DraftKings NBA Picks October 22: Boogie, Brow, or Both?

DraftKings NBA Picks October 22

We only have three games on our Sunday with the NFL still taking center stage. This will last for a couple of months yet, but that doesn’t mean that we will abandon those of you that prefer the hardwood to the gridiron. And why not have both? We have a ton of NFL DFS advice for you as well!

Point Guards

Best Bets:

Dennis Schroder ($7,700): Schroder is going to provide much better bang for your buck than Russell Westbrook. Westy dominated in the opener, but was shut down by the Jazz last night. Jeff Teague is no Ricky Rubio when it comes to defense, but he is no slouch either. Schroder has averaged 5.3x value on the season. Westbrook is a shade over 4. Pocket your money and spend on a big instead.

D’Angelo Russell ($7,600): Russell has had a solid first two games in Brooklyn, hitting right at 5x value. Both Russell and Schroder are going against each other. While neither is a bad play, Schroder has more potential because of the team around him.

Honorable Mention:

Lonzo Ball ($6,900): Ball struggled in the opener, but turned in a very strong performance on Friday against Phoenix. At some point this season, Ball will become the youngest player to ever record a triple-double. It may not happen against New Orleans, but his early average of 6.1x value in definitely a possibility.

Dark Horses:

Jordan Clarkson ($4,900): Clarkson thrived on the second team last year, and is off to a solid start again this year. He is right at 5x value through two games, and should have a little easier go of it against the Pelicans than he did the Clippers in the opener. Like Ball, I expect somewhere between the two games to be the norm for today and going forward.

Spencer Dinwiddie ($3,900): It has been Dinwiddie, not Sean Kilpatrick, that has eaten up most of the guard minutes off of the bench. That wont change anytime soon as long as Dinwiddie keeps producing. He is boasting 5.8x value through the first two games. He is a great punt play again tonight.

My picks: Schroder(PG), Russell(G); Ball(PG), Dinwiddie(G)

Shooting Guards

Best Bets:

Jimmy Butler ($7,400): Butler has scored two less points on the season than he averaged per game last season with the Bulls. This is clearly an adjustment period for the Timberwolves with their new toys so far. Butler got more looks in game two than game one, so his outlook for game three should see him close to his value. Honestly, every SG in action today has underachieved, at least those that cost over $5,000. Gambling on Butler for this price is not a bad idea.

Jrue Holiday ($5,900): Holiday was atrocious from the floor in the opener, but was significantly better against the Warriors on Friday. With the way the towers are playing up front for the Pelicans, Holiday doesn’t need to score a ton of buckets. But he does need to hit a much better percentage of shots. That said, Holiday is the closest at the position to reaching value today.

Honorable Mention:

Brandon Ingram ($5,200): Ingram is still kind of tough to count on, but he had a strong game against Phoenix on Friday. As Ball went, so went the Lakers. They wont be shut down like they were on Wednesday, so I expect Ingram to be over 5x value tonight. As a bonus, you can cram him in at any of five slots on your eight man DraftKings roster.

Allen Crabbe ($4,600): Crabbe was a popular pick on Friday with Jeremy Lin going down (again) in the opener. Crabbe responded with four less minutes and 13 less DraftKings points. Dinwiddie seems to have the advantage for now, but the Nets will use whomever is producing. For this price, Crabbe is worth another dart throw if you are looking for low ownership.

Dark Horses:

Marco Belinelli ($3,800): Belinelli is going to be volatile for DFS purposes because he is only a scorer. He didn’t do much of that against Charlotte, and was a major bust. He should get a lot more open looks tonight against the Nets, but he does carry a healthy amount of risk.

Joe Harris ($3,300): Harris was the one that benefitted most from the injury to Jeremy Lin. Harris played 18 minutes with Lin out after not seeing the floor in the opener. He responded with a respectable 16.25 DraftKings points. That is Harris hitting value, but he is still allegedly third on the depth chart at SG.

My pick: Ingram(SG), N/A

Small Forwards:

Best Bets:

Paul George ($8,000): George has played alongside Russell Westbrook very well so far. Westbrook had a horrible game against Utah, but George picked up the slack with another strong performance. George has scored 50 points with 11 rebounds and six steals in his first two games with the Thunder. He is living up to his price right now.

Andrew Wiggins ($6,400): Wiggins has taken 33 shots in the first two games and made almost half of them. He is still the preferred outside scorer on this team. Until that changes, he is a strong play for DFS purposes. Just be aware that with Jimmy Butler around, things could change at any moment.

Honorable Mention:

Taurean Prince ($5,300): Prince burst on the scene as a rookie last year, and has provided the Hawks with good production off the bench against to start this season. He is the de-facto starter at SF for the Hawks, and has produced well above his price point so far.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson ($5,100): RHJ was an underrated DFS performer last year as well because he isn’t flashy. He isn’t going to drop 50 DraftKings points on anyone. However, he will get between 25 and 35 every single night. His consistency makes him a cash game dream. His consistency at hitting over 5x value makes him relevant everywhere.

Dark Horses:

Larry Nance Jr. ($4,900): Nance has been very consistent over the first two games, picked up 31 and 29.5 DraftKings points respectively. Luol Deng is technically still ahead of him on the depth chart, but that wont last the month with the way Nance has played both as a starter and a reserve. He is priced to buy, and wont be a disappointment because of his scoring ability.

DeMarre Carroll ($4,600): Carroll has been huge for the Nets with an average of 6.6x value through the first two games. That is the best of any player playing today. Now he gets a shot at his former team. I am expecting another strong showing from Carroll.

My pick: George(SF), Nance(F); Hollis-Jefferson(SF), Prince(G), Carroll(UTIL)

Power Forwards

Best Bets:

Anthony Davis ($10,600): If you get 5x value out of your studs priced this high, you are happy. Davis has averaged 6x through the first two games. He was already one of the top five players in the league, and the Brow seems to have elevated his game even more. Pay up. He’s worth it.

Carmelo Anthony ($7,100): Melo is a lot cheaper, but his new role with the Thunder is to put the ball in the bucket. A lot. Melo has scored 48 points in two games, but has few counting stats to go with it. That said, at this price, he is still hitting value. I like him again tonight against Minnesota. Anthony is still a pretty tough matchup.

Honorable Mention:

Trevor Booker ($5,500): Savvy DFS players rode the Booker train many a time last year. There is no reason to get off now! Booker has averaged 6.1x value even at today’s price through the first two games and is showing no signs of slowing down. Booker is a very strong play right now.

Dark Horses:

Kyle Kuzma ($4,500): Julius Randle is still not 100%, and the Lakers have no intention of rushing him. Especially since Kuzma has been very solid backing up Nance in his stead. Kuzma has 40.75 DraftKings points over two games, putting him very close to that 5x threshold.

Nemanja Bjelica ($3,200): The struggles of Gorgui Dieng have opened the door for the versatile Bjelica, who flourished after LaVine went down last year, only to end his season two weeks later. The Timberwolves like his energy, and Bjelica has responded with 5x value over the first two games. He has a consistent bench role right now, and is a solid punt if you need the cash.

My pick: Booker(PF); Davis(PF), Bjelica(F)

Center:

Best Bets:

DeMarcus Cousins ($10,400): Remember what I said about A.D. and his 6x value? Well, Boogie has 6.1. Both of New Orleans’s skyscrapers are dominating the league right now. Are the Lakers going to stop them?? Not really. Davis and Cousins are poised to dominate again.

Karl-Anthony Towns ($8,900): To call Towns a disappointment seems a bit unfair, but he has only picked up 4.7x value so far. Still, he is enough cheaper than Cousins that Towns could still eclipse value for this price point. He just hasn’t had those huge games yet this year, and likely wont considering how much offensive firepower the Timberwolves suddenly have.

Honorable Mention:

Brook Lopez ($6,200): BroLo is about the only one I would fade Cousins for. Lopez has 5.9x value in his first two games in Tinseltown. He is flourishing as the first true center the Lakers have had since the failed Dwight Howard experiment. Ride him until the wheels fall off, because I’m not sure they will.

Steven Adams ($5,700): Adams didn’t have the strong all around game that he did in the opener, but he is still a constant double-double threat. That makes Adams a pretty solid option in this price range. I find it hard to fade Lopez for him right now, but Adams does have a decent matchup against Minnesota.

Dark Horses:

Dewayne Dedmon ($4,900): Dedmon is the starter for Atlanta now, but he still isn’t really playing starter minutes. Of course, none of us are complaining since Dedmon has averaged 5.1x value so far. However, until he starts playing over 30 minutes a game, his upside is limited. That is reflected in his price though.

John Collins ($4,000): Collins has arguably outplayed Ersan Ilyasova thus far, but the Hawks wont use him as the starter anytime soon. That does limit his effectiveness some, but if he is going to provide 5x value with decent upside, he is still on my punt radar.

My pick: Lopez(C), Dedmon(UTIL); Cousins(C)

Next: FanDuel NBA Picks

Stay tuned for our FanDuel picks, and our picks for the PGA tour! We even have some EPL picks coming your way! For you college football fans, we have all of the games picked against the spread along with ESPN college pick em picks!