DraftKings Main NBA Picks April 1

We have four games for the main DraftKings tournament tonight, but with the 5pm Eastern start time, there are a lot of potential pitfalls here. The Phoenix-Portland game tips off five hours after the tournament lock. Now, normally this wouldn’t be a big deal. However, due to the asinine rule change that doesn’t allow for late swaps, there will be savvy players that will fade the late game(s). Tell me how that makes this better again? I want to hear all those lovely lame excuses….

Point Guards

Best Bets:

Damian Lillard ($9,700): Lillard has averaged 47.3 DraftKings points in three games against Phoenix this year. Phoenix has been among the worst teams in the league since benching/resting the veterans. This will help their lottery position, but it can lead to blowouts. That makes Lillard a sizeable risk for this price. However, He is the best point guard available today. If this is a blowout, there is a great chance that Lillard is the reason why, especially since Jusuf Nurkic is out.

Ricky Rubio ($7,900): Forget what you know about Rubio from earlier this year. With Zach LaVine out, he has become a scorer and a better rebounder, along with his superb passing skill. Rubio has at least 40 DraftKings points in three of the last four games. He is rolling right now, and the Kings are still mostly awful.

Honorable Mention:

Elfrid Payton ($7,400): Payton fell just one rebound short of another triple-double last night against Boston. The result was his third 40+ DraftKings points game in the last four. Payton could feast again tonight against a pretty bad Brooklyn team. Just be aware that this is the second night of a back-to-back against a bad team with blowout potential. Payton could rest more than usual, or perhaps even the entire game.

Tyler Ulis ($7,100): Boston and Miami are the only two games that have been able to hold Ulis under 30 DraftKings points in the nine games since he took over the starting job. In the other seven of those, he has been over 5x value at his current price. Portland was the last team Ulis faced as a backup. He put up 23 DraftKings points in 19 minutes. What do you think he will do with 35 minutes? At least 6x value!

Rajon Rondo ($6,900): It’s hard to go off of any previous stats that Rondo has posted this year because his role on the team has been so volatile. He does have 47.75 DraftKings points in 60 minutes against the Hawks this year, but we all know that his play is much better with the starting unit. Rondo has two straight 40+ DraftKings points games against the Bucks and Cavs, two solid teams. I like him against the Hawks at the G position.

Dark Horses:

Jeremy Lin ($6,100): Lin has at least 5x value in four of the last seven games. In one of those, he left with an injury after just seven minutes. In the others, Detroit and Washington shut him down. Orlando has a solid defense, but I don’t see them shutting him down. The Nets have worked his minutes up to 30, so Lin could be a solid value tonight. At the very least, he shouldn’t be highly owned.

Kris Dunn ($4,500): Forget about Shabazz Muhammad and Omri Casspi. It’s Dunn who is getting a lot of the minutes left open first by LaVine, then by Nemanja Bjelica. Dunn’s defensive tenacity have given him a very good floor from which to work even if his offense sometimes suffers. He is capable of big games, and it wont cost you much to see if he gets it.

My picks: Rubio(PG), Dunn(G)

Shooting Guards

Best Bets:

Jimmy Butler ($9,600): Butler is a must-use option today. His production has been through the roof with Dwyane Wade out. Someone told the Bulls that they still have a shot at the playoffs, so apparently they are trying again. Butler’s worst game with Wade out was against LeBron James and the Cavs on Thursday, and he still racked up 44.5 DraftKings points. Use Butler! Get your separation elsewhere!

C.J. McCollum ($7,600): McCollum has 135.5 DraftKings points in three games against the Suns this year. The same warnings apply to McCollum as Lillard, but McCollum’s production has been solid against the Suns all year, and he is significantly cheaper ($2,100). This makes McCollum the one to take a chance on.

Honorable Mention:

Devin Booker ($7,500): It seems as though the only thing that can slow Booker down is his ankle. He still racked up 51.5 DraftKings points on a defensively sound Clippers team on said ankle. Booker shouldn’t be susceptible to the random day off or limited minutes tonight, so he is one of the few late options I would even consider with lock coming five hours before tip.

Evan Fournier ($5,600): Fournier put up his third consecutive 20 point outing last night. He could make it four tonight against a lousy Nets team. That is, unless a blowout limits his playing time in the second half of a back to back. Fournier picked up 28.5 DraftKings points in his first game with Brooklyn. That still leaves him at 5x value, with the potential for more considering the way he’s been playing.

Dark Horses:

Kent Bazemore ($4,300): Bazemore is still on a 25 minute cap, but he did a lot of damage in 20 minutes against Philadelphia on Wednesday. Bazemore picked up 38 DraftKings points in that span. It will be a tougher run against the Bulls, but not by much. Bazemore is averaging 23.6 DraftKings points over 24.4 minutes in three games against Chicago this year. He could approach 6x value if he plays 24 minutes again.

Denzel Valentine ($3,900): Valentine picked up 27 DraftKings points in his only game against the Hawks this year, and that was in spite of shooting 3-10 from the field. He has mostly outperformed Paul Zipser, but he is still coming off the bench. However, with his price this low, I don’t mind taking the chance. I did when he was up around $5,000.

My pick: Booker(SG), Butler(SF), Valentine(F)

Small Forwards

Best Bets:

Andrew Wiggins ($7,200): Wiggins saw his hot streak come to an end in March, followed by a cold streak. He is now back to producing near his value, but Towns is clearly the focal point of the offense. With Rubio taking on a more defined offensive presence, it has left Wiggins in limbo a little. That said, the Kings aren’t that great at defending small forwards. Wiggins could have a nice game tonight.

T.J. Warren ($7,000): Warren saw his production falter a little with Booker’s return, but he still turned in a solid performance with him on the court. Warren could have trouble hitting 5x value at this price, but he has enough upside to consider using him on a small slate.

Honorable Mention:

Terrence Ross ($5,100): The Magic made a statement last night in taking a good Boston team to the limit. Payton and Fournier both did well, as did Ross. Ross had his fifth straight game between 27 and 33 DraftKings points. He is a consistent source of 5.5x value. He is a cash game star right now, but he is performing well enough to use in GPP formats as well. The Magic have been putting up a lot of points lately. Ross has had a hand in why.

Taurean Prince ($4,800): Prince is still starting with Paul Millsap out even with Bazemore back. His minutes haven’t slipped either. Prince has 81.75 DraftKings points in the last three games since he joined the starting lineup. He looks like a safe play once again unless Millsap plays. He is still listed as out, but he participated in parts of practice and the Hawks are still playing for seeding. Millsap could return on little notice.

Dark Horses:

Tyreke Evans ($4,300): The Kings sit far too many players lately to count on this game with a lock that early. However, if news comes out about the starting lineups for the Kings beforehand and Evans is in it, I would consider him a solid punt option.

Maurice Harkless ($4,300): Harkless came up huge against the Rockets on Thursday. He could against the Suns as well. Harkless has 64.5 DraftKings points in three games against Phoenix. He is still getting good run even with Evan Turner back, so Harkless is a safe punt option to Evans.

My Pick: N/A

Power Forwards

Best Bets:

Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,400): The young Kings are doing pretty well up front lately, but they still can’t stop Towns. He has carved up everyone not named Portland in the last month. Towns should have no problem hitting 50 DraftKings points at least, which makes him a hot commodity on a short slate.

Gorgui Dieng ($6,200): The baby Wolves are growing up. Dieng has at least 32 DraftKings points in each of the last four games. Dieng may have his hands full against the even younger Kings, but his well-rounded contributions still make him a pretty low risk play.

Honorable Mention:

Nikola Mirotic ($6,000): Mirotic has been on fire lately. He has more than 42 DraftKings points in three of his last four games! That makes him nearly a 7x value. Only Philadelphia and Dario Saric were able to cover him on the outside. Atlanta doesn’t have anyone that can with Paul Millsap out.

Ersan Ilyasova ($5,900): Ilyasova has been a solid producer with Millsap out. He has not been under 4x value, and has been over 5x in four of the six games. Ilyasova is a good cash game play with a solid floor, but he doesn’t have a ton of upside.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson ($5,600): Another team going nowhere is giving another youngster a lot of run, and it is paying off big for RHJ. He has five straight games of more than 5x value. His outstanding rebounding ability makes him a constant double-double threat and gives him a solid floor.

Dark Horses:

Aaron Gordon ($5,500): Gordon is not a consistent producer, but when he goes off, he really goes off. Just ask the Celtics, who he dropped 62.5 DraftKings on last night (with only 0.7% ownership). I would venture to say that Gordon could be 100 times more owned tonight. Brooklyn is awful up front. Gordon had 24.75 DraftKings points in his only game against the Nets earlier this year. He should get a lot more than that here.

Al-Farouq Aminu ($4,900): Aminu has at least 6x value in three straight games, and that was with Jusuf Nurkic in the lineup. Aminu’s usage could go through the roof with Nurkic out as they will have to lean on Aminu for scoring as well. You all can use Gordon with his high ownership rate. I will go with Aminu in what could be a huge night for him.

Noah Vonleh ($3,800): Vonleh should see more run as well with Nurkic out. He is already the starter, but Aminu produces most of the stats. Vonleh should see more opportunities come his way, but he carries a lit more risk than Aminu does, but the upside could be substantial.

My pick: Mirotic(PF), Aminu(UTIL)

Center

Best Bets:

Dwight Howard ($8,000): Howard only has 102 DraftKings points in three games against the Bulls this year, but both frontcourts look much different than they did in those matchups. Gone are Taj Gibson and Paul Millsap. Howard’s production has been way up with Millsap out. He should hit 5x value today against the Bulls.

Nikola Vucevic ($7,600): Vucevic absolutely abused the Nets in his only game against them this year. He had 50.5 DraftKings points in that game in just 30 minutes. Even if it does get out of hand, Vucevic will likely be a big reason it does. He could bet the best option at center by a long shot.

Honorable Mention:

Brook Lopez ($6,700): Vucevic is mostly just a threat on offense. Lopez racked up 41 DraftKings points in that game against the Magic. This could be another game where the two centers are on display tonight. Lopez is easily the most accomplished offensive force for the Nets. That makes him worth playing in most instances.

Willie Cauley-Stein ($5,700): The floor on WCS is much higher than it was just a few weeks ago. The Kings are committed to their younger players up front, with Kosta Koufos and/or Anthony Tolliver sitting every other night. Both sat last night, so if you don’t hear anything before lock, this is a bit of a risk. However, Cauley-Stein’s size is a good fit against Minnesota.

Dark Horse:

Georgios Papgiannis ($3,500): The Kings are certainly intrigued by what they have in Papagiannis. He is playing at least 20 minutes a game with mostly good results. He lacks a lot of upside, but is alleviated by the Timberwolves’ inability to keep teams from scoring on the interior.

My pick: Cauley-Stein(C)

Next: FanDuel NBA Picks

Stay tuned for our FanDuel picks, and our picks for NHL and the PGA tour! We even have some EPL picks coming your way! We will also get you covered for the MLB season once that gets underway this weekend! Once again, make sure to follow our Twitter feed leading up to tipoff!