DraftKings Late NBA Picks March 19

The NBA still has eight games in the main DraftKings tournament despite the NCAA tournament making its mark. Since DraftKings took away the NCAA basketball tournaments, we have to “settle” for the NBA. Fine by me! Let’s take a look at who to target from those eight games.

Point Guards

Best Bets:

Kyrie Irving ($8,300): Considering most of the Cavs rested last night, Irving should be bright eyed and bushy tailed in this one. Us DFS players sure hope so. He racked up 54 DraftKings points in the first meeting against the Lakers. The Lakers have been gouged by point guards lately. Will Irving play long enough to keep do it to them again. Better check the status of that knee. However, with lineup swap no longer allowed, you are playing with fire if no official word comes out before lock. Irving has missed the last two games.

Goran Dragic ($7,600): Dragic picked up 42.75 DraftKings points in the first meeting with Portland. Maybe getting elbowed in the eye helped out a little. Dragic has 95 DraftKings points in two games since returning from the injury. He looks like a great option tonight.

Honorable Mention:

Ricky Rubio ($7,500): Rubio has averaged 43.3 DraftKings points per game over his last ten. He is shedding reputation for being a poor shooter as well, hitting 52% of his shots in that span and averaging just shy of 20 points per game. He has been a beast since Zach LaVine went down. He could have a huge game against the Pelicans like Dragic did.

Jrue Holiday ($6,900): Holiday has picked up 81.25 DraftKings points in two games against Minnesota this year. Consistency has been a problem for Holiday at times, but he is a suitable pivot option if you are worried about the ownership of Rubio or Dragic.

Dark Horses:

Tyler Johnson ($5,500): Johnson continues to provide consistent 5x production off of the Miami bench. He doesn’t have a whole lot of upside, but he usually has a firm floor, and is a great way to save money without sacrificing much.

Cory Joseph ($4,800): Don’t look now, but Joseph has back to back games of 6x value after having two absolutely miserable games earlier this week. The Pacers aren’t great against the point, so we could see Joseph near that elusive 6x production again.

My picks: Dragic(PG), Rubio(G), Johnson(UTIL); Rubio(PG)

Shooting Guards

Best Bets:

DeMar DeRozan ($7,700): It is no surprise that Joseph’s production has come with DeRozan struggling. DeRozan took just nine shots against Detroit on Friday. He should get back on track against an Indiana team that really struggles on the wing. DeRozan’s price is lower than it has been in nearly a month. He could have a big game for the price.

Jordan Clarkson ($5,900): Clarkson is stability in a team marred by inconsistent everything. That has earned him a spot as a starter for now with D’Angelo Russell coming off of the bench. It has not affected Clarkson’s output much. He has been just as consistent as he was before. However, he has a higher ceiling since there is more potential for him to increase his minutes. He has played as average of six more minutes per game so far.

Honorable Mention:

Buddy Hield ($4,500): Hield is very hard to use because he is very inconsistent. His minutes should still be there with Tyreke Evans out again. There is also a chance that Arron Afflalo sits again as well. Not only is he inconsistent, but his bad games have a tendency to be really bad. He does have a solid matchup against the Spurs though.

J.R. Smith ($4,400): Kyle Korver has not been the outside sharpshooter that the Cavs hoped for, so they are really glad to have Smith back. He had at least 4x value in his first two games back. He came very close last night despite going 0-7 from three point range in a game the Cavs punted. The thing to take away here is that there are still plenty of shots for him, giving him pretty good upside.

Dark Horses:

Shabazz Muhammad ($4,000): After nearly disappearing from the rotation with the emergence of Nemanja Bjelica, Muhammad is back with Bjelica gone. His inconsistency is still there, but he has played 59 minutes over the last two games. He is an interesting low-price option going forward.

E’Twaun Moore ($3,900): Jordan Crawford has gone cold after a hot start with the Pelicans, which means the defensive-minded Moore has picked up a lot more minutes. He has done quite a bit with them too. Moore has three straight games with at least 21 DraftKings points. There isn’t much upside here, but he is a solid punt option.

My pick: Clarkson(SG), Muhammad(F); DeRozan(SG), Clarkson(G), Muhammad(F)

Small Forwards

Best Bets:

LeBron James ($11,400): Well, we know James will play since he rested last night, so there’s that. He also had 56.25 DraftKings points in the first meeting with the Lakers as well. James is one of the best options of the night once again, just beware of blowouts. He could see extended rest if this game gets out of hand early.

Kawhi Leonard ($10,000): This is the second night of a back to back, so beware of resting Spurs. If Leonard is not one of the ones sitting, he gets a boost of value against an already tasty opponent in the Spurs. There is blowout potential here as well, so it may be prudent to spend on money in games where a blowout isn’t imminent.

Honorable Mention:

Paul George ($8,800): George continued his assault from deep on Wednesday against Charlotte. Now his aerial show hits north of the border against a team that doesn’t defend the position well. George has at least 34 DraftKings points in every game this month. That gives him a pretty solid floor to build a lineup from.

Andrew Wiggins ($6,700): He seems to have fixed his wayward shooting lately, but Wiggins is doing little besides scoring right now. That makes him a bit of a risk at this price, but we all know that Wiggins has the potential to explode at any time. Especially against a team like the Pelicans who don’t defend the position well.

Dark Horses:

Brandon Ingram ($4,900): Ingram racked up 34.5 DraftKings points on Cleveland in the first meeting. Ingram still has some consistency issues, but his floor is much higher than it used to be with him firmly entrenched in the starting lineup. There is a lot of upside here if you use him as a punt play.

Wayne Ellington ($3,900): I don’t trust Solomon Hill with Boogie back. Even if Cousins sits, I want no part of that high of ownership. Instead, Ellington is an intriguing option since he will start for the injured Dion Waiters. He doesn’t have the upside of Josh Richardson, but he wont kill your lineup either like Richardson does more often than not.

My Pick: Ingram(SF); Wiggins(SF)

Power Forwards

Best Bets:

Anthony Davis ($10,800): It’s no secret that Davis is better without Cousins in the lineup, but he is also the one to own if both play. Towns is not an elite defender, as Davis showed with 135.25 DraftKings points in two games against Minnesota so far this year. Cousins says he is playing tonight, so Davis doesn’t have quite the ceiling that he used to, but 60 is still within reach for him.

Julius Randle ($7,000): I don’t trust Love’s production just yet, and I do like what I’ve seen from Randle. He crashes the glass, is a good passer, and gets his share of blocks. This means that even if his shot isn’t falling, he can still put up decent numbers. I wouldn’t expect anything huge tonight, but 5x value in within reach.

Honorable Mention:

LaMarcus Aldridge ($6,300): Spurs fans, and fans of the NBA in general, breathed a sigh of relief when it was announced that Aldridge would be okay after a heart arrhythmia. Make sure to check lineups because this is the first back-to-back set since the incident and he could rest, but if LMA is in there against the Kings, I am all over it!

Serge Ibaka ($5,700): Ibaka still isn’t producing consistently enough to count on on a regular basis, but he does have 68 DraftKings points in three games against the Pacers this year. Indiana has struggled against power forwards all season, so this could be one of the instances where Ibaka helps you out.

Dark Horses:

Skal Labissiere ($4,500): Playing any Kings frontcourt player besides Koufos is like playing roulette and betting on either red or black. You never know where it’s going to land on any given spin. Labisseire’s production has been more consistent than Willie Cauley-Stein‘s, but WCS clearly has more upside. Of course, it is likely better to avoid this situation all together.

Dante Cunningham ($3,600): Note that Cunningham will cease all current production and give you a single digit score because I recommended him. In the few times that he has graced this column, he has done it every time. Cunningham has been over 5x value in each of the last four games. Don’t count on it being five because I made the mistake of name-dropping him.

My pick: Davis(PF); Ibaka(PF)

Center

Best Bets:

Hassan Whiteside ($8,500): Many will avoid this because Portland technically has sound numbers against centers, but Whiteside erupted for 60.5 DraftKings points in them in the first meeting this year. Don’t expect anything that high with Nurkic there now, but there is a chance that he can dominate the interior again.

Jusuf Nurkic ($6,700): Nurkic may never drop another 80 as long as he plays in the league. Let’s get that out of the way now. What he will do is stuff the stat sheet in every category giving him a high floor with decent upside. That’s good enough, right?

Honorable Mention:

Myles Turner ($5,800): Turner has been mostly uninspiring since the break, but he has come around in the last couple of games. Turner has 74.5 DraftKings points in those two games after not breaking 30 in almost two weeks. He could have a really good game against Toronto if he is interested in the game again.

Ivica Zubac ($5,600): This could be a chance worth taking. Zubac has had some very nice games recently if you discount the foul marred debacle against Houston. A few teams have got to Tristan Thompson on the inside lately. The chances of that happening decrease with Love around, but Zubac’s current run makes him an interesting high upside play.

Dark Horses:

Kosta Koufos ($3,800): Koufos has little upside, but he is the only Kings option that is getting consistent production right now. He has at least 5x value in eight of the last nine games. He is a great punt option if you don’t mind not having the upside with your punt.

Giorgios Papagiannis ($3,000): So….uh….did anyone have flashbacks to Vegas Vacation after trying to pronounce this? Okay, maybe I’m the strange one. I can accept that. Papagiannis had his number called yesterday and posted a double-double. This muddles an already undesirable situation in the Kings frontcourt, but if you are playing a lineup full of long shots, why not?

My pick: Koufos(C); Nurkic(C), Turner(UTIL)

Stay tuned for our FanDuel picks, and our picks for NHL and the PGA tour! We even have some EPL picks coming your way! I will also have the round by round picks for the NCAA Tournament, the place where your bracket is never busted. Once again, make sure to follow our Twitter feed leading up to tipoff!