DraftKings NBA Picks for November 17
By Mike Marteny
DraftKings NBA Picks for November 17
22 of the 30 NBA teams are in action tonight, so we have one of the larger DraftKings tournaments of the season so far. There are several elite options, so who should we really pay for. We also need to uncover some bargains to afford these expensive players. We will search for those as well.
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DraftKings is making one very important change for the 2016-2017 season. For some strange reason, they gave up their only advantage over FanDuel for NBA games. DraftKings decided to lock ALL games when the contest starts just as FanDuel does. Trust me, this has burned me more than once in the early going so far. I’m sure it has you as well.
The big difference now between FanDuel and DraftKings is the lineups. FanDuel has one more slot, but you are confined to two of every position except center, where you get one. On DraftKings, you get a starting five plus a G, F, and UTIL. This is still an advantage over FanDuel because we can play two centers even though the roster is smaller!
Sound like fun? If you would like to try DraftKings for the first time, use this link for the referral bonus! It is good for a free entry into the Fantasy Football Millionaire contest. We have plenty of advice on the site to help you turn that free entry into a solid bankroll!
Point Guards
Best Bet:
James Harden ($12,400): Harden is by far the highest priced player at any position tonight. He will be owned nearly universally, but can you afford not to use him? Portland is in the bottom third of fantasy points allowed to point guards. As long as the Rockets don’t rest him, Harden is the only clear threat to 60+ DraftKings points tonight.
Honorable Mention:
Ricky Rubio ($6,300): Rubio picked up eight assists and eight rebounds against Charlotte on Tuesday, so it really doesn’t matter how many bricks he throws up. DraftKings doesn’t punish for percentages, and his defensive prowess keeps him at or above 5x value in every game.
Derrick Rose ($5,400): There are a couple of reasons for this pick. First, Goran Dragic may be back, which limits the effectiveness of both him and Tyler Johnson. Next, John Wall may see less minutes even if he does play both games of the back to back, so Rose should have ample time against the second unit. If you can accept the fact that Rose isn’t an explosive scorer anymore, he can still provide value at this price.
Dark Horse:
Sergio Rodriguez ($4,800): He is still taking the larger share of the minutes at PG with Jerryd Bayless out, but He is being relied upon less for scoring. That takes a little chunk out of his value, but not enough to avoid using him. Rodriguez only needs 24 DraftKings points for 5x value. He has reached that point in two of the last three games.
My pick: Harden(PG), Rubio(G)
Shooting Guards
Best Bets:
Jimmy Butler ($8,400): The Jazz have allowed the eighth most points to shooting guards this year, so Butler should see plenty of open shots. He has been on fire anyway, averaging 52.7 DraftKings points per game over his last five. That makes him a great bargain at this price.
Dwyane Wade ($6,600): Wade is the poor man’s Butler because scoring is about all he does at this point of his career. If he isn’t doing much of that, he has little chance of getting 5x value. That is the risk you take to save $1,800.
Honorable Mention:
Rodney Hood ($5,500): Hood is only a scorer, but that shouldn’t matter against the Bulls. They give up the third most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards. Hood should see plenty of open shots, and he has been at 4.8x value or better in each of his last eight games. If you are bargain hunting, Hood should be one of your favorite targets.
Josh Richardson ($5,200): Richardson exploded on the Hawks on Tuesday, racking up 36 DraftKings points. If Goran Dragic is back, it may take some of the volume and minutes away, but not enough to make him miss 5x value at this price. The minutes will dry up for Tyler Johnson and Dion Waiters first.
Dark Horse:
Dion Waiters ($4,600): Waiters is pretty much only a scorer. The other stats that he picked up on Tuesday are mostly an outlier. His minutes could decrease if Dragic plays, but the Heat have shown a willingness to give him more minutes if he gets hot.
My pick: Hood(SG)
Small Forwards
Best Bets:
Carmelo Antony ($7,400): Anthony may end up resting on the back end of consecutive games because that is all the rage in the NBA right now. Just keep an eye on the lineups beforehand. At least the Knicks play early so you are able to switch him out if he doesn’t play. If Anthony is in, expect another flirtation with 40 DraftKings points. He has been over that mark in each of the last three games. He should at least be close again tonight.
Andrew Wiggins ($7,300): Wiggins has 173 points in his last five games, but it is his ability to do things other than score that keeps his value high. He is a huge bargain right now because he keeps dumping in bucketloads of points. That should continue tonight against Philadelphia.
Honorable Mention:
Otto Porter ($6,500): Porter, aside from a clunker against the Bulls over the weekend, has been on fire for the last ten days or so. The has not been under 30 DraftKings points besides that Bulls game, and even topped 70 once. He is consistently hitting 5x value, and should have no issues doing so against the Knicks tonight.
Trevor Ariza ($5,600): Ariza only needs 28 DraftKings points for 5x value. He has been over that mark in each of his last five games. Ariza is averaging 32.6 DraftKings points per game over that span. He should produce another solid game tonight.
Dark Horse:
Joe Ingles ($3,200): Ingles poured in a career high 20 points in place of Rodney Hood on Monday. While Hood will return for tonight’s game, Derrick Favors and George Hill are likely still out. That should mean the Jazz will turn to Ingles more than usual coming off of his career night.
My pick: Wiggins(SF), Ingles(F)
Power Forwards
Best Bets:
Kristaps Porzingis ($6,800): Porzingis went nuts against a strong Detroit front last night, scoring a career high 35 points. He added seven rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block. There is no reason not to use him tonight. He and Carmelo are coexisting nicely right now.
Gorgui Dieng ($5,700): Athletes do well against the Suns. Dieng is not a great athlete, but he is good enough to get open shots. There are also going be dozens more shots to be rebounded in this game. Expect an uptick from Dieng’s normal numbers here as well.
Honorable Mention:
Dario Saric ($4,500): Saric posted a double-double in his first game coming off the bench for the Sixers. This seemed to work well for all involved, and Saric’s minutes weren’t really affected by the move, so expect him to be in his normal 22-28 DraftKings point range…..or more.
Dark Horse:
Trey Lyles ($4,100): It is looking increasingly likely that Derrick Favors will be out which looks like great news for Lyles. The Bulls aren’t particularly strong up front, and Lyles at Memphis alive after Favors left the game. Lyles will be heavily used because everyone needs salary relief to afford Harden.
My pick: Porzingis(PF), Lyles(UTIL)
Best Bets:
Hassan Whiteside ($8,700): Whiteside posted an NBA-high 25 rebounds against Atlanta on Tuesday. He also racked up 19 points. Whiteside has topped 50 DraftKings points in three of his last four games. He looks like a lock to do it tonight against the Bucks as well.
Karl-Anthony Towns ($8,600): Towns has been remarkably consistent this year, but his price has risen to the point where he needs 43 DraftKings pionts for 5x value. He has reached that in four of his last six games, but just barely. If this game gets out of hand early, or Towns has another off night from the field like he did on Tuesday, the value wont be there.
Honorable Mention:
Clint Capela ($5,100): After a rough start to the season, Capela has come on lately. Capela has topped 6x value in four of his last five games. Portland wont be an easy matchup, but as long as he keeps playing 25-30 minutes, he should at least come close to 6x value at his current price.
Dark Horse:
Joakim Noah ($4,400): The Knicks starters were on the court a lot last night. Noah only played 25 minutes, but his defensive stats were off the charts once again. Noah posted 15 rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and a steal. His across the board production give him a high floor and often make him a great value.
My pick: Noah(C)
Stay tuned for our FanDuel picks, our DFS NHL picks, and plenty of NFL advice heading into your weekend. We will also have the college football picks against the spread. You don’t want to miss any of this!