NBA DFS: Top DraftKings, FanDuel daily Fantasy basketball picks for Tuesday, Jan. 2 include Chris Paul – CBS Sports

Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid is off the NBA injury report after missing the last four games (ankle) as the 76ers prepare to play the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday. The reigning NBA MVP averaged 40.2 points and 12.6 rebounds over nine December contests, so can daily Fantasy basketball players expect the same dominant effort out of Embiid in his return to action? Or, will missing the last week-plus result in some rust and make him not worthy of his high price tag on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings for NBA DFS lineups?

Tobias Harris saw his production skyrocket with Embiid out. The 31-year-old forward is averaging 23.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists over his last five games with Embiid missing four of those five contests. How should Embiid’s return affect your NBA DFS strategy for all 76ers in the NBA DFS player pool with Embiid likely to take over the vast majority of the team’s production? Before making your NBA DFS picks, be sure to check out the NBA DFS advice, player rankings, stacks, and top daily Fantasy basketball picks from SportsLine’s Mike McClure.

McClure is a DFS professional with more than $2 million in career winnings. He’s also a predictive data engineer at SportsLine who uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every minute of every game 10,000 times, taking factors like matchups, statistical trends and injuries into account.

This allows him to find the best NBA DFS values and create optimal lineups that he shares only over at SportsLine. They’re a must-see for any NBA DFS player.

On Saturday, McClure highlighted Knicks power forward Julius Randle as one of his top picks in his NBA DFS player pool on both sites. The result: Randle had 28 points, 12 rebounds and four assists, returning 48.5 points on DraftKings and 43.4 points on FanDuel. Anybody who included him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.

McClure has turned his attention to NBA action on Tuesday and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.

Top NBA DFS picks for Tuesday, January 2

For Tuesday, one of McClure’s top NBA DFS picks is Warriors point guard Chris Paul, who is listed at $5,600 on DraftKings and $6,100 on FanDuel. The 38-year-old is coming off his best-scoring performance of the season with 24 points on 9 of 14 shooting in a 132-122 loss to the Mavericks on Saturday. Paul was especially dangerous from deep, knocking down 6 of 9 3-pointers.

While his scoring may be inconsistent, Paul has been facilitating with great efficiency in Golden State, like he has throughout his 19-year future Hall of Fame career. Paul is averaging 7.4 assists per game, the ninth-most in the NBA this year, including 8.1 assists over his last eight contests. The Warriors have relied on Paul more to play with the ball in his hands with Draymond Green suspended, allowing him to find Steph Curry and Klay Thompson for catch-and-shoot 3-pointers. Paul comes at a cheaper price point for NBA DFS picks, and McClure expects him to be an asset to NBA DFS lineups on Tuesday against the Magic.

Another part of McClure’s optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Grizzlies power forward/center Jaren Jackson Jr. ($7,200 on DraftKings and $7,900 on FanDuel). Jackson is averaging 21 points and 5.5 rebounds per game this season. His 21 ppg is a career-high as he’s scored at least 18 points in six of his last seven games.

The Grizzlies have lost three straight as the team is adjusting to the return of Ja Morant, but Tuesday could be a chance for Memphis to break out against the Spurs. San Antonio is allowing the third-most ppg this season (123.3), including 134 points in back-to-back contests. The Spurs have allowed at least 130 points in four of their last five games, and Jackson had 27 points against San Antonio earlier this tear. See McClure’s other NBA DFS picks right here.

How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Tuesday, January 2

McClure is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Tuesday because of a dream matchup. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.

Who is DFS pro Mike McClure putting in his optimal NBA DFS lineups for Tuesday? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NBA DFS picks, rankings, advice, and stacks, all from a professional DFS player who has over $2 million in career winnings, and find out.