DraftKings NBA picks November 24: Should we ride LeBron again?

We hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving. Thank you to all of our readers. Now let’s try to win some money! There are nine games in the main DraftKings tournament tonight (I’m not touching the early with the two “late” games more than six hours after contest lock). We have a lot of stars in action again and a lot of great bargains. Where is the happy medium?

Point Guards

Best Bets:

Russell Westbrook ($10,600): I want to trust that this will be the normal going forward. I really do. Westbrook has 137 DraftKings points over the last two games and has looked like his normal dominant self. He even did it in a convincing win over the Warriors. Detroit has not defended the point well. Everything is lining up for Westbrook to have another big game, but I am still kind of skeptical.

Stephen Curry ($9,600): Curry didn’t have a bad game against the Thunder. The game just wasn’t a game down the stretch. I am expecting the same thing against the Bulls tonight, so to me, that limits Curry’s upside. He is going to be one of the main reasons that this gets out of hand, but Curry may be done by the end of the third quarter. How risky do you want to be with your lineup?

Honorable Mention:

Kyrie Irving ($8,300): Irving had a miserable game in his first meeting with the Magic this year. That was nearly a month ago, and Irving seems to be hitting his stride right now. I tend to think Kyrie could outscore Curry just because I think this game stays pretty close.

Kemba Walker ($8,200): Believe it or not, Walker actually came in under value in the first meeting with Cleveland. However, the shots and peripheral stats were there. All he has to do is shoot better to get what we need out of him. Sounds simple, right?

Jrue Holiday ($6,500): Holiday capable of putting up some huge numbers. He is also capable of putting up the type of game that could ruin your lineups. He has a great matchup with the Suns tonight. Many a player has lit them up this year. Holiday certainly has the ability to do just that.

Dark Horses:

Kris Dunn ($5,500): Dunn has really energized the Bulls with his play over the last ten days or so. Dunn has 138.25 DraftKings points over his last four games. One of those was against the Jazz, so he definitely has the ability to hit value against the Warriors. Maybe he finally has this NBA thing figured out….

Mario Chalmers ($5,300): Chalmers has hit value in every game since Mike Conley went down, even as his price has increased. Denver presents another nice matchup for Chalmers. His price is getting to the point where he is no longer a sure shot to hit value, but he is still safe enough to use against Denver.

Rajon Rondo ($4,900): Rondo still isn’t playing his full compliment of minutes, but he is getting closer. Most of his value is not derived from scoring, so he has a pretty good floor. A floor that is worth exploiting against the Suns.

My pick: Dunn(PG); Westbrook(PG), Chalmers(G)

Shooting Guards:

Best Bets:

DeMar DeRozan ($8,400): The Pacers have improved their perimeter defense some, but they still give up a lot of points to guards. DeRozan has done a lot more than just score this year. His 32.5 DraftKings points against the Knicks on Wednesday was his low mark of the season. DeRozan is a reliable option right now with the potential for a huge night.

Victor Oladipo ($8,000): Oladipo really stuck it to his former team on Wednesday. In fact, Oladipo has been on a roll lately. He has two games of over 50 DraftKings points in his last three outings. In the one that wasn’t, he still had a solid 34 points. The Raptors are another team that Oladipo an run it up on.

Honorable Mention:

Devin Booker ($7,800): Booker has been cold from the field in the last two games, but he has still managed to come close to value. Booker is a DFS favorite because of his high ceiling, but he is also a sizeable risk. That said, Booker still has at least 5x value in four of the last six games, with only one game falling below 30 DraftKings points.

Jimmy Butler ($6,800): Butler has scored more than 20 points in four of the last six games. We all saw what he was capable of with the Bulls last year. He wont do that with so many other options available in Minnesota, but Butler’s price is still low enough to take a flier on him. The Heat don’t defend well on the outside, so this looks like a good night to use Butler.

Tim Hardaway Jr. ($6,600): Hardaway torched the Raptors to the tune of 61 DraftKings points on Wednesday. We have seen this kind of thing from Hardaway before. We will see it again. In fact, it is entirely possible that he does it to his former team tonight. I wouldn’t go expecting another 60 job, but 40 is well within reach.

Dark Horses:

Will Barton ($6,000): With Paul Millsap out, Barton has responded with 81,5 DraftKings points over the last two games. Denver doesn’t quite know what they are going to do for the duration of Millsap’s absence, but as long as Barton keep shooting like he is, he will continue to see a healthy distribution of the extra time.

Dwyane Wade ($5,200): Wade has taken on a larger role with Iman Shumpert and Derrick Rose out. Jose Calderon is playing more, but he is still an unreliable option. Pay the extra money for Wade, who has at least 25 DraftKings points in four of the last five games. Wade is a strong option in this price range again tonight.

Jeremy Lamb ($5,100): Lamb will be starting for Batum tonight. He is coming off of a game in which he played 37 minutes and racked u 47.25 DraftKings points on Wednesday against the Wizards. Lamb should have a plethora of open shots against Cleveland tonight. He look like a terrific bargain play at this price.

My pick: Oladipo(SG), Lamb(G); Lamb(SG), Hardaway(F)

Small Forwards:

Best Bets:

LeBron James ($11,200): James put up 57 DraftKings points in the first meeting with Charlotte this year. That puts him a shade above 5x value if he can do it again. Aside from games against Detroit and Dallas, James has had at least 50 DraftKings points in each of the last dozen games. There is no reason to believe that that he wont be over 50 again tonight.

Paul George ($8,500): George has back to back 50 point DraftKings games against the Pelicans and Warriors. Detroit has been strong against power forwards in some games, but terrible in others. Which will we get here? I tend to think that George can score on anyone, even if Westbrook has a nice game. George is a strong mid range option right now.

Honorable Mention:

Tyreke Evans ($6,900): Evans has taken on a larger role in both scoring and distributing with Conley out. Add in his already above average rebounding skills, and you have a player with the potential for a huge game. Evans put up 43.75 DraftKings points on a pretty tough Dallas defense on Wednesday. It should be much smoother sailing against Denver.

T.J. Warren ($6,600): Warren can put up bunches of points in a hurry. That makes him a DFS favorite on an up-tempo team. Warren is almost as dangerous of a scorer as Booker, and he comes much cheaper. I would also argue that Warren’s floor is about the same. Booker does have more upside, but Warren is one of the most consistent producers in this price range.

Justin Holiday ($5,600): The Warriors do give up points, so there is potential for a lot of Bulls players. The risk is the same as it is with Golden State. If there is a blowout, the Bulls starters are more likely to stay on the court than the Warriors are. Still, for where they are priced, a few Bulls could be nice cheap options.

Dark Horses:

Courtney Lee ($4,600): Lee has been on a roll lately, racking up 26 or more DraftKings points in five of the last six games. Lee is a great punt option on a night where there aren’t many under $5k. Atlanta’s defense can’t really stop anyone right now.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist ($4,000): MKG has increased pushed his workload over 35 minutes now. He is not a prolific scorer, but he is also still working his way back into the Hornets offense. There is a lot of potential at this price, but MKG has only gone over 5x value once since his first game. That was his last game against Washington. He should have plenty of chances against Cleveland though to get himself into the 20’s again.

Jae Crowder ($3,800): Crowder was a big time disruptor and part time scorer for Boston last year. It seems as though Cleveland forgot that they traded for Crowder, as he has been mostly absent from the Cleveland offense so far. Crowder has emerged over the last two games as he has gotten visibly more comfortable in the flow of the team. He looks like a very nice bargain play against a weaker Charlotte front.

My pick: James(SF), Crowder(UTIL); Warren(SF)

Power Forwards

Best Bet:

Anthony Davis ($10,700): Is Davis ever a bad option? Well, when he’s not playing Toronto or Denver? This is a juicy matchup against a small Suns front. Both Davis and Cousins have the athleticism to run with the Suns. I could see a big game from both big men tonight.

Kristaps Porzingis ($8,900): Teams have attacked Atlanta on the interior because they injured and undersized. My only question here is if Porzingis will play long enough if this game gets out of hand. Still, Porzingis nearly hit value against a vaunted Utah front. He can do it against anyone! Well, besides Toronto.

Honorable Mention:

Kevin Love ($7,700): Love has been remarkably consistent over the last four games. He has between 38 and 45 DraftKings points in all four games. Cleveland is starting to find their stride, which is why a lot of the production has stabilized. It’s still LeBron’s team, but he lets the role players carry the load from time to time. Love has thrived in that role lately.

Draymond Green ($7,500): Give Green a stat sheet, and he will stuff it. Green hasn’t done much scoring lately. but he does a lot of everything else. That always makes him a solid option, though his upside is capped so long as he isn’t scoring.

Lauri Markkanen ($6,400): Markkanen struggled against Utah, but the entire team did. Even when his shot isn’t falling, Markkanen has been able to get value against most teams. He is going to need his shot against the Warriors though because he isn’t going to get his normal compliment of rebounds with Draymond on the court.

Dark Horses:

Thaddeus Young ($6,000): Young has gone over 30 DraftKings points in each of the last three games. Sabonis has more upside because he is more of a threat to go off offensively on any given night. Young is probably better suited for cash games. Sabonis and his upside are probably more preferable in GPP’s.

Pascal Siakam ($3,800): Siakam has taken on a larger role up front for the Raptors. The team has figured out that he and Ibaka work well together. Siakam is more of a defensive specialist, but he can score from time to time. His value is capped since he is in a timeshare, but Siakam has had at least 7x value in the last three games. That is great for a value play!

Juancho Hernangomez ($3,600): If you are looking for the reason that Faried is not playing, look no further. Hernangomez has been solid with Millsap out, but right now he is still a lower level value play. Hernangomez is getting close to 5x value, but he’s far from a sure thing right now. With all of the other big men Denver has, Hernangomez also has limited upside right now.

My pick: Love(PF), Siakam(F); Young(PF), ,Hernangomez(UTIL)

Center:

Best Bets:

DeMarcus Cousins ($11,400): Cousins has not been putting up as many monster lines lately, which makes it hard for me to pay this price for him. However, he is capable of larger lines than anyone else in action besides maybe LeBron. You are paying for what he can do. Against Phoenix, it is entirely possible.

Hassan Whiteside ($8,500): This is a good matchup for Whiteside tonight as Towns is not a great defender. Whiteside has been a walking double-double whenever he takes the court. After back to back tough matchups against Boston and Indiana, Whiteside is going to get a bit of a reprieve tonight. I’m betting that he returns to form in this one.

Honorable Mention:

Enes Kanter ($6,100): Kanter actually held his own against Toronto. Not many have done that recently. Kanter has not been the most consistent producer, but I will use just about anyone against that Atlanta interior.

Steven Adams ($5,200): Adams consistently gets 5-6x value against just about every team. Drummond is a bit of a force in the middle, but Adams can still get enough from scoring to make up for the rebounds that he is going to lose to Drummond tonight.

Dark Horses:

Greg Monroe ($4,700): Monroe has outplayed all of the other Suns big men over his four games in Phoenix. If he gets the minutes, this price is way too low. However, he has played anywhere between 16 an 32 minutes in those four games. That makes Monroe a risk, but he can really go off if given the chance.

Alex Len ($4,500): The arrival of Monroe has actually really helped Len. Len has 97.75 DraftKings points in the three games with Monroe. Maybe it was the prospect of losing his job. Maybe he is actually learning something from Monroe. Whatever the case, Len is trending upward again. For now. We have seen this before. He will fall off soon enough.

My pick: Monroe(C); Kanter(C)

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