DraftKings NBA picks December 1: Can Brow rebound after getting tossed?
By Mike Marteny
DraftKings NBA picks December 1: Can Brow rebound after getting tossed?
There are eight games for the DraftKings tournament on our Friday night. We have several injuries that are opening up bargains all over the place. Which replacements are safe to use? Let’s check it out!
More from DFS
- DraftKings Open Championship picks 2023: Best PGA DFS golf lineup
- Genesis Scottish Open DraftKings picks 2023: Best PGA DFS golf lineup
- Rocket Mortgage Classic DraftKings picks 2023: Best PGA DFS golf lineup
- US Open DraftKings picks 2023: Best PGA DFS golf lineup
- RBC Canadian Open DraftKings picks 2023: Best PGA DFS golf lineup
The money line was a solid 273.75 last night. I came close, but the value picked of Bayless and Aron Baynes didn’t pan out.
The winning lineup was down to 358, even on a heavier night. He had huge nights from bargain plays Alec Burks and Will Barton to go with LeBron and Nurkic.
If you would like to try DraftKings for the first time, use this link for the referral bonus! It is good for $20 free DraftKings dollars! We have plenty of advice on the site to help you turn that into a solid bankroll!
Point Guards
Best Bets:
Russell Westbrook ($11,400): Westbrook turned in his fifth straight game between 60 and 70 DraftKIngs points against Orlando on Wednesday. The Timberwolves have been awful defending the point. Westbrook was changed to probable after his bruised hand didn’t keep him out or practice. If Westbrook is a go, he is definitely worth using right now.
Stephen Curry ($9,900): Well, we saw what Westbrook did to the Magic on Wednesday. This is not an isolated incident. The Magic have been awful against the point with or without Payton in there.
Honorable Mention:
Kyle Lowry ($8,100): I’m not just going through and picking the highest priced players. I promise. Lowry has been putting up numbers far above his price range lately. Only Washington has been able to hold Lowry under 43 DraftKings points in the last eight games. Five of the seven topped 50. Oh, and Lowry lit up the Pacers for 57 DraftKings points in the first meeting. There is no shame in stepping off of the upper tier completely for Lowry tonight.
Kris Dunn ($6,200): Dunn put up another strong game last night with 34.75 DraftKIngs points. This time Dunn is running off with the starting point guard job. A date with the Kings tonight shouldn’t do anything to hurt his status.
Ricky Rubio ($5,600): Rubio has put up back to back 30+ DraftKings points games. The Utah offense went off last night. Don’t expect a repeat tonight, but Rubio is a great passer and defender that has learned how to score when needed. He is a solid value play against the Pelicans.
Dark Horses:
Kyle Anderson ($5,500): Anderson’s 25.5 DraftKings points against Memphis on Wednesday is his second lowest total of November. That should tell you what kind of roll he’s been on. Anderson is a strong value play, but doesn’t have a ton of upside facing the same team again tonight.
Tomas Satoransky ($3,800): Tim Frazier is still starting, but Satoransky has outperformed Frazier and picked up more minutes than him over each of the last two games. Even if Teague and Kemba sit again tonight, I’m off of MCW and Tyus Jones. They have tough matchups. Satoransky does not, and he is cheaper.
Andrew Harrison ($3,400): Harrison picked up 24 DraftKings points despite not starting in the place of Chalmers on Wednesday. I’m using Harrison again if Chalmers sits. He will still see plenty of minutes backing up Evans.
My pick: Lowry(PG), Satoransky(G); Westbrook(PG), Satoransky(G)
Shooting Guards:
Best Bets:
Jimmy Butler ($7,300): Both Oladipo and DeRozan shut each other down in their first meeting. Despite the Thunder having allowed the second fewest fantasy points to shooting guards this year, Butler has racked up 72.75 DraftKings points on them in the two games. Butler may get the advantage of lower ownership based on the Thunder’s reputation, but Butler has proven that he can get to them.
Donovan Mitchell ($6,600): Mitchell put up big numbers again last night. The Pelicans don’t defend the perimeter all that well, especially the off guard slot. Mitchell should see a lot of open looks once again.
Honorable Mention:
Dion Waiters ($6,400): Waiters has topped 5x value in four of the last five games. He has a chance to obliterate it tonight against a weak Charlotte perimeter defense. The sheer volume of shots that Waiters gets in this offense makes him worth a look in just about every game. It makes him a very strong play tonight.
Kelly Oubre ($4,800): Oubre put up a career high in points and rebounds despite fouling out on Wednesday. Now, Beal taking an elbow to the face likely had something to do with that, but there will be extra minutes lying around with Wall out. If Oubre keeps shooting like he is, The Wizards wont be able to keep him on the bench. They need the scoring.
Dark Horses:
Malik Monk ($4,200): Monk can do a lot with his little minutes, so long as he still sees around 20. That hasn’t been happening with the return of Michael Carter-Williams, but it did with Kemba Walker out on Wednesday. If Walker is out, Monk will get a lot of run with the second unit, and is likely the best scorer on it.
Norman Powell ($4,000): Powell put up 25.75 DraftKings points against the Pacers a week ago. Powell has been outstanding off of the bench, but one things worth watching is that his minutes were down to just 17 on Wednesday, and he still almost hit value. I still like Powell even if he doesn’t play that many minutes.
Alec Burks ($3,600): Burks lit up the Clippers last night with Rodney Hood out. It seems likely that Hood will be out again. Burks is going to be highly owned tonight, but I also see last night’s outburst giving him more minutes. He is hard to fade at this price.
My pick: Oubre(SG), Powell(UTIL); Mitchell(SG), Waiters(F), Burks(UTIL)
Small Forwards:
Best Bets:
Paul George ($8,200): George racked up 82.75 DraftKings points in the first two games against Minnesota this season. Those tilts have been high scoring, so there is plenty to go around if you are worried about using both Westbrook and George. George is a little cold from the field right now, so fading him isn’t the worst option.
Tyreke Evans ($6,800): Evans didn’t really put up numbers that were out of the ordinary despite starting at point with Chalmers out. That injury did more for Harrison, however, it did help Evans’ assist numbers and scoring a bit. Evans get a little bump in value if he starts at the point again.
Honorable Mention:
Otto Porter ($6,500): Porter was awful from the floor when the team really needed him on Wednesday. Porter still took a high number of shots, so I am still him for his price more than Beal. I still think Porter gets a bigger uptick in scoring with Wall out. If he can hit the shots, that is.
Thaddeus Young ($5,600): Young picked up 36.75 DraftKings points in the first meeting with Toronto this year. He presents a tough matchup if playing the three, especially against an already undersized Toronto team. Young has not played less than 25 minutes over the last eight games, and has only been under 28 DraftKings points once in that span. He is a strong mid range play right now.
Dark Horses:
Jonas Jerebko ($3,900): Jerebko is starting with Rudy Gobert out, but he lacks serious upside because this is a guard-centric team offensively, and Jerebko is usually undersized playing the four. However, Jerebko is a strong value play since he is enough of a rebounder to hit value most nights. He could have some trouble against the massive Pelicans though, so I’m not overly optimistic about tonight.
Justise Winslow ($3,900): Winslow sees enough minutes to regularly get value, but he still comes off the bench. That makes him a somewhat risky value play because he has very little upside. If you have to dig this deep, you are likely better off doing it at a different position.
My pick: Young(SF), Porter(F); Porter(SF)
Power Forwards
Best Bet:
LaMarcus Aldridge ($8,500): Not surprisingly, Aldridge dominated the Grizzlies with 53 DraftKings points. So don’t be shocked when I anchor my lineup with Aldridge again. I don’t trust A.D. with the Utah front always being strong. Especially when there is such a good pivot option already in place.
Aaron Gordon ($7,600): It’s games like Wednesday that keep us coming back for more with Gordon. He is the only player in this price range that can put up 78.75 DraftKings points. No joke. Gordon gets a solid matchup against the Warriors tonight. However, Gordon only had 27 DraftKings points in the first game against the Warriors.
Honorable Mention:
Draymond Green ($7,400): Green is consistently solid. We all know that. He picked up 36.5 DraftKings points in the first game against Orlando. Green averages 34.8 DraftKIngs points per game this year, and he doesn’t stray very far on one side of this or the other. Green is more valuable in cash games, but he is a decent fit in GPP’s as well.
James Johnson ($5,900): The Hornets are undersized at every position but center. Johnson isn’t necessarily big, but he is physical. We have seen Johnson put up some really big numbers against smaller frontcourts. That makes him a pretty solid bargain play tonight.
Dark Horses:
Taj Gibson ($5,700): Anytime someone puts up a stat line like Gordon did on Wednesday, us DFS people immediately make a mental note of the team he did that to. Gibson has already put up 64 DraftKings points in two game against the Thunder this year. He could be in for another game way above value here.
JaMychal Green ($4,300): Green put up 23.5 DraftKings points against the Spurs on Wednesday. He is now playing his full compliment of minutes, and has six straight games of between 23 and 27 DraftKings points. Green is remarkably consistent and a sure 5x value if you are looking for that sort of thing, though he does lack significant upside.
My pick: Aldridge(PF); Johnson(PF)
Center:
Best Bets:
DeMarcus Cousins ($10,900): Cousins was a huge disappointment on Wednesday against the MInnesota frontcourt, especially after The Brow got the heave-ho in the first half. I don’t like the matchup with Utah, but without Gobert up front, you have to pick your poison. I expect Udoh to play more minutes just because the Jazz are going to want size up front, which would put Favors on Davis. Cousins could be in a position to dominate tonight.
Karl-Anthony Towns ($8,600): Towns has been a guy to use based on matchups this year, but this is a really good one. Towns has 112.25 DraftKings points in just two games against the Thunder. I am comfortable taking this step down. I also prefer Towns over Drummond because Drummond was shut down by Washington earlier this year.
Honorable Mention:
Dwight Howard ($7,500): Howard was able to do what few centers have been able to do over the last month. He had a big game against Toronto. Now he gets to face a Miami team that is without Hassan Whiteside. That makes Miami much smaller up front. Howard isn’t the player he once was, but he can still put up some pretty big numbers in a situation like this.
Nikola Vucevic ($7,200): I am usually slow to trust Vucevic, but he put up 35.25 DraftKings points in the first meeting with the Warriors and he has six straight games of at least 5x value. Whatever kind of slump he had in mid November is gone now. Vucevic is a strong play, but he lacks huge upside.
Dark Horses:
Steven Adams ($5,800): Apparently Towns can’t stop Adams either. Adams has 76.75 DraftKings points in the two games against Minnesota this year. Adams is a nice option for those pinching pennies at the position, and should turn it at least 6x value again.
Bam Adebayo ($4,100): Any time that a starter goes down, the backup should be strongly considered. Adebayo had a decent game in place of Whiteside on Wednesday, but he is going to have his hands full against Howard tonight. Enough so that 5x value is going to be a chore. Just food for you guys who are going to throw Bam out there.
My pick: Towns(C); Adams(C)
Stay tuned for our FanDuel picks! 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.