DraftKings NBA Picks for January 14

With the NFL Playoffs back on Saturday, we only have four games for the main DraftKings tournament. It starts early at 4pm eastern, leaving off only the early game of the day. There are a couple of superstars, but are they worth paying for coming off of missed games? Let’s explore all alternatives!

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.

Point Guards

Best Bets:

Jrue Holiday ($7,300): The Bulls are in the top ten of point guard defense, and they have held serve even without Rajon Rondo playing. However, Holiday’s minutes are back to normal finally. If the game stays close, Holiday will be in there for over 30 minutes. That should be plenty of time for him to hit 5x value. He has at least 30 DraftKings points in every game in which he has topped 30 minutes since Christmas.

T.J. McConnell ($5,600): Sergio Rodriguez out-performed him last night, but he still played only 16 minutes. The Sixers are bringing Sergio along slowly, so don’t expect any minutes jump in the second game of a back to back. That leaves McConnell with most of the minutes again. He now has at least 25 DraftKings points in six straight games. Tonight should be number seven.

Honorable Mention:

John Wall ($9,500): Any time there is a light slate, a guy like Wall deserves a name drop. After all, he has topped 50 DraftKings points in six of his last ten games. However, in the first meeting against the Sixers, Wall played just 23 minutes en route to 42.5 DraftKings points. If the game can stay close, he may make value, but since he sat out practice because of his wrist yesterday, the Wizards wont push him since they wont have to. I will err on the side of caution and spend elsewhere.

Dark Horses:

Tony Parker ($4,700): Parker has not done well against the up-tempo Suns in two games so far this year. He is too old for that. Parker only has 40.5 DraftKings points in those two games, but for this price, I trust him a lot more than Elfrid Payton against the Jazz. George Hill against Orlando, or Eric Bledsoe, who has really struggled against Parker and the Spurs. There wont be a whole lot of 300 point rosters today. If you have Parker, you probably wont hit 300. But he is safe enough that you can still place.

Jerian Grant ($3,800): The point guard situation in Chicago is a mess. Butler looks like he will be back tonight, which will push Grant back to the bench. So why am I not going with Michael Carter-Williams? Because Grant has actually played well in limited minutes. MCW has been inconsistent. MCW has the most talent, and I may use him in one lineup, but to me Grant is less of a risk at the price. I am completely staying off of Rajon Rondo because I doubt the Bulls use him as much as they did with Butler out.

My pick: McConnell(PG); Carter-Williams(PG)

Shooting Guards

Best Bets:

Dwyane Wade ($7,100): Wade’s production did increase with Butler out, but it was still solid to begin with. Butler is a game-time call, but since it was only an illness, the consensus is that he will be back. That makes Wade a slight risk since his price is elevated from his recent production spike. That said, he is the most consistent option at SG, and is elevated to a must play if Butler is out.

Devin Booker ($5,800): Booker is purely a shooter, so he has a very low floor if his shot is off. That said, he hasn’t missed much of anything lately. Booker has 90.5 DraftKings points over his last two games, and has only been below 5x value once in the last six games. He has been average against the Spurs so far this year (52.75 DraftKings points in two games), but on a light slate at this price, he has the most potential to vault you into the money.

Honorable Mention:

Tyreke Evans ($5,100): Reke looked like the Reke of old on Thursday. He abused the Nets for 48.5 DraftKings points in only 28 minutes. He will get more resistance from the Bulls regardless of if Butler is in the lineup, but if Evans plays 28 minutes again, 5x value is pretty much inevitable.

Bradley Beal ($7,000): Beal has the talent, so he is on the radar with only four games going on. Philadelphia isn’t the pushover they were last year, and have defended the wing well so far this season. Beal racked up 49.5 DraftKings points against Boston on Wednesday, a team that is also solid on the outside, but they were without Avery Bradley. Beal is a risk at this price, but he could come through and wont be highly owned.

Dark Horses:

Rodney Hood ($4,400): Hood is basically Booker in a more crowded backcourt. Utah is content to give him all the minutes he can handle, but he is purely a shooter, and misses value more often than he makes it. That said, Orlando is in the bottom ten defending the wing and Hood is very cheap. There is a ton of upside here, which will have him widely owned. However, he only put up 22.5 DraftKings points in the first meeting with Orlando. That is right at 5x value.

Buddy Hield ($4,300): Hield lost a few minutes with Evans back, but not that many. Not enough to consider not using him anyway. He did struggle with his shot against Brooklyn for the first time in a couple of weeks, so he did miss value. That is always a risk when playing a pure shooter.

My pick: Booker(SG), Hood(G), Evans(UTIL); Hood(SG), Evans(G)

Small Forwards

Best Bets:

Jimmy Butler ($9,000): You will have to keep a close eye on Butler’s status heading into this one, but I would bet he plays. That said, coming off an illness he may be rusty and not as explosive. He is a risk at this price, but Butler is still one of the very few in this tournament who can drop 60 DraftKings points. Are you willing to take the chance?

Kawhi Leonard ($8,500): Leonard has a lower ceiling than Butler, but he is much less of a risk. He had 42 Draftkings points in his only other game against the Suns this year, which is a tad below 5x value, but if anyone gets you 40 tonight, you wont be disappointed.

Gordon Hayward ($7,200): Hayward put up 48.5 DraftKings points in the first meeting against Orlando. The Magic have not done well against small forwards, especially with shooters such as Hayward. Hayward has three straight games of 5x value or more. This is a lock for number four.

Honorable Mention:

Otto Porter ($6,600): Small forward is where money will be won or lost tonight. There are better options here than at any other position even if Butler is out. Porter put up 45.25 DraftKings points on the Sixers in the first meeting, but you may want to take that with a grain of salt considering how good Philadelphia has been lately. Don’t expect another game like the first meeting, but 5x value is possible.

Robert Covington ($6,200): Covington’s shot has started to fall lately. He has averaged 32.5 DraftKings points over his last seven games, and on a night where Joel Embiid will rest, he may have even more upside. He is hauling down bundles or rebounds even with the big man in there. He could grab a few more tonight.

Dark Horses:

Markieff Morris ($6,000): Morris had a slow couple of weeks around the holidays, but he is averaging 36.3 DraftKings points over the last three games. He put up 26.5 DraftKings points in the first meeting against Philadelphia. So the question here is whether you trust the results early in the season against the same team or his recent success against others.

Dario Saric ($4,500): Saric picked up 27.5 DraftKings points on Charlotte last night, and he has 29.5 against Washington in the first meeting. Saric should see his usual compliment of minutes, and maybe even a few more with Embiid resting. It looks like another good spot to use him.

My Pick: Leonard(SF), Hayward(F); Leonard(SF), Porter(UTIL)

Power Forwards

Best Bets:

Anthony Davis ($11,400): It is almost certain that Davis will play tonight, and he is the only legitimate threat to hit more than 60 DraftKings points. He has a nice matchup against a flu-ridden Bulls team. If he is a go, he will be in the majority of lineups. You need to hit on every pick if you decide to fade Davis today. If for some reason Davis is held out, Terrence Jones is a must play once again.

Ersan Ilyasova ($6,700): His salary is too high for Ilyasova to consistently hit 5x value, but on nights that Joel Embiid sits, Ilyasova has consistently topped 40 DraftKings points. He picks up most of the slack when Embiid rests. Ilyasova has reached must-play status with Joel Embiid out.

Honorable Mention:

LaMarcus Aldridge ($6,900): Aldridge put up 69.25 DraftKings points in two games against Phoenix so far this season, which is exactly 5x value. He struggled against the Lakers on Thursday, but prior to that, LMA had hit 5x value in six of seven games. He is a strong bet to hit that against Phoenix again.

Derrick Favors ($4,800): Favors has been right at 5x value over the last two games. He will get a bit of a reprieve tonight tonight against Orlando, at least in theory. Favors crept up to 27 minutes last night. However, be aware that the Jazz may elect to limit his minutes in the back to back set. We will keep you updated on our Twitter account if you are banking on favors.

Dark Horses:

Marquese Chriss ($3,400): Chriss is finally starting to see more minutes, and his production has increased as a result. The Suns are rather thin at PF, so this is a welcome development. Chriss has played more than 20 minutes in three of the last four games, going over 30 in two of those. He is averaging 26.3 DraftKings points in those games. They will need his size against the Spurs, so Chriss should be a great cheap value tonight.

Bobby Portis ($3,000): With Nikola Mirotic out, the likes of Doug McDermott and Portis will see a nice uptick in minutes. Neither one of them capitalized on the opportunity on Thursday. Neither did Taj Gibson. Portis is a complete shot in the dark, but if he plays well, you are in great shape.

My pick: Ilyasova(PF); Davis(PF)), Chriss(F)

Center

Best Bets:

Rudy Gobert ($6,600): Gobert has been remarkably consistent lately. Over the last dozen games, he has averaged 35.8 DraftKings points per game. That puts you a shade above 5x value. That kind of consistency is a great cornerstone in a lineup, especially when he has the upside that Gobert does.

Marcin Gortat ($6,400): Gortat gets a boost in value with Joel Embiid out. In the first meeting against Philadelphia, Gortat had 29 DraftKings points. Not a bad total, but not up to par either. This is likely a day when you are going to need 5x value from everyone, and Embiid’s absence should allow Gortat to make the jump. He has a low ceiling, but a high floor.

Honorable Mention:

Pau Gasol ($6,000): Gasol averaged 34.6 DraftKings points in the two games against Phoenix so far. This is the kind of game that suits Gasol. The up-tempo style suits his athleticism. The Suns are solid in the middle, but Gasol has proven twice that he can perform at an above average level against them.

Nerlens Noel ($5,500): Noel will likely start with Embiid out. This was a job that previously fell to Jahlil Okafor, but right now, Noel looks to be the clear backup at center with Okafor not even entering a game since January 3rd. The Sixers have announced that Okafor will play, but it looks like Noel will start. There is potential for the starter to have a big game. Keep an eye on who starts this game so you know who to use.

Dark Horses:

DeWayne Dedmon ($3,600): Dedmon has played over 20 minutes in each of the last three games. He has averaged 28 DraftKings points per game over that span. In two prior games against Phoenix, he scored 37.75 DraftKings points while playing 38 minutes. Those are good numbers. He is a bit of a risk because of his backup status, but he has played very well lately.

Cristiano Felicio ($3,200): Felicio will see more minutes with Mirotic out again. On Thursday with Mirotic out, Felicio picked up 21.25 DraftKings points in 24 minutes. He will likely see about that many minutes again, and New Orleans has been notoriously weak at center. Felicio is a sneaky good value play.

My pick: Gobert(C); Gasol(C)

Next: FanDuel NBA Picks

Stay tuned for our FanDuel picks, our DFS NHL picks, and plenty of NFL advice heading into your weekend!