphis. There is no total tonight for this game, but on a five game slate, you have to anticipate plenty of offense here, starting with Wall.

Salary: FD: $8,400 DK: $8,000

Tonight is a good night to pay up at both SG spots, or add two to your DK lineups. DeMar DeRozen has been playing great basketball, averaging 26-6-5 in the last four games. He is coming off of a 34 real point game, and continues to add in peripheral stats. Charlotte has allowed the third most fantasy points per game to opposing shooting guards this season. Their last matchup went overtime, but DeRozen dropped a 31-5-4 line. If Derrick Rose sits tonight, you can add Jimmy Butler to being an elite play at SG. In the three games without Rose this season, Butler has a 27% usage rate, averaging 29-6-4.

Salary: FD: $7,400 DK: $7,500

He is a little banged up right now, but Batum is playing through it, and playing well. He is averaging 16-7-7 in the last five games, averaging 37 fantasy points. Toronto has allowed the 16th most fantasy points per game to opposing small forwards, giving Batum an average matchup to deal with tonight. He has a 23.9% usage rate this season, and I love to see Batum being the second man in a solid offense. He is a great play in all formats tonight.

Salary: FD: $5,000 DK: $5,600

I am all for paying down at PF tonight, with a few great options, one being Taj Gibson. Joakim Noah has been out for a little over a week now, and Gibson has averaged 9-2-10 in his absence. Gibson is seeing big minutes, averaging 35 per game. Gibson is not a big part of the offense, but is efficient, shooting 55% from the field in the last five games. Knicks rank 16th against opposing PF in fantasy points allowed per game, so not a tough matchup by any means. With Bosh being the only top dollar option, Gibson is a safe cash game play with his points-per-dollar value.

Salary: FD: $8,200 DK: $7,900

Crazy as it is, Nikola Vucevic's last game going 20 and 9 was his lowest game in quite some time. He is averaging 24-4-8 in the last five games, shooting 59% from the field. Washington ranks 26th in rebound differential, and have been struggling against opposing centers lately. They have allowed the second most fantasy points per game to opposing centers in the last ten games. Vuc is once again locked in as my favorite center on the slate. He has averaged 14-2-10 in two games against Washington this season. Plus we get to call him Vucci Mane, which is another reason why he finds his way into mu write-ups.

Value Plays