Underdog Fantasy’s projections are sharp as ever, making it harder to spot hidden value. But that’s where the Underdog Fantasy Optimizer comes in — pinpointing the best NBA pick’em predictions. Let’s break down the top NBA Underdog picks for Friday, Jan. 31, powered by NBA expert picks from Portfolio EV!
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NBA Underdog Fantasy Pick’em Predictions Today
Malik Beasley Lower Than 16.5 Points
Props to Beasley, who has somehow become the No. 2 scoring option behind Cade Cunningham for a decent Pistons team. While he’s not quite at career highs, 16.4 points are his most in a long while, and he is hitting almost 41% of his 3’s this season. That said, we’re fading him tonight in a pace-down spot against the Mavericks.
The 228.5 total is one of the lowest of tonight’s slate, and Dallas is dealing with a ton of injuries. Now, that could be to Beasley’s benefit, but it could also mean the Pistons don’t tax him too much coming off the bench. Stokastic’s NBA Stat Projections have him at 26.7 minutes and 16.3 points. That has the Underdog Fantasy Optimizer giving Beasley a 55% chance of scoring 16 points or fewer tonight.
Daniel Gafford Lower Than 2.5 Blocks
Speaking of injured Mavericks, the losses of Dwight Powell, Dereck Lively II and Maxi Kleber mean that Gafford is basically all alone as Dallas’ center. Like, literally there are no other healthy centers save for P.J. Washington in a pinch. With the added minutes, Gafford averaged 3.4 blocks over his last eight games, all of which he started, and he swatted at least three in five of his last six.
So why the fade? Well, regression is a heckuva thing, and prior to this stretch Gafford blocked two exactly in back-to-back games where he played 20-plus minutes. We’re calling for him to taper off a bit tonight despite projecting for solid playing time.
Stokastic’s NBA Stat Projections give Gafford a touch over 28 minutes but just 2.3 blocks, giving him a 55% chance of falling shy of 2.5. With the Beasley play, that puts our two-pick Underdog entry at a 29% chance of winning 3x.
