DraftKings NBA Picks for February 9
By Mike Marteny
DraftKings NBA Picks for February 9
There are only five games tonight in the main DraftKings tournament, but both Harden and Westbrook are in action. Should we use one or both of them? Or not at all? Let’s see how they have done against tonight’s opponents compared to their price point.
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.
More from DFS
- DraftKings Open Championship picks 2023: Best PGA DFS golf lineup
- Genesis Scottish Open DraftKings picks 2023: Best PGA DFS golf lineup
- Rocket Mortgage Classic DraftKings picks 2023: Best PGA DFS golf lineup
- US Open DraftKings picks 2023: Best PGA DFS golf lineup
- RBC Canadian Open DraftKings picks 2023: Best PGA DFS golf lineup
Most of my picks end up being a little on the conservative side, so these lineups may be better suited for cash games, though I usually play both types.
If you would like to try DraftKings for the first time, use this link for the referral bonus! It is good for $20 worth of free entry tickets. We have plenty of advice on the site to help you turn that into a solid bankroll!
Point Guards
Best Bets:
Isaiah Thomas ($10,000): Thomas put up 52.8 DraftKings points against Portland in the first meeting. Couple that with the fact that he has not been below 40 DraftKings points in 15 straight games, and you have a safe platform if you are spending top dollar somewhere. Thomas has a much better matchup than Westbrook, and could possibly outscore him.
Damian Lillard ($8,900): Lillard’s ankle was fine on Tuesday when he put up 49.75 DraftKings points against Dallas, who is one of the better teams in the league against point guards. He had 41.25 DraftKings points in the first meeting with Boston this year. That is a solid total, but puts him a little under value. But considering Lillard just put up back to back 49.75 DraftKings point outings on Dallas and Oklahoma City, there is a good chance he pushes his production over 5x value tonight.
Honorable Mention:
Russell Westbrook ($12,700): Westbrook picked up 57 DraftKings points in the first meeting against the Cavs. That isn’t a bad total, but it still leaves him under 5x value. In fact, Westbrook has missed 5x value in four of the last six games. That said, he has not fallen below the 50 DraftKings point threshold, so he has a decent floor.
Kyrie Irving ($8,300): Irving put up 51.25 DraftKings points in the first meeting against the Thunder on January 29th. That was the last time that he hit 5x value, so there is some risk involved here, especially with LeBron and Love back.
Kemba Walker ($7,900): Walker scorched the Rockets for 53 DraftKings points in the first meeting this year. The problem is that Walker is far from consistent. He has not hit 5x value since January 28th, and even missed 4x value twice since then. Do you trust that he can get back on track against Houston?
Dark Horses:
Marcus Smart ($5,500): The Celtics don’t seem very optimistic about Avery Bradley returning before the All Star break, which means that Smart will continue to start, or at the very least play a lot of minutes. He doesn’t have a high upside, but he has topped 5x value in four of the last five games. He is a solid cash game foundation.
Patrick Beverley ($5,300): Beverley is also nothing flashy, but he does put up solid numbers. Like the 25.5 DraftKings points he scored against Charlotte in the first meeting. Beverley was back up over 5x value in each of the last two games after falling under that mark in the previous five games. That said, I trust Beverley a whole lot more than I trust Yogi Ferrell against Utah.
My pick: Thomas(PG); Walker(PG), Beverley(G)
Shooting Guards
Best Bets:
James Harden ($12,300): Harden took it to the Hornets in the first meeting, racking up 79.75 DraftKings points in that game. Harden has topped 70 DraftKings points four times in the last 11 games, including going over 90 not once, but twice in that span. Not even Westbrook can claim that. If you are using one of the two tonight, it should be Harden.
C.J. McCollum ($7,800): McCollum picked up 49.5 DraftKings points in the first game against Boston. Avery Bradley will still be out, so McCollum has the potential to do some major damage again. C.J. has been over 5x value in three of the last five games. It will likely be four of six after tonight, but how far over will he get?
Honorable Mention:
Victor Oladipo ($5,900): Oladipo picked up 31.75 DraftKings points in the first game against Cleveland, which puts him above 5x value. We have seen Oladipo put up big numbers, such as Sunday against Portland. He has also been consistent against teams that aren’t superb against shooting guards. Oladipo should at the very least have a solid 5x value night.
Evan Fournier ($5,900): Fournier’s minutes are back up to where they were before in the injury. He has put up 62.75 DraftKings points in two games against the Sixers so far this year. Fournier has finally made it back over 5x value in two of the last three games. That makes me feel a little better about using him.
Dark Horses:
Wesley Matthews ($5,400): Seth Curry has really struggled against Utah . Matthews hasn’t done much better against Utah, but not significantly. He has averaged 23.1 DraftKings points in three games against the Jazz, so there are likely better choices. That said, the bottom of the SG heap is pretty barren tonight.
Jeremy Lamb ($3,400): Lamb was spot on from outside on Tuesday, but he still only played 19 minutes in the win over the Nets. Marco Belinelli is seeing more run lately than Lamb, but Lamb is trending upward with his strong play lately. He picked up 25.75 DraftKings points in the first game against Houston, but he also played 27 minutes. There is risk involved, but Lamb helped put us in the money on Tuesday because of his low ownership. We could see a similar scenario tonight.
My pick: Harden(SG), Lamb(G); McCollum(SG), Oladipo(G)
Small Forwards
Best Bets:
LeBron James ($10,200): James has at least 5x value in every game since January 21st against the Spurs. He had 48.5 in that game, so he just missed that value. He is one of the safest plays around, and we know he is capable of putting up big numbers. Not like Harden, but Harden doesn’t have his floor either. He racked up 57 DraftKings points against Oklahoma City the first time around. He should do it again….if he plays. Coach Tyronn Lue hinted that the King may be rested tonight if he played big minutes last night. He played 38 minutes, so be aware that he may sit.
Nicolas Batum ($7,600): Batum missed the team’s first tilt against Houston, but his 45 DraftKings point outburst against Brooklyn on Tuesday shows that he is back to his pre-injury production. He has been at 6x value three times in the last eight games, and could get close tonight.
Honorable Mention:
Trevor Ariza ($5,600): Harrison Barnes, Gordon Hayward, and Jae Crowder are all well below 5x value against tonight’s opponents on the season. Now, Barnes had a solid game against Utah last time, but he still didn’t reach value. Hayward was close. And after seeing the egg Crowder put up last night against a depleted Kings squad, you wont see me on him. I will opt for Ariza, who had one of his best games of the season on Tuesday with 40.25 DraftKings points. He also put up 30.25 in the first meeting with Charlotte this year.
Robert Covington ($5,400): After going nuts on the Bulls and Kings at the end of January then missing a couple of games, Covington came back with solid games against two good defenses. His minutes aren’t reduced, and we all saw what Ariza did to Orlando on Tuesday. Covington could do the same against them tonight.
Dark Horses:
Maurice Harkless ($4,000): The injury to Evan Turner will likely open up the starting spot to Harkless since they like Alan Crabbe coming off of the bench. Boston is a tough matchup for Harkless, but if he sees starter’s minutes, 20 DraftKIngs points is still possible.
Joe Johnson ($3,500): Johnson is still playing good minutes with Rodney Hill sidelined, and he has put up at least 9x value in three of the last four games. Think about that for a minute. Nine times value! Johnson is a sneaky value play with Hood out. He has outplayed Joe Ingles regardless of whether he starts or not.
Mario Hezonja ($3,400): If Aaron Gordon‘s heel isn’t better, that will mean an uptick in minutes for either Jeff Green or Hezonja. Hezonja has the higher upside even if he doesn’t start because he is a better shooter. Keep an eye on Gordon’s status. If you need to go cheap, Green or Hezonja could be nice values.
My Pick: Covington(SF), Johnson(F); Ariza(SF), Covington(F)
Power Forwards
Best Bets:
Serge Ibaka ($6,800): Ibaka has more than 40 DraftKings points in four of the last five games. He is playing very well right now, and gets a Philadelphia team that he has averaged 28.3 DraftKings points against in two games this year. The Sixers will be without Joel Embiid again, which makes them slightly less stout up front. I’m back to the point where I can trust Ibaka tonight. He came through for me on Tuesday.
Kevin Love ($8,700): I don’t expect Love to reach 5x value against the Thunder, but he is here because there is a steep drop off behind Ibaka. If you are building a balanced lineup, Love will likely still outscore Ibaka, and everyone else in the mid range at power forward is too much of a risk. Ersan Ilyasova has struggled over the last two games. The presence of Noel and Okafor has outperformed him this time around with Embiid out.
Honorable Mention:
Frank Kaminsky ($5,600): Frank the Tank is in line for another start if Cody Zeller sits again. Kaminsky has put up 102.5 DraftKings points over the last three games. Houston is solid up front, but for this price, if he starts, I like Kaminsky to hit 5x value again.
Al-Farouq Aminu ($5,300): Aminu is a defensive stalwart and a really good rebounder, which keeps his floor pretty high. However, his lack of a solid role in the offense really caps his upside. Aminu is good to use in cash game lineups, but doesn’t have the upside that most want in a GPP lineup.
Dark Horses:
Derrick Favors ($5,000): Favors put up 45 DraftKings points in just 26 minutes against the Hawks on Tuesday. He is still on a minutes restriction, but it is rising. And if he did that against Paul Millsap, I think he can tangle with Dirk Nowtizki and come out with solid production.
Joffrey Lauvergne ($3,200): Lauvergne is slightly more reliable than Domantas Sabonis. He picked up 20.5 DraftKings points in the first meeting with Cleveland, but Kevin Love only played 13 minutes in that game.
Amir Johnson ($3,200): Don’t feel like playing roulette with the Oklahoma City frontcourt? I present Amir Johnson, who has started the last two games for Boston and put up 50.75 DraftKings points in those two games. If Johnson starts, he is the best cheap option on the board tonight.
My pick: Johnson(PF); Aminu(PF)
Center
Best Bets:
Nikola Vucevic ($7,700): Vucevic will be widely owned tonight because of his 52.75 DraftKings point outburst against a solid Houston frontcourt on Tuesday. He has abused the Sixers this year as well. In two games against Philadelphia this season, he has 91.75 DraftKings points. It will be tough to fade Vucevic tonight, especially with Embiid out.
More from FanSided
- MLB Rumors: Justin Verlander has a clear suitor, but it comes with a catch
- MLB Rumors: Braves trade grade, Cardinals trade bait, Red Sox selling
- USMNT news: Turner to Forest, Trusty to Sheffield, Reynolds to Westerlo
- Inside the Clubhouse: What I’m hearing as the MLB Trade Deadline nears
- Yankees: Luis Severino has blunt assessment of another miserable outing
Rudy Gobert ($6,700): On paper, this is a terrible matchup with Dallas. That said, Andrew Bogut is still out, and Gobert put up 140.25 DraftKings points in only three games against Dallas with Bogut in there! Many will shy away from Gobert because of the perceived toughness of the Dallas frontcourt and because of Vucevic’s game on Tuesday. That makes him a sneaky good pivot option.
Honorable Mention:
Mason Plumlee ($6,400): Plumlee picked up 37.75 DraftKings points against Boston and Al Horford in the first meeting. He has quietly put up solid games since the calendar flipped to 2017. He was a risk earlier in the year, but his production has mostly stabilized, and he has had some 7x value games or better against weak center defenses. He has a good floor and a growing ceiling.
Clint Capela ($6,000): Capela is playing between 28 and 32 minutes lately, and has reached 5x value in two of those three games. Even if Zeller plays, I still like Capela against Charlotte. Nene Hilario is a decent flier because he still puts up points when he plays, but this is Capela’s job now.
Dark Horses:
Tristan Thompson ($4,900): Thompson wreaked havoc on the Thunder frontcourt in the first meeting, but as I mentioned earlier, Kevin Love was very limited in that game. It would be unfair to expect Thompson to pick up 51.25 DraftKings points again with Love in there, but considering he only needs 29.5 DraftKings points for 6x value, I would say that is within reach.
Jahlil Okafor ($4,400): Okafor has been the guy to own with Embiid out lately. He is starting over Nerlens Noel, and has put up 27 DraftKings points per game with Embiid sidelined this time. He is a strong play against an Orlando team that was scored upon at will by Nene and Capela on Tuesday.
My pick: Vucevic(C), Okafor(UTIL); Gobert(C)
Next: Hoop Dreaming: DraftKings NBA Top Plays
Stay tuned for our FanDuel picks, and our picks for NHL and the PGA tour! We even have some EPL picks coming your way! Once again, make sure to follow our Twitter feed leading up to tipoff!