DraftKings Late NBA Picks for January 22

The NFL Playoffs take center stage today, but we still have four NBA games on tap. Two of them are in the early DraftKings tournament, and two of them are in the late (main) DraftKings tournament. This will focus on the two late games. Who can separate us from the pack? Let’s dig for fantasy gold!

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:

Kyle Lowry ($8,500): Lowry put up 43.25 DraftKings points on Phoenix in the first meeting between these two teams. Lowry has been held under 5x value three times in the last seven games though. However, there is something to be said for the perimeter defenses of Houston, Charlotte, and New York. In all fairness, pretty much the whole team stunk against Charlotte on Friday.

Eric Bledsoe ($8,400): Bledsoe has four straight games of at least 5x value. Three of those were over 6x. In the first meeting against Toronto, he put up 51.25 DraftKings points in that one. He is by far the safest option at the position, but will likely be the most highly owned as well.

Dark Horses:

Kris Dunn ($3,800): Dunn played the second half against the Clippers after Ricky Rubio went out with a hip injury. He was mostly underwhelming, scoring only 18.5 DraftKings points in 25 minutes. That said, he still topped 5x value, and tonight he will see more minutes against an easier team. If you remember the preseason game between these two teams that Rubio sat out, you remember that Dunn went nuts on the Nuggets. You can’t put a lot of stock into that, but I see 6x value at the worst.

Jameer Nelson ($3,600): Emmanuel Mudiay left Friday’s game with a sore back, so he likely wont be in action tonight. If he is, there should be enough lineup flexibility to go on to Mudiay, but I’m not sure you want to. Nelson has 43.25 DraftKings points in two games against Minnesota this year, and Nelson has played elevated minutes with Gary Harris out anyway. Nelson is easily the safest Denver pick at the position.

My pick: Bledsoe(PG), Dunn(G); Dunn(PG), Nelson(G)

Shooting Guards

Best Bets:

Devin Booker ($6,900): Booker has 76.5 DraftKings points over his last two games, and if you take out the subpar game against Utah, he has three straight games of more than 40 DraftKIngs points prior to that. He picked up 34.75 DraftKings points in the first tilt against Toronto. Booker is a shooter, and like most shooters, is streaky. He is definitely hot right now!

Will Barton ($6,500): The return of Gallinari took the top off of Barton’s value, but as long as Gary Harris remains out, Barton is still the starter. As long as he plays starter minutes, he has had no problems staying around 5x value, even with Gallinari in there. Just don’t expect the big games we saw earlier this week.

Honorable Mention:

DeMar DeRozan ($8,300): Anyone who can score like DeRozan at least deserves a mention on a short slate, and he will likely be widely used. However, DeRozan struggled in the first game against Phoenix, putting up only 29.75 DraftKings points. He has also been under 5x value in four of the last five games. He is a high risk/high reward play tonight.

Zach LaVine ($6,400): LaVine is one of the most electric young scorers in the league, but he has fallen on hard times lately. He has missed 5x value in five of the last six games, and failed to hit that mark against Denver in either of the first two meetings. However, he came close, and on a light slate, he has the potential to give you the separation you need.

Dark Horse:

Terrence Ross ($3,700): Ross had a nice 23.5 DraftKings points in the first game against Phoenix this year. It was one of his best games of the season. Carroll’s return only sliced about five minutes off of Ross’s playing time, so he is still a threat for 6x value tonight.

My pick: Booker(SG); DeRozan(SG)

Small Forwards

Best Bets:

Andrew Wiggins ($6,700): The struggles of LaVine and the absence of Rubio could open things up even more for Wiggins. Wiggins has topped 30 DraftKings points in four of the last five games. In the two games against Denver earlier this year, Wiggins was right at 5x value. He is the safe pick at the position tonight, but he lacks the game breaking upside.

Wilson Chandler ($5,900): Chandler has topped 5x value in four of the last five games. He can also play some guard, which takes some of the load (and luster) off of Will Barton. The presence of Barton and Gallinari make Chandler a low upside guy, but he has proven he has a solid floor.

Honorable Mention:

Danilo Gallinari ($5,700): Gallinari has 25 or more DrafKings points in 11 of his last 12 games. He has a nice floor, and the highest ceiling of anyone on the Nuggets team not named Jokic. The ankle shouldn’t be anything to worry about. Gallinari played 32 minutes in his return to the court last night.

Dark Horses:

P.J. Tucker ($3,900): T.J. Warren has been as cold as Alaska lately. Meanwhile, Tucker has hit 5x value in seven of his last nine games. Warren probably has more upside, but it is Tucker who is the safe option.

My Pick: Wiggins(SF); Gallinari(SF), Tucker(F)

Power Forwards

Best Bet:

Gorgui Dieng ($5,300): Dieng’s price is low enough that most of the risk is taken out of using him. When Towns is on the floor, Dieng is nothing more than a role player. That suits Dieng fine. He is a solid rebounder and a good shooter. 5x value is all but certain against Denver.

Honorable Mention:

Kenneth Faried ($5,600): Few players have his upside, but Faried’s minutes have been wildly inconsistent all year long. He had a strong three game stretch surrounding the team’s trip to London, but he has seen his minutes drop back down into the low 20’s recently. When he gets minutes, he produces, but it’s hard to gamble on a player with such inconsistent minutes.

Dark Horse:

Marquese Chriss ($3,200): Chriss has seen consistent minutes lately, but he is still very raw. He has averaged 19.6 DraftKings points since his minutes increased eight games ago. He is worth a dart throw against a relatively mediocre Toronto frontcourt tonight.

My pick: Dieng(PF), Chriss(F); N/A

Center

Best Bets:

Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,100): Towns has abused Denver this year. In those two games, Towns has 111.25 DraftKings points. He will be widely owned, but I don’t know if we can afford to fade him. Towns has topped 60 DraftKings points four times in the last six games. Don’t be surprised if he does it again.

Nikola Jokic ($9,100): DeAndre Jordan and the Clippers were the first team to hold Jokic under 50 DraftKings points since January 5th. His amazing run came to an end, or maybe it just hit a speed bump. The Clippers are one of the best teams in the league against centers. Minnesota is in the bottom third. Jokic has a great chance to get back on track here if you fade Towns.

Honorable Mention:

Jonas Valanciunas ($5,800): Valanciunas saw only 25 minutes on Friday even with Lucas Noguiera out. His production has been sporadic most of the year, so it would be hard for me to trust him against Phoenix. The Suns are the fourth best team in the league against opposing centers.

Tyson Chandler ($5,500): Chandler has seven straight games of more than 5x value. He has taken nearly all of Alex Len’s minutes, and the veteran has been one of the best rebounders in the league. That makes Chandler’s floor very high, and him one of the lowest risks on the board tonight.

My pick: Towns(C), Chandler(UTIL); Towns(PF), Jokic(C), Chandler(UTIL)

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