DraftKings NBA Picks for January 19

There are only five games tonight, but there are enough bargains for us to grab a couple of stars. Who are the ones worth playing? Let’s check out some trends!

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:

Eric Bledsoe ($7,700): Bledsoe racked up 52 DraftKings points on the Cavs in the first meeting. Kyrie Irving came close to 5x value against the Suns in the first meeting, but Irving hasn’t reached that benchmark in his last five outings. Bledsoe has hit that plateau in eight of the last nine games. He is a much safer bet. Just don’t expect another 50 point game.

Ricky Rubio ($6,600): Rubio has averaged 44.2 DraftKings points per game in his last five games. He is on quite a roll right now. He even scored 21 points against the Spurs on Tuesday! The Clippers are very good defending the point, but they are also without Chris Paul, which means Rubio shouldn’t have a problem obliterating 5x value yet again.

Honorable Mention:

Goran Dragic ($6,900): Dragic is still playing a lot of minutes even though the Heat are almost back to full strength. He will have a tough go of it against a solid Dallas perimeter, which is why I don’t consider him an elite option tonight. However, he is still on the court enough to get close to 5x value.

Tyler Johnson ($5,500): If I am going to use a Miami guard though, Johnson is a much safer bet. he has at least 28 minutes and at least 25 DraftKings points in each of the last ten games. He is wreaking havoc on the second team for the Heat, so his production will stay constant where Dragic’s may fluctuate.

Dark Horses:

Austin Rivers ($5,200): Rivers is going to be the worst kept DFS secret the whole time Paul is out. He provides much-needed salary relief though, and has the potential to get at least 7x value at this price. He was playing at least 30 minutes per game anyway, but now he will be asked to carry some of the scoring load with Paul and Griffin both out.

Raymond Felton ($4,800): Felton will see a huge increase in minutes where Rivers will only see a slight uptick. Felton is a solid scoring threat and a decent passer. He is very underpriced right now, and I may even trust him more than Rivers right now.

My pick: Rubio(PG), Rivers(G); Bledsoe(PG)

Shooting Guards

Best Bets:

Devin Booker ($6,200): Booker is pretty much just a shooter, but he has three straight games of 42 or more DraftKings points before running into the Jazz on Monday. That can be forgiven. The Jazz are tough on all guards. Booker assaulted Cleveland in the first meeting, going 12-24 from the floor and racking up 44.25 DraftKings points. He is easily the best SG option tonight, even with a little risk involved.

Will Barton ($6,100): Denver has already announced that they are sitting Gary Harris tonight. Barton went off for 45 DraftKings points without Harris against the Lakers on Tuesday. He gets a solid matchup against San Antonio, and should see all the minutes and shots he can handle once again. Barton is a strong play once again.

Honorable Mention:

Zach LaVine ($6,000): LaVine offers a lot of upside as well, especially looking at the Clippers without Paul and Blake Griffin. LaVine relies on drives to make his mark, and he will be able to do more of that without Paul and Griffin in the way. He put up 31.25 DraftKings points against the Clippers in the first meeting. 5x value looks very likely here, and there is potential for a lot more.

Dion Waiters ($5,700): Waiters’ shot finally started falling against the Rockets on Tuesday. He only played 28 minutes, but he racked up 29.25 DraftKings points. Dallas is solid against shooting guards, but Waiters has been consistent since Miami upped his minutes. 5x value looks likely again.

Dark Horses:

Iman Shumpert ($3,800): Shumpert has still seen consistent minutes even with the arrival of Kyle Korver because of his outstanding defense. Shumpert has picked up 54.75 DraftKings points over the last two games, and he picked up 22.5 in the first meeting against Phoenix this year. Shumpert is a sure-fire value play tonight if you need salary relief.

Danny Green ($3,600): The minutes have been consistent for Green, but the production has not. He is not involved enough in the offense to give him a consistent floor, which makes him a pretty big risk. That said, he put up 20 DraftKings points in the first meeting with Denver. There is a good chance he does it again.

My pick: Barton(SG); Booker(SG), Waiters(G)

Small Forwards

Best Bets:

Kawhi Leonard ($9,000): Leonard has been spot on lately. He has four straight games with more than 30 points. That has jacked his value up well over 5x. He picked up 44 DraftKings points in the first meeting with the Nuggets, which is almost exactly 5x value. Leonard is more likely to get you full value than James is against Phoenix.

Markieff Morris ($6,100): Morris followed up his best game of the season against Portland with another double-double against a stout Memphis interior. With the Knicks likely to be without Kristaps Porzingis and possibly Joakim Noah again, Morris has the potential to destroy them on the inside at a very affordable price.

Honorable Mention:

LeBron James ($10,800): I don’t really trust LeBron at this price. It’s not that I don’t believe he can make value. We all know he can. It’s just that he doesn’t need to. The King picked up 43.25 DraftKings points in the first meeting with Phoenix. This is a good total, but it’s also a disappointment if you paid this much for him. He is one of the few that can hit 60, but I doubt he does. There is more value elsewhere.

Danilo Gallinari ($5,400): Wilson Chandler is out tonight, so as long as Gallinari’s ankle holds up, he is in for another big workload. He will need to shoulder some of the scoring as well. Gallinari has hit 5x value or more in nine of his last ten games. He is a sure thing with some upside at a very low price.

Dark Horses:

Mindaugas Kuzminskas ($4,500): Kuzminskas has played so well that he promises to see a lot of minutes even when Porzingis returns. Considering Porzingis is slated for a MRI today, I doubt the Knicks are going to run him out there. Which means another night around 8x value for Kuzminskas.

Kelly Oubre ($3,500): Oubre’s minutes have not been a very consistent thing, therefore his production has fluctuated a lot. That said, he has played 25 or more minutes in each of the last three games with mixed results. The Knicks are pretty beat up right now, so if Oubre gets the minutes again 5x value shouldn’t be an issue.

My Pick: Leonard(SF), Kuzminskas(F); Morris(SF), Gallinari(F)

Power Forwards

Best Bet:

LaMarcus Aldridge ($6,700): I don’t trust Kevin Love‘s sore back, and Griffin and Porzingis are still out. That leaves Aldridge, who may not have a great matchup, but he did play well against Denver in the first meeting. Aldridge had 38.5 DraftKings points in that game. He is probably the safest bet at power forward tonight.

Honorable Mention:

Dirk Nowitzki ($5,900): Dirk has now played 27 or more minutes in each of the last four games. He has responded by averaging 33 DraftKings points per game. He will probably fall a tad short of that against a solid Miami interior, but he has had no problems hitting 5x value with his price this low.

James Johnson ($5,900): Johnson has been an automatic 5x value over the last eight games. He is averaging 35.4 DraftKings points in that span. Johnson doesn’t have a lot of upside, but he has been as consistent as anyone. He should be a staple of your cash game lineup, and he is a good anchor for a tournament lineup.

Dark Horses:

Kenneth Faried ($5,200): With Wilson Chandler out, Faried should have no problems getting 30 minutes again. Faried has put up 95.75 DraftKings points in 79 minutes over the last three games. I don’t trust Denver’s rotations, but Faried seems to be in the “in” crowd for now. He has no issues getting value when he gets minutes.

Marquese Chriss ($3,200): Chriss has been pretty inconsistent lately, but games against Dallas, San Antonio, and Utah will do that. Against Cleveland on January 8th, Chriss racked up 29.75 DraftKings points on the Cavs. He could be a sneaky play tonight.

My pick: Johnson(PF), Faried(UTIL); Johnson(PF)

Center

Best Bets:

Karl-Anthony Towns ($9,900): Towns has tremendous upside, and as he showed against the Spurs on Tuesday, he can do it against solid teams. The Clippers certainly qualify as one of those. Towns put up 48 DraftKings points on the Clippers the first time around. That would put him almost exactly at 5x value if he can do it again.

Nikola Jokic ($8,700): Jokic has topped 50 DraftKings points in each of his last three games. Apparently he suffered a mild ankle sprain in his domination of the Lakers on Tuesday, but he is not expected to be limited. Fading Jokic is a risk lately, but it also appears that it may be a risk to play him too. Ankles can be difficult.

Honorable Mention:

DeAndre Jordan ($7,500): Hassan Whiteside tangles with the number one ranked center defense in Dallas tonight, so I will turn to Jordan, who put up an impressive 48.5 DraftKings points on Minnesota in their first meeting. Jordan has averaged 53.3 DraftKings points over his last three games. He has been a monster lately, and that will continue with Paul out.

Marcin Gortat ($5,800): Gortat has not had 30 DraftKings points in a game since January 6th, but if Joakim Noah is out again tonight, I like his chances of hitting that against the Knicks. Kyle O’Quinn was a non-factor last night, much to the chagrin of the 54% that owned him. Hernangomez will likely receive the lion’s share of the minutes again, and Gortat could capitalize on that matchup.

Dark Horses:

Marreese Speights ($4,300): Speights had his best game as a Clipper on Tuesday against Oklahoma City. He dominated the interior in 27 minutes, racking up 44 DraftKings points. With Paul out, Speights became a force. This trend could continue. You want in on the ground floor of this.

Guillermo Hernangomez ($3,200): His nice performance against Toronto on Sunday afforded him a chance to play last night, and he dominated. Hernangomez posted 17 points and 11 rebounds in just 19 minutes! His role in the rotation should grow, but keep an eye on Noah’s status leading up to this. He could have a problem scoring big if Noah plays.

My pick: Jordan(C); Jokic(C), Speights(UTIL)

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