DraftKings Early NBA Picks for January 29

The Pro Bowl will take center stage today, but we still have two early NBA games on tap for the afternoon DraftKings tournament. We need to find a place to separate our lineups from the pack. Let’s take a look at the best bets to do that.

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:

Russell Westbrook ($12,700): Westbrook has averaged 65.4 DraftKings points over the last ten games, and that gaudy average includes the game against the Clippers in which he failed to hit 40. He will be heavily used today, but can you afford to fade him against a bottom ten point guard defense?

Kyrie Irving ($8,200): Irving has topped 5x value in three of the last four games after a cold streak in the middle of January. There are a lot of mouths to feed on this team, but Irving is usually one of the ones that is fed. He is a solid fade option to Westbrook today.

Honorable Mention:

Dennis Schroder ($6,200): Schroder has 80.5 DraftKings points in three games against the Knicks. That would place him a shade under 5x value, but Derrick Rose sprained his ankle during Friday’s game. Ankles can be problematic, especially for a guy like Rose. I dont expect him to play, so I really like Schroder going against Jennings.

Dark Horses:

Brandon Jennings ($4,400): Jennings piled up 28.25 DraftKings points in 31 minutes against Charlotte on Friday with Rose exiting the game. Keep an eye on Rose’s status leading up to this one, but even if he plays, I would be shocked if Rose is that effective. Jennings could be a steal today.

Iman Shumpert ($4,100): His defense keeps him on the court. It did even when J.R. Smith was healthy. Any guy that plays over 30 minutes a game at this price is worth taking a flier on a short slate.

My pick: Westbrook(PG), Jennings(G); Westbrook(PG)

Shooting Guards

Best Bets:

Victor Oladipo ($5,700): Oladipo has four straight games of more than 5x value. Cleveland is not that great against shooting guards, and the guards could see even more shots with Enes Kanter out. Oladipo is easily the best SG option tonight.

Kent Bazemore ($5,000): Bazemore has taken over the starting role with Kyle Korver in Cleveland, and he has run with it. Bazemore has averaged 30.7 DraftKings points per game over the last four games since wrestling the starting job away from Hardaway. He has put up 75.5 DraftKings points in three games against the Knicks so far this year. He is a strong bet for 5x value.

Honorable Mention:

Courtney Lee ($4,200): Lee has averaged 27.5 DraftKings points per game over the last six games. He is a big part of the Knicks offense right now, and that wont change anytime soon. He is mostly dependent on scoring, but he has been hot enough lately that is doesn’t matter.

Dark Horse:

Tim Hardaway Jr. ($4,100): With Thabo Sefalosha out, Hardaway will likely move into the starting lineup. We saw what Hardaway can do as a starter earlier this year when Bazemore was sidelined. He should have no issue hitting 5x value today.

My pick: Oladipo(SG), Bazemore(F); Bazemore(SG), Lee(G), Hardaway(UTIL)

Small Forwards

Best Bet:

LeBron James ($9,900): There is enough value on the board this afternoon to play both James and Westbrook tonight. LeBron has hit 5x value in four of the last five games, and just missed in that fifth game. Expect more of the same against the Thunder today.

Honorable Mention:

Carmelo Anthony ($7,400): Want to buck the trend today? You can play Melo against the Hawks. He has 109 DraftKings points in three games against them so far this season. That puts him right at 5x value. We could see him take on more of a scoring role if Rose sits out as well.

Dark Horses:

Andre Roberson ($3,400): This is a tougher matchup against Cleveland, but Roberson managed 5x value against Dallas on Thursday. In fact, he has averaged 21.3 DraftKings points over the last three games. That is good enough to roll with on a short slate.

Mike Dunleavy ($3,000): Dunleavy should see more of a run off the bench with Sefalosha out. He will have no problems hitting 7x value or more if he plays more than 20 minutes, which he should.

My Pick: Dunleavy(SF); James(SF), Anthony(PF), Dunleavy(F)

Power Forwards

Best Bet:

Kevin Love ($8,000): Love’s output has been the most volatile of the (not) big (enough according to LeBron) three in Cleveland. However, he has averaged 47.7 DraftKings points over the last three games. He also wont have to deal with Kanter tonight, so Love’s stock may be the best of the three tonight. He certainly has the path of least resistance.

Honorable Mention:

Paul Millsap ($7,600): Millsap has been a huge disappointment over the last two games. He played just 23 minutes against Washington on Friday. Millsap’s matchup with the Knicks is a good one on paper, but he is kind of hard to trust right now. Both of his last two matchups were supposed to be good and he had a combined 47 points.

Kristaps Porzingis ($6,100): He has not been the same player since missing three games earlier this month. Porzingis has not been close to 5x value since the first week of January. His minutes are a tad down, but not enough to warrant this much of a drop in production. However, he scored 77.75 DraftKings points in two games against Atlanta this year. He is worth taking a shot on to separate your lineup this afternoon.

Dark Horses:

Joffrey Lauvergne ($3,300): Lauvergne outplayed both Sabonis and Jerami Grant when Steven Adams missed a game with a concussion last week. Lauvergne picked up 28.25 DraftKings points in 30 minutes against a solid Clippers front. If he starts, look out!

Domantas Sabonis ($3,000): Sabonis has improved his offense lately, and it has led to 5x value in each of the last two games. He will likely start with Kanter out, but Lauvergne has put up the better numbers.

My pick: Love(PF); N/A

Center

Best Bet:

Dwight Howard ($7,300): Howard has been mostly inconsistent this year, but he has unleashed Hell on the Knicks. Howard has 100.5 DraftKings points in only two games. That makes him nearly 7x value, which is huge at this price. You should be able to trust Howard tonight.

Honorable Mention:

Tristan Thompson ($4,600): I trust Thompson more than Steven Adams since the Cavs are statistically the best team in the league against center. Thompson is an afterthought in this offense, but he should be able to corral plenty of rebounds with the Thunder likely undersized up front.

Dark Horse:

Joakim Noah ($3,500): Noah has had an up and down year in the Big Apple, but he has done well against the Hawks. In two games against Atlanta, he has 83.75 DraftKings points. That’s right. Against the Hawks, Noah has averaged 14x value. It is unreasonable to expect that again, but 7x value seems fair.

My pick: Howard(C), Noah(UTIL); Noah(C)

Stay tuned for our FanDuel and NHL daily picks!