Top NBA DFS Picks for Friday, January 21, 2022 – Ja Morant, Kyrie Irving, and More

Nikola Jokic topped 90 fantasy points on Wednesday, and he was in my NBA DFS picks and final lineup. I know, it doesn’t take an expert to offer a sales pitch on The Joker, but that’s “getting it right” as best you can.

Luckily, I also had some other solid suggestions, but you did need to make some tweaks if you wanted to score a takedown.

I’ll be aiming for a more well-rounded lineup to wrap up the week on Friday. Like usual, you’ll want to keep tabs on line and total movement at the best NBA sportsbooks, and monitor any major news.

Quite a bit has already come out, which helps me eye my favorite NBA DFS picks, sleepers, and top lineup going into January 21, 2022.

I’ll start off Friday’s NBA DFS picks with Morant. He has the second best projection among point guards per RotoGrinders.com, and he went off in his last game.

Memphis continues to be without two key wings in Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks, so Morant will be busy here.

Another guy that still feels too cheap still is Irving. He owns the best projection for shooting guards tonight, and he has a great matchup against the Spurs. Devin Booker absolutely roasted them two games ago, so I love the upside and value here.

Small forward feels more like a spot to pay down at, but King James is tough to ignore. He has one of the highest projections of the slate, and he gets a terrible Orlando squad.

Luckily there’s really nice value at SF, so I don’t know if I’ll force my way to James.

Chicago is really hurting these days. Zach LaVine is still out, while Lonzo Ball is now out for quite some time.

ESPN story on Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball’s looming decision on a left knee scope that would sideline him 4-to-6 weeks: https://t.co/HpvRuNqk8O

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 20, 2022

Alex Caruso is back, but the Bulls will need to ask a lot out of their stars. DeRozan is one of them, and he appropriately projects as the second best PF at DraftKings.

Center is very loaded, starting with Giannis Antetokounmpo and of course, Nikola Jokic. Embiid projects about as well as them, though, and is considerably cheaper.

Whatever stud I roll with will likely hinge on ownership. Right now, however, I am leaning toward Embiid as my main spend up option.

I’ll stick with a lot of the NBA DFS sleepers I pointed to on Wednesday. The aforementioned Brooks and Bane remain out, so both Melton and Konchar are still solid values.

Melton dealt with foul trouble last game, but he and Konchar should get plenty of burn in this spot.

Utah is a solid source of value here, too, as Donovan Mitchell is out again.

Donovan Mitchell (concussion) remains out again Friday. https://t.co/9x9838qpoC

— FantasyLabs NBA (@FantasyLabsNBA) January 21, 2022

Jordan Clarkson is obvious chalk, but I prefer the savings with Ingles.

With Kevin Durant out and Paul Millsap getting shopped, Kessler Edwards seems locked into a good role right now. His production isn’t the greatest, but if he’s going to get 30+ minutes, I’m rolling the dice here.

That said, Howard is really cheap, and the Magic do tend to play bigger lineups. A little revenge could be in play, too.

Does this lineup feel chalky? Maybe. I’m curious to see where ownership leans, as there should still be plenty of interest in Giannis, Harden, and The Joker. That isn’t even touching on nicely priced options like LaMelo Ball or Bam Adebayo.

This is a 9-game slate, and there’s already some decent value. Even more value will present itself before lock, but guys like Melton, Konchar, Ingles, and Edwards all feel plenty viable.

I’d be looking to upgrade over Edwards and Williams if I can, but it’s early in the day. For now, this feels like a great starting point.

As usual, be sure to keep tabs on line and total changes at the best sites for betting on the NBA.