DraftKings NBA Picks for February 12
By Mike Marteny
DraftKings NBA Picks for February 12
There are only four games for the main DraftKings tournaments. Who can set our lineups apart? We need to recover from the damage Brandon Knight did to our bankroll last night.
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.
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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.
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Point Guards
Best Bets:
Jrue Holiday ($8,400): Holiday struggled against Utah, but so do most guards. The fact is he has topped 50 DraftKings points in five of the last ten games. Sacramento is a good matchup for him, and there are few teams that can stop him right now. Only Utah has held him under 5x value in the last ten games.
Ricky Rubio ($6,700): Rubio picked up 35.25 DraftKings points in the first meeting with the Bulls. The results for Rubio have been mixed without Zach LaVine in the lineup. He has hit 5x value just half the time in the last ten games. However, given the instability for the Bulls at the point, I can justify using Rubio.
Honorable Mention:
Darren Collison ($6,300): The injuries that the Kings have suffered may be a blessing in disguise. The team is playing well right now, and Collison is a driving force behind that. He has 79 DraftKings points over the last two games, and has a great matchup against the Pelicans. Holiday is wreaking havoc on offense, but he isn’t doing a lot to stop opponents on the other end.
Dark Horses:
Brandon Jennings ($4,400): The Knicks rolled out Jennings at shooting guard against the Nuggets with solid results. He led the team with 13 assists, though he didn’t do a lot of shooting. Not surprisingly, it limited the success of Derrick Rose. I would trust Jennings more than Rose right now because he is much cheaper and he put up 31 DraftKings points on Denver compared to Rose’s 25.5.
Ish Smith ($4,000): Smith is still outpacing Reggie Jackson in ten less minutes a game. He has 77.5 DraftKings points over the last three games, playing a grand total of 60 minutes. Smith is becoming a very reliable option on the cheap end.
My pick: Holiday(PG), Smith(G); Holiday(PG), Collison(G)
Shooting Guards
Best Bets:
DeMar DeRozan ($7,800): It’s a risk playing someone of this price against the Detroit defense, but DeRozan picked up 45.5 DraftKings points in the first meeting. Kyle Lowry was shut down, and there wasn’t much to be had in the middle. DeRozan had to put the team on his back and he did. He could step up in a similar way today.
Honorable Mention:
Dwyane Wade ($7,000): Wade returned to Friday’s game after a wrist injury, so he should be okay for today. However, a wrist injury on a shooter makes me a little nervous. Wade put up 35.75 DraftKings points on Minnesota in the first meeting, and that was with LaVine in there. There is risk involved though with the wrist.
Ben McLemore ($4,000): If you used Benny Mac on Friday, you won some cash. He put up 47.75 DraftKings points for the lowest price on the board in 42 minutes against Atlanta. The Kings have put him back in the starting lineup for two games, and the team is playing better. Expect him to be in there, and still underpriced, at $4,000 today.
Dark Horses:
Buddy Hield ($3,900): The Kings are still struggling against point guards, so a sharpshooter like Hield is an interesting GPP play. He has been all or nothing this year because he is too undersized to drive the rim like he did in college. That has also had an adverse effect on his rebounding. But he can shoot, which is bad news for the Kings.
Danny Green ($3,700): Green doesn’t produce much for the team anymore, but he has hit 5x value in each of the last nine games. He is a solid cash game cheap play, but he doesn’t have a lot of upside. If Green was going to go off this year, he would have by now. It’s the middle of February.
My pick: McLemore(SG); Hield(SG)
Small Forwards
Best Bets:
Kawhi Leonard ($9,000): Leonard has at least 40 DraftKings points in every game since the first week of January. He has been one of the most consistent players around, and has a nice floor. Not to mention the fact he has topped 6x value in three games out of the last ten. You can trust Leonard in any format.
Jimmy Butler ($8,800): Butler’s heel was bugging him after Friday’s game, which leaves his status in doubt for today. If Butler plays though, he should be in there. Butler had 54.75 DraftKings points in the first tilt against Minnesota.
Honorable Mention:
Andrew Wiggins ($7,300): Wiggins picked up 43.25 DraftKings points in the first meeting with Chicago. The trio of Lance Stephenson, Brandon Rush, and Shabazz Muhammad has been mostly a disaster since LaVine went down. Wiggins has picked up the slack, turning in at least 5x value in all but one game.
Matt Barnes ($5,300): Barnes was a bit of a disappointment against the Hawks, playing only 25 minutes and picking up only 23.5 DraftKings points. However, the Pelicans have struggled against small forwards regardless of if Tyreke Evans plays or not. This is a great matchup for Barnes. Don’t like Friday throw you off the scent.
Dark Horses:
Marcus Morris ($5,100): Tobias Harris does have more upside, but Morris has been the more consistent producer lately. He put up 34.75 DraftKings points in the first meeting with Toronto. Only the Spurs have held him under 5x value in February, and he turned in a game that was nearly 10x value. Morris is a nice value pick right now.
Anthony Tolliver ($3,600): Tolliver is still starting at small forward for the Kings, but his production has not always been great. Barnes still outdoes him off the bench. However, Tolliver has hit at least 6x value in four of the last five games. He is a nice lower tier option as long as he keeps starting.
My Pick: Leonard(SF), Barnes(F), Tolliver(PF); Wiggins(SF)
Power Forwards
Best Bet:
LaMarcus Aldridge ($6,900): The Knicks are among the worst teams in the league against power forwards, and Aldridge has seen a slight uptick in his numbers since Pau Gasol went down. He has been a beast inside lately, picking up three straight double-doubles. A fourth happens today.
Honorable Mention:
DeMarcus Cousins ($11,100): DraftKings is taking advantage of the small slate to jack up Cousins’ price, but it may be too high right now. Boogie has at least 49 DraftKings points in all but one game over the last month, so his production is fine. However, he put up just 46 DraftKings points in the first meeting with New Orleans. That is enough to make us pause a little before using him.
Gorgui Dieng ($5,000): Dieng is a fine contributor for Minnesota, but he lacks upside at the third or fourth offensive option on the team. He has put up at least 5x value in seven of the last ten games. He is a solid anchor, but he wont help you take down a GPP tournament.
Dark Horses:
Kyle O’Quinn ($4,500): O’Quinn didn’t start on Friday, but he still put up 35 DraftKings points. He put up 38 against the Clippers in the game before. He will have a harder time with the Spurs, but 5x value is likely with the way he is playing lately. The only way I don’t trust him is if Joakim Noah returns.
Jon Leuer ($4,300): Leuer has been one of the best kept secrets in DFS this year because of his solid floor. He has at least 5x value in five of the last six games. However, like many at this price level, he lacks potential for a huge game. Though against Toronto, he should hit 6x value. He did the first time around.
My pick: N/A; Aldridge(PF), Leuer(F), Dieng(UTIL)
Center
Best Bets:
Anthony Davis ($10,800): Davis put up 56 DraftKings points in the first game against the Kings. Is that not enough? He has at least 60 DraftKings points in three of the last six games, falling under 5x value only once. He has a lot of upside, and a solid floor. If you are going to spend big, make it on the Brow.
Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,400): Towns is in play as a pivot if you think Davis will be too highly owned. However, there is risk involved. He only put up 42 DraftKings points on Chicago in the first meeting. He does have at least 5x value in six of the last ten games.
Honorable Mention:
Andre Drummond ($7,900): Drummond didn’t play that well against Toronto in the first meeting, but a lot of that was because he was held to 24 minutes because of foul trouble. Drummond has averaged 49 DraftKings points over the last three games. He is rolling right now, and I have a feeling that Toronto could feel the wrath.
Jonas Valanciunas ($5,500): Valanciunas had a huge game with 48.25 DraftKings points in the first meeting, but as I said before, Drummond only played half the game. Temper your expectations with Drummond likely playing more, but we saw San Antonio’s big push Drummond around all night. JoVal could be a nice bargain.
Dark Horses:
DeWayne Dedmon ($4,600): Dedmon has picked up 76 DraftKings points over the last two games. He is finally getting comfortable in the starting lineup, and will likely stick since the team would rather bring David Lee off the bench. Dedmon could be a huge bargain again today.
Willie Cauley-Stein ($3,600): So, the Kings’ center position is an offensive black hole, and that wont change any time soon. However, WCS has still hit 6x value in half of the games since Garrett Temple went down. He has more upside than Koufos, and the Pelicans’ center situation is almost as bad as the Kings. There is potential here.
My pick: Davis(C), Dedmon(UTIL); Drummond(C)
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!5