DraftKings NBA Picks for November 18
By Mike Marteny
DraftKings NBA Picks for November 18
Two thirds of the league is in action for the main DraftKings tournament on our Friday night. There is plenty of high priced talent, but what bargains are lurking out there for us to use them? We got lucky on Wednesday with so many stars either sitting or injured. Does that carry over to tonight?
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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 Bets:
Stephen Curry ($9,400): Curry has posted over 50 DraftKings points in three straight games. While Westbrook will outscore him, Curry could still be the better option because he is $2,800 cheaper.
Kyle Lowry ($7,900): Lowry only needs 39.5 DraftKings points for 5x value. He reached that mark only once in the first three games. He has missed that mark only once in the last seven games. Lowry is a great bargain at that price against Denver. If you are looking for mid-range values instead of spending big and going cheap, Lowry should be a cornerstone of your lineup.
Honorable Mention:
Russell Westbrook ($12,300): With the kind of year Westbrook has had, you have to at least consider using him every time he takes the court. The caveat here is that he needs 61.5 DraftKings points to get 5x value. He has only been over that total four times in ten games.
Jeff Teague ($6,500): Teague has not been the most consistent guy this year, but playing the Suns can bring out the best numbers in opponents. Especially opposing guards. The Suns have allowed the fifth most fantasy points to opposing point guards, so expect Teague to be between 5 and 6x value.
Dark Horses:
Emmanuel Mudiay ($5,900): Mudiay is tough to use because he is very inconsistent, even with his passing and rebounding stats. However, there is no team worse than the Raptors at defending the point, so if Mudiay is ever going to have a huge game, it would make sense that it happens here.
Ish Smith ($5,500): Smith’s early season has been plagued by poor shooting, but he hit six of seven shots from the floor on Wednesday. If this is a sign that his shooting woes are behind him, Smith could be a really nice bargain because he passes well and snags some rebounds.
My pick: Lowry(PG)
Best Bets:
DeMar DeRozan ($8,600): There is no good reason not to use DeRozan right now. He has racked up at least 45 DraftKings points in each of his last five games. The smart money says he keeps it up against a Denver defense that has given up the fifth most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards.
Avery Bradley ($7,000): If you can’t find a way to afford DeRozan, Bradley has seven straight games of 35 or more DraftKings points. Yes, that is seven straight games of 5x value. Did I mention he is playing the Warriors, who are among the worst in the league on the perimeter?
Honorable Mention:
Victor Oladipo ($5,900): Oladipo has been a bust this year with the Thunder, but he torched Houston on Wednesday night. He is still just 24, and maybe it just took him a bit to get used to his new surroundings. One game is not much to bank on, but his price is very low because of his struggles, so he could end up being a huge bargain.
Monta Ellis ($5,300): Ellis put up great all around numbers against the Cavs on Wednesday, but that would seem to be the exception rather than the rule. Ellis is mostly a scorer, and he only took six shots against the Cavs. He has not been consistent this year, but he should see a ton of open shots against Phoenix tonight.
Dark Horses:
J.J. Redick ($4,500): Redick has quietly gotten on track this season. After a miserable start, Redick has posted 22 or more DraftKings points in five of his last six games after not hitting that mark in the first three. The Kings are among the worst in the league at defending the SG slot, so Redick should be somewhere in the high 20’s once again.
Tim Hardaway Jr. ($3,900): Hardaway has proven to be a very capable scorer for the Hawks second unit. Hardaway has eclipsed 5x value in each of his last five games. If you need to go cheap, you could do worse.
My pick: DeRozan(SG), Bradley(G), Redick(UTIL)
Small Forwards
Best Bets:
LeBron James ($10,000): The King earned a day off with his first 60+ DraftKings points game on Wednesday, so he will be well rested for Detroit tonight. He looks like a coach up there, doesn’t he? You know what you are getting from James this year. He is going to get you between 45 and 55 DraftKings points. He is a safe high priced option, but wont really hit 70 anymore.
Kevin Durant ($9,500): Durant has proven to be a very consistent option this year as well. He is averaging right at 50 DraftKings points per game this year. Expect him to be right around that average again tonight.
Honorable Mention:
Paul George ($8,100): After a slow start to the season, George has racked up 45 or more DraftKings points in three of his last four games. He has a tasty matchup against Phoenix tonight as well, so George should be well above 5x value.
Nicolas Batum ($6,700): Batum has been a force lately, putting up 127 DraftKings points over his last three games. The Hawks have actually struggled a bit trying to defend small forwards, so Batum’s fourth straight game over 40 DraftKings points looks like a solid bet.
Dark Horses:
Wilson Chandler ($5,500): Chandler went nuts on the Suns on Wednesday, racking up 54.75 DraftKings points. While his total likely wont be that high tonight, 5x value is all but certain with both Will Bynum and Gary Harris still out. He looks like a good bargain play.
Maurice Harkless ($5,000): Harkless has topped 22.5 DraftKings points in each of his last four games. He has done it with scoring, and he has done it with defensive stats, but curiously, never both in the same game. If he does, look out!
My pick: Batum(SF)
Power Forwards
Best Bets:
Blake Griffin ($8,300): Griffin has seven straight games of 40 or more DraftKings points. Even if he misses value lately, it isn’t by much. He has the consistency of a Davis or LBJ, just at the silver level instead of the gold. However, Davis’s injury worries me some. Blake is safer for tonight anyway.
Kevin Love ($8,000): Love went nuts on the Pacers Wednesday with LeBron out. His value goes down with LeBron in there, but not to the point that it did last year. Love has been a double-double machine for the Cavs, and though Detroit is tough on the inside, Love should still be right around 5x value.
Honorable Mention:
Anthony Davis ($10,900): Davis went from on fire, to ice cold, to the model of consistency, all in the span of three weeks. Davis has had between 49 and 56 DraftKings points in each of his last six games. That is just shy of 5x value, but if you want a sure 50, Davis will give it to you. Most of his peers can’t say that. So why is he not in the top tier? Just in case that quad injury flares up again.
Terrence Jones ($6,200): Jones put up huge numbers on Wednesday with Davis out, so maybe finally Alvin Gentry will give him some run. I am banking on that, but I am also banking on Davis being somewhat limited, meaning Jones should still get around 30 minutes. If he does, 6x value is likely.
Dark Horses:
Kenneth Faried ($5,900): The struggles of Jusuf Nurkic and Nikola Jokic has given Faried more of a run lately, and he has put on quite a show. Faried has put up 96.25 DraftKings points over his last two games in only 54 minutes played. As long as Faried is starting again, he is a viable fantasy option. He can even be elite at times.
Trevor Booker ($5,800): Booker has been a constant in my lineups this season because he averages 5x value. The only teams that Booker has really struggled against are the Clippers and Pistons, both of whom are strong inside. Oklahoma City is 20th in fantasy points allowed to power forwards, so look for Booker to be right around 5x value.
My pick: Faried(PF), Booker(F)
Best Bets:
Draymond Green ($8,000): Green is so versatile that he can play the three, four, or five position. He also produces monster defensive stats wherever he is. It took a rolled ankle on Wednesday to knock him below 5x value. He did return to the game, so would seem to be fine for tonight against Boston, who is likely going to be without Al Horford.
Dwight Howard ($7,200): After missing two games this week with a quad contusion, it would appear that Howard will be back tonight. The Hornets are not really strong in the middle, and Howard has only dropped below 30 DraftKings points once this year. That was in a game in which he played just 19 minutes because he rested once the game got out of hand. If he is on the court, he is a strong bet for 5x value or more.
Honorable Mention:
Brook Lopez ($6,500): Lopez has quietly reached 5x value in five of his last six games, including a dominant performance against the Lakers on Tuesday. I will fall short of saying he drops over 50 DraftKings points against the Thunder, but 7x value is possible.
DeAndre Jordan ($6,400): The Kings have allowed the second most fantasy points to centers, so Jordan is an intriguing option on the cheap. He has hit 7x and 8x value at times this year, both against teams that struggle in the middle. Can he do it again tonight?
Dark Horses:
Steven Adams ($5,400): Enes Kanter limits his value and vice-versa, but Adams is still the better fantasy option. The Nets aren’t strong in the middle, so Adams could see a bit of an uptick in value.
Timofey Mozgov ($3,500): Mozgov had his best game as a Laker against a weak interior team in Brooklyn on Tuesday. The Spurs are statistically even worse on the inside. That makes Mozgov an intriguing punt option tonight.
My pick: Mozgov(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!