DraftKings NBA Picks for January 21

We are again at nine games for the main DraftKings tournament tonight. We have plenty of stars on display. There are several top tier players on back to backs tonight. Giannis, Harden, Teague, Kemba, and Conley….and that is just the point guards! Be on the lookout for resting players and declining output.

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 ($8,500): The Knicks have done well against opposing point guards this year with the exception of Bledsoe. Bledsoe hung 54.5 DraftKings points on them in the first meeting. He also has back to back games of more than 50 DraftKings points. What’s so impressive about that? Not much until you considering it was against Utah and Cleveland. He can produce against anyone.

Mike Conley ($7,400): Yes, Kemba Walker has a better matchup, but it is also against a team that has a great chance of getting blown out. That means Walker will likely not see his usual workload in that game. He hasn’t in two prior games against the Nets. I will go for Conley, who has played 67 minutes and picked up 81.25 DraftKings points in two games against Houston.

Honorable Mention:

Derrick Rose ($6,400): Rose still makes me nervous, even though he maybe shouldn’t. Although, in the first meeting against Phoenix, Rose played just nine minutes. That likely wont happen again, but Rose is still frequently under 5x value. He has missed that mark in seven of his last ten games. If he is going to break out of it though, this is the place.

Dennis Schroder ($6,100): Schroder has 70.5 DraftKings points in two games against the Sixers this year. Philadelphia is playing well lately, but at this price, Schroder doesn’t need much to hit value. He has had a tough run of opponents lately, but he gets a reprieve tonight. That is, if he isn’t rested.

Dark Horses:

Raymond Felton ($5,700): Felton has seen the largest boost to his value with Chris Paul going down. He went from playing under 20 minutes to over 25 in the last three games, including 34 on Thursday. Felton has racked up 87.75 DraftKings points in those three games, so he is still hitting 5x value when priced here.

Tyler Johnson ($5,300): Johnson is still underpriced right now. He has averaged 32.8 DraftKings points over his last ten games, and has not been under 23. That kind of consistency can be hard to come by from someone at this price. He has put up 60 DraftKings points in two games against the Bucks this year, so expect him right within that range again.

My pick: Felton(PG), Johnson(G); Johnson(PG)

Shooting Guards

Best Bets:

Nicolas Batum ($7,600): Batum has shaken off the rust from his absence earlier in the month. He has averaged 35 DraftKings points over the last four games. He has 76 DraftKings points in two games against the Nets this season, so we know what range Batum will be in. 35 would leave him a shade under value, but after seeing what pace the Nets played at last night, Batum could see an increase in value.

Will Barton ($6,500): Gary Harris is still out, so Barton should still play plenty even if Chandler and Gallinari play. Barton has put up 80.25 DraftKings points in the two games with Harris out. He could come up big again tonight against a depleted Clippers team.

Honorable Mention:

James Harden ($11,400): All the signs tell us to fade Harden here. The Grizzlies have held him to 94 DraftKings points in two games, and he was well under value against the Warriors last night. That brings up another point: he is in the second night of a back to back after playing 35 minutes last night. I have a hard time seeing him hit value at this price, but we all know how good Harden is.

Austin Rivers ($5,900): Even with Paul out the last two games, Rivers hasn’t hit 5x value at this price. That makes him a big risk to do it here. That said, he is playing Denver who is as bad on the perimeter as anyone. Denver scores a lot of points. They given up a ton too. Rivers has a pretty high ceiling. We may see it here tonight.

Dark Horses:

Malcolm Brogdon ($5,400): Brogdon has put up back to back games with 30 DraftKings points. Matthew Dellavedova hasn’t been able to snatch the starting gig back, and at this point, he may not. Miami is solid on the perimeter, and are almost completely healthy at the guard positions, but Brogdon put up 32 on the Heat back on January 13. There is nothing to suggest he can’t do it again.

J.J. Redick ($5,200): This is the perfect matchup for Redick. He put up 39.25 DraftKings points against Denver in the first matchup. We all know that Redick is as streaky as his shot, but he will get a ton of open looks against the Nuggets tonight. That makes him a danger to six or even seven times value.

My pick: Barton(F), Redick(SG); Batum(SG), Rivers(G),

Small Forwards

Best Bets:

Kawhi Leonard ($9,200): The Spurs are the best team in the league at defending small forwards, and Leonard is why. That is also the reason I don’t trust LeBron James enough to use him here. Leonard has been on an absolute tear lately, averaging 51 DraftKings points per game. It may be lofty to expect that against Cleveland, but I would still bet he is in the high 40’s, making him 5x value.

Jimmy Butler ($9,100): Butler was the only starter than had a decent game against Atlanta last night, and it still wasn’t very good. We can rest assured that the games where he only sees 29 minutes will be few and far between, and he should be nice and rested for tonight against the Kings. The Kings are also missing Rudy Gay, so this should be a game where Butler rebounds nicely.

Honorable Mention:

Jabari Parker ($6,700): Parker has been very consistent lately, falling between 27 and 38 DraftKings points…..except for two that were well above that range. There are few good mid-range options at small forward tonight, but the upside of Parker, and the consistency of his floor making him an intriguing option. He put up 35.75 DraftKings points on Miami eight days ago. He should at least get 5x value once again.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist ($5,100): When the matchup is right, MKG has put up some good numbers. He struggled against Jae Crowder and Trevor Ariza, but so do most. If you take those two games out, he has averaged 30.5 DraftKings points over the last seven games. He doesn’t have much upside, but he has a nice floor agianst the Nets and their worst ranked small forward defense.

Dark Horses:

Joe Ingles ($4,400): Ingles has picked up 51.75 DraftKings pionts in the two games starting for the injured Rodney Hood. That puts him right around 6x value while his price is still this low. He is not a guy who is going to go nuts and put up 50 on any given night, but he should consistently produce.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson ($4,000): RHJ is finally showing the promise that the Nets saw in him when they drafted him. He has put averaged 29 DraftKings points per game over the last three games. On top of that, Hollis-Jefferson has scored 61.75 DraftKings points in two games against Charlotte this season. I like him to continue his hot streak here.

My Pick: Ingles(SF); Butler(SF)

Power Forwards

Best Bets:

DeMarcus Cousins ($10,900): There is a cautionary tale here. Chicago was so bad last night that most Atlanta players failed to reach value because the starters didn’t play most of the second half. Cousins was also held in check by the Grizzlies, being held under 5x value for the first time in the last five games. That said, I tend to think that if the game against Chicago gets out of hand tonight, Cousins will be the main reason why.

Kristaps Porzingis ($6,800): This only applies if Porzingis is no longer on any kind of minutes limit. He played 29 minutes on Thursday, so he should be good to go. Porzingis brutalized the Suns for 57 DraftKings points in the first meeting. I don’t think he will reach that tonight, but 5x value looks very likely. I still like Porzingis over Paul Millsap, considering Millsap has only played 54 minutes in two games against Philadelphia this season.

Honorable Mention:

Ersan Ilyasova ($5,800): Joel Embiid is sitting the second half of the back to back, which means Embiid gets a huge value boost. Atlanta is tough on the interior, but Ilyasova only needs 29 DraftKings points to hit 5x value. That should be peanuts with Embiid out, even against the Hawks.

James Johnson ($5,800): Johnson struggled against Dallas, but he is not the first to do so, nor will he be the last. Johnson has picked up 68 DraftKings points in two games against the Bucks so far this year. He should be right in that neighborhood again, which leaves him close to 6x value.

Zach Randolph ($6,800): Randolph rebounded nicely from a subpar game against Washington on Wednesday. If you take out that game against the Wizards, Randolph has averaged 38 DraftKings points per game over his last four. He has also posted 68.25 DraftKings points in two games against Houston this season.

Dark Horses:

Kyle O’Quinn ($5,100): Keep an eye on the status of Joakim Noah for this one. Even if Noah plays, there is a good chance that O’Quinn gets good minutes. In 28 minutes against the Suns in the first meeting, O’Quinn racked up 45.5 DraftKings points. While he may not have a huge game like that again, he should easily hit 5x value.

Brandon Bass ($3,000): Bass has quietly upped his output over the last two games, putting up 41 DraftKings points in that span. He still has yet to play 20 minutes in a game, but considering he has outplayed Marreese Speights and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute lately, expect Bass to see an expanded role. He could be a sneaky play if his minutes continue to increase.

My pick: Ilyasova(PF); Johnson(PF), Ilyasova(F)

Center

Best Bets:

Nikola Jokic ($9,300): Jokic just put up 61 DraftKings points on the Spurs, a good interior team, with a “mild ankle sprain”. Seriously? How can you not play him right now. It doesn’t matter who the opponent is. Jokic has more than 40 DraftKings points in all but two of his last ten games. On top of that, half of those have seen him on the north side of 50. It’s hard to find a reason to fade him right now.

More from FanSided

DeAndre Jordan ($7,800): Jordan has been an absolute terror with both Paul and Blake Griffin out. He has averaged 54.2 DraftKings points over the last four games. Denver is not exactly great up front, so Jordan could have another dominant performance tonight.

Honorable Mention:

Rudy Gobert ($6,900): Gobert has averaged 56 DraftKings points over his last three games. If that isn’t enough, he has done it against Phoenix, Dallas, and Orlando. Two of those are in the top five against centers as far as defense goes! Gobert is showing what he is capable of. If Utah is finally turning him loose, look out!

Kenneth Faried ($5,900): Faried saw 25 minutes once again on Wednesday against the Spurs, but with Jokic’s big game, he was relatively quiet. The thing to take away from this is that Faried is still getting his 25 minutes per game. I like him against a depleted Clippers unit tonight. Faried has 59.5 DraftKings points in 44 minutes over two games against the Clippers this year.

Dark Horses:

Jahlil Okafor ($5,300): Nerlens Noel is still the top backup to Embiid, but the last time Embiid sat, Okafor started and racked up 39.75 DraftKings points against a solid Washington team. Make sure to check up to game time making sure Okafor is starting. If he does, he is a great play, even against Atlanta.

Tyson Chandler ($5,200): Chandler turned in a dominating performance in the first game against the Knicks. He played 41 minutes and picked up 46.25 DraftKings points. Alex Len was unavailable in that game, so I wouldn’t expect Chandler to see quite that heavy of a load, but he should still eclipse 6x value with ease.

My pick: Jokic(C), Jordan(UTIL); Okafor(C), Chandler(UTIL)

Next: FanDuel NBA Picks

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