DraftKings NBA Picks for December 19
By Mike Marteny
DraftKings NBA Picks for December 19
We only have five games tonight. Should we pay up for the few stars in our DraftKings lineups? Only one of them? None of the above? Where are the bargains at? Let’s take a look!
Don’t forget to follow @fantasycpr on Twitter for lineup updates as we get them leading to the tipoffs of the games! I am not always able to get back in here and fix my picks when someone sits for the night, but we will update it on Twitter.
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I am going to change one little thing. I usually create two DraftKings lineups, so I am going to start posting the both of them since the one I post usually winds up being the lower scoring of the two.
If you want a second opinion, head on over to Fantasypros. They will use their algorithm to help you find the best bang for the buck. They can also be customized to do the turbo and late tournaments, and they will also build around your favorite stack!
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Point Guards
Best Bets:
Russell Westbrook ($12,800): Yes, this is a lot of money, but can anyone stuff a stat sheet like Westbrook? Not even close. Westbrook already has 13 triple-doubles this season in 27 games. All but one of them have come in the last month. In his first game against the Hawks this year, Westbrook posted a triple-double and 74.25 DraftKings points. That is almost 6x value which is an unheard of feat at this price. Are you prepared to bet against him doing it again?
John Wall ($9,700): If you don’t want to pay up for Westbrook, Wall is a suitable plan B. Wall has at least 48 DraftKings points, or 5x value, in 10 of his last 11 games. Even the mighty Westbrook can’t say that! The Pacers have given up the fourth most points in the league to point guards this year, so I expect another 50+ point performance from Wall.
Honorable Mention:
Eric Bledsoe ($7,400): Bledsoe has had back to back subpar outings in a couple of matchups that should have suited him well. He has been derailed by poor shooting, but I still really love the matchup with the Timberwolves. Minnesota is worst in the league against opposing point guards, and Bledsoe racked up 50.5 DraftKings points on them in their first meeting. That is 8x value!
Dennis Schroder ($6,900): Schroder has done well when the matchup is right, though he has had a bit of an issue with fouls lately. On paper, this looks like a good matchup against the Thunder. They did hold Bledsoe in check on Friday, but Schroder put up 40 DraftKings points on the Thunder in their first meeting. That leaves him near 6x value.
Dark Horses:
Deron Williams ($5,900): Williams has been mostly cold from the field since returning from a calf injury, but he has still managed to stay above 5x value in eight of those 11 games. One of those was against the Nuggets in which he put up 35.5 DraftKings points on a $5,700 budget. He looks like a nice play against the Nuggets tonight as well.
Ricky Rubio ($5,400): Rubio’s horrid shooting gives him a lower ceiling than most, but he is one of the best passers in the league, and is among the league leaders in steals. This matchup with Phoenix is a good one, though the value is tempered because Rubio isn’t a scorer. He did put up 26.25 DraftKings points on him in the first meeting though, which would put him right about 5x value.
My pick: Westbrook(PG); Wall(PG), Bledsoe(G)
Shooting Guards
Best Bets:
Bradley Beal ($6,800): Beal does most of his damage from the floor, which is also the most inefficient way to score on DraftKings. Still, he starts with a sure 20 point floor, but he still needs 14 more DraftKings points from other areas. That hasn’t been a problem over the last three games, and shouldn’t tonight against a soft Indiana exterior without Monta Ellis.
Wesley Matthews ($5,600): Matthews has gone cold from the floor in each of the last two games, which unfortunately is nothing new on this year. With Williams back, it has taken some of the scoring burden off of Matthews, but he doesn’t do much else anyway. So why is he here? Well, it’s a pretty weak night at SG, and most of the better options have tough matchups. That and Matthews scored 36.5 DraftKings points on Denver a week ago.
Honorable Mention:
Zach LaVine ($6,800): LaVine has emerged as one of the best scorers on this young team, but the Suns has done very well against shooting guards this year. LaVine himself was held to just 17.5 DraftKings points against Phoenix the first time around. However, LaVine has been hot from the field lately. He is over 50% from the field over his last six games, so I do have my doubts as to whether the Suns can cool him off.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($5,300): As you can see by the low price, KCP still has consistency issues. He has been on fire from the floor over the last two games, and the Bulls are in the bottom third of points allowed to shooting guards, but KCP only had 21.75 DraftKings points in his first game against the Bulls this year. Perhaps more alarming was that he was 5-10 from the floor in that game. He has the potential for a really good night, but buyer beware.
Dark Horses:
Tim Hardaway Jr. ($4,700): Hardaway has put up 111 DraftKings points in four games as a starter. Even though Kent Bazemore is back, Hardaway still continues to start and will until he cools off. The Thunder may again be without Victor Oladipo, and aren’t that great against opposing SG with him in there. If Hardaway earns another start, he should be well worth this price. Even if he doesn’t, he is still worth a look.
Anthony Morrow ($3,500): This is purely a speculative pick if Oladipo sits again. Morrow started in his stead on Friday and put up 16.5 DraftKings points. He racked up 21.5 against Atlanta in their first meeting, so Morrow is a solid punt option if Oladipo is out again.
My pick: Matthews(SG), Hardaway(G); Caldwell-Pope(SG)
Small Forwards
Best Bets:
Jimmy Butler ($8,500): Butler statistically is not a good option considering Detroit is in the top ten against small forwards, but he put up 46 DraftKings points against the Pistons in their first meeting on December 6th. He is coming off of his worst game of the season against the Bucks on Friday. You know he wants to bounce back here!
Andrew Wiggins ($6,700): Wiggins is mostly a scorer which limits his value, but it’s not like he can’t do anything else. Sometimes he does. He is capable of dropping 60 DraftKings points. He has a couple of times this year, so his ceiling is high. He has a nice matchup against the Suns tonight, but he was a little below value at 32.25 DraftKings points in the first meeting.
Honorable Mention:
Paul George ($8,100): George always has a floor of about 4x value since he contributes across the board. That kind of security can make you feel good about using him even against a top five defense against small forwards. That also likely means that George wont be widely owned. However, George has only hit 5x value in two of the last six games. I have my doubts he hits it here.
Tobias Harris ($5,500): Harris has been mired in a slump lately. He has only hit 5x value in six straight games. The last time he hit it was on December 6th when he racked up 38.75 DraftKings points on the Bulls. Who does he get tonight? The Bulls. This could help him snap out of his slump.
Dark Horses:
Kyle Korver ($3,800): Korver is nothing more than a sharpshooter in a crowded backcourt right now, but he did pick up 24 DraftKings points in the first meeting with the Thunder. The Hawks are likely going to need the sharpshooter to stay with the Thunder, so he could certainly do it again.
Dorian Finney-Smith ($3,600): Harrison Barnes had a miserable game against Denver in the first meeting. It was the rookie that assaulted the Nuggets in that game. Finney-Smith put up 37.8 DraftKings points against the Nuggets. He could be a great bargain tonight it he gets the run he did in the first meeting.
My Pick: Finney-Smith(F); Wiggins(SF), Finney-Smith(F)
Power Forwards
Best Bet:
Paul Millsap ($7,500): Millsap had a couple of rough matchups with Charlotte and Toronto over the weekend. Now he gets a reprieve against a Thunder team that he posted 41.75 DraftKings points against in the first meeting. Millsap is averaging 5x value this year. He shouldn’t have much of an issue reaching that mark against a bottom ten team against power forwards.
Honorable Mention:
Gorgui Dieng ($5,700): Dieng still struggles with inconsistency, usually against strong teams up front. Phoenix is not really that. Chandler with match up with Towns, which will leave an undersized defender on Dieng. That is what happened in the first meeting in which Dieng scored 36.25 DraftKings points. Look for another solid game from Dieng.
Kenneth Faried ($4,800): The only team that has more frustrating player rotations than the Bucks is Denver. Faried put up 41.75 DraftKings points against the Knicks on Saturday, but he scored just two DraftKings points against Dallas a week ago. He can go off on any given night, but will he actually play? He is far too risky in most formats.
Dark Horses:
Jared Dudley ($3,500): Dudley still has to fight for minutes with Marquese Chriss, and it was Chriss that had the better game against Minnesota in the first meeting. Dudley has the higher upside, but if the Suns are getting abused by Dieng again on the inside, Chriss will likely get more of a run. Unfortunately, we don’t know how that will play out until the game starts.
Domantas Sabonis ($3,200): The Thunder have eased Sabonis into the role in which he will eventually start. He has showed flashes of brilliance as a rookie, but has mostly been a non-factor. That said, Sabonis has four straight games of over 15 DraftKings points. He doesn’t have much upside, but he shouldn’t burn you like many options in this range will.
My pick: Millsap(PF), Dieng(F); Dieng(PF)
Center
Best Bets:
Karl-Anthony Towns ($8,900): The Suns are pretty tough on the inside, but Towns still managed to rack up 45 DraftKings points in the first meeting. That puts him right at 5x value. Towns is capable of big games though, as we saw Saturday against Houston. Don’t expect that output tonight, but 5x value is on the table.
Andre Drummond ($7,700): Drummond put up 37 DraftKings points on the Bulls in their first meeting, which puts him right at 5x value. He struggled against Dallas and Washington, but there are a lot of bigs that do. Expect Drummond to be in the high 30’s once again, especially since he seems to have his foul trouble under control.
Honorable Mention:
Nikola Jokic ($6,400): Jokic dominated Dallas in the first meeting, racking up 51.75 DraftKings points in just 23 minutes! He may not have another game of this caliber, but I will be betting that he is well above 5x value again.
Myles Turner ($6,300): The youngster still has issues with tough interiors like he did against Detroit over the weekend. Against teams in the bottom ten of interior defense, he has feasted though. The Wizards are right in the middle of the pack, so Turner’s chances of hitting 5x value are pretty good.
Dark Horses:
Steven Adams ($5,100): This matchup is not a good one on paper, but the first time that Adams tangled with Dwight Howard, he came away with 27 DraftKings points. That puts him over 5x value. Adams has been over that mark in five of his last six contests.
Alex Len ($3,700): Len had a better game than Tyson Chandler the last time the Suns faced Minnesota. Chandler had just 14.25 DraftKings points. Len posted ten more for a fraction of the price. If you need to go cheap, Len is likely the better option than Chandler tonight.
My pick: Jokic(C), Len(UTIL); Jokic(C), Adams(UTIL)
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 bowl picks against the spread. You don’t want to miss any of this!