DraftKings NBA picks December 8: Play Durant Over LeBron?

ATLANTA, GA – DECEMBER 04: Caris LeVert #22 of the Brooklyn Nets drives against Marco Belinelli #3 of the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena on December 4, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia.(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA picks December 8: Play Durant Over LeBron?

There are eight games in the NBA tonight, which puts half the league in the DraftKings tournament. Most of the key point guards were in action last night. Tonight we have the small forwards and Boogie. Who should we go with?

Point Guards

Best Bets:

Kemba Walker ($8,100): I do like Lowry, but not against Memphis. They have been even better preventing fantasy points to point guards with Evans out front than they were with Conley. This is a good night to drop down to Walker, though the only drop is in price. Walker lit up the Bulls for 64 DraftKings points in the first meeting. Dunn has done better guarding the point, but that’s not going to cut it against Walker. Kemba is looking for his third straight game over 44 DraftKings points. He should get it with relative ease.

Kyrie Irving ($8,000): The Spurs are one of the better teams in the league defending the point, but Irving must have missed that memo. Kyrie put up 44.5 DraftKings points on them in just 30 minutes in the first meeting. Irving’s quickness is a big asset for him against the slower and aging Spurs.

Honorable Mention:

Jrue Holiday ($7,100): Holiday put up 37 DraftKings points in his first meeting with the Kings. Fine, but not great. However, Holiday has put up 90.25 DraftKings points over the last two games with Anthony Davis out. If I had to guess, I would think Davis will be out tonight as well. My guess is that he will come back for one of the two games on Sunday and Monday. The Pelicans are going to be careful with Davis, as they should. That increases Holiday’s value immensely if Davis is out again.

Eric Bledsoe ($6,700): Bledsoe was a miserable 2-10 from the field in just 21 minutes in his first outing against Dallas. In all fairness, that was just his second game with his new team, and Bledsoe was still learning how to play with these guys. He seems to have it figured out now. Bledsoe has at least 28 DraftKings points in every game since that Dallas game and has only been under 5x value one other time. It looks like the first Dallas tilt was the outlier.

Elfrid Payton ($6,600): Payton’s inconsistency is tough to deal with from a DFS standpoint, but the Nuggets are pretty bad against the point. Like bottom five bad. His minutes are back up to where they should be, but Payton has yet to really get his scoring back yet. There is some risk involved, but the matchup makes this interesting.

Dark Horses:

Rajon Rondo ($5,900): Rondo is a strong source of assists and steals. He is back up to his normal minutes load from last year now, and has only been under ten assists once in those four games. Rondo has never been much of a scorer, but his ability as a defender and facilitator make him a safe fantasy option, but without a ton of upside.

Fred VanVleet ($3,700): VanVleet has been over 20 DratKings points in each of the last three games. Delon Wright is going to have trouble regaining this job when he gets back because of the job the Wichita State product is doing. VanVleet doesn’t start, but he has a large enough role on the second unit to make him a low risk value play.

Quinn Cook ($3,500): Cook performed well getting the starting nod for Curry on Wednesday night. He picked up 16.75 DraftKings points, but played only 22 minutes. Livingston ate into his minutes, but didn’t play very well. I could see Cook carving out a little better role due to his solid game on Wednesday. If I’m taking a flier on a Warriors point guard, it’s going to be Cook.

TORONTO, ON – OCTOBER 19: DeMar DeRozan #10 of the Toronto Raptors stands for the anthems prior to the first half of an NBA game against the Chicago Bulls at Air Canada Centre on October 19, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /

Shooting Guards:

Best Bets:

Victor Oladipo ($8,900): One day soon Oladipo will get to a price where I don’t really want to pay for him. I would say that point is tonight, but team after team is lighting up the Cavs from the off guard spot. Oladipo is one of the better shooting guards in the league right now. He promises to do the same.

DeMar DeRozan ($7,800): Memphis was a strong defensive team last year, but that hasn’t really been the case this year. They still have some elite defenders like Conley, Evans, and Marc Gasol, but the other positions have been shaky at best. DeRozan has averaged 43.8 DraftKings points over the last three games. I really doubt that Memphis can hold him under that.

Honorable Mention:

Tyreke Evans ($7,500): I like this matchup a little less since Lowry is a good defender himself, but Evans has had a pretty good run at the point with Conley out. Evans was a bit of a disappointment against the Knicks in what was generally a pretty sloppy game. He will look to snap out of it against a decent Toronto team.

Will Barton ($6,900): Barton cracked 50 DraftKings points against the Magic earlier this season. Denver is still running a smaller lineup with all of the injuries up front, which has increased Barton’s minutes and output by quite a bit. He has averaged 40 DraftKings points per game since the injury to Jokic. Look for another strong game from Barton tonight.

Gary Harris ($6,400): While Barton has shown the ability to put up bigger numbers, it has been Harris that has been the consistent one of the bunch. Harris has over 25 DraftKings points in all but one game since the beginning of November. Harris is the better cash game play if you only have room for one, but he is valuable in GPP formats as well.

Dark Horses:

Jonathon Simmons ($5,600): The injury to Fournier will mean increase offensive opportunities for Simmons who already has a nose for scoring. Add to that the fact that this should be a high scoring affair in Denver, and you have what could be a big time value play in Simmons.

Denzel Valentine ($5,400): Valentine racked up 36.25 DraftKings points in the first meeting with Charlotte, but we shouldn’t expect that much this time around. Batum was out for Charlotte, so we can temper our expectations. 6x value is still very possible though.

Arron Afflalo ($3,400): Afflalo looks to be the starter with Evan Fournier out. It will either be him or D.J. Augustin soaking up the extra minutes. At least for tonight, I would expect it to be Afflalo against his former team. I will switch to Augustin if Afflalo doesn’t start.

ATLANTA, GA – NOVEMBER 30: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts after dunking against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena on November 30, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia.(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Small Forwards:

Best Bets:

LeBron James ($11,700): The Pacers are among the top ten teams in defense against small forwards, but LeBron lit them up for 61 DraftKings points in the first meeting. James is playing at a very high level right now. It’s hard to recommend fading James at this point. I can say that the Pacers aren’t a great matchup, but he has already proven once that that didn’t matter.

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,000): Giannis has a higher floor than pretty much anyone. We all know how high the ceiling is as well. This is not a great matchup against Dallas, but he wont be under 40. That’s the only thing we know for sure.

Kevin Durant ($10,700): Durant was a monster against Charlotte with Curry out. Detroit is a much worse matchup, but Curry is out again. I don’t do this very often, but I am completely ignoring the matchup. Durant’s usage rate is going to be astronomical again. I would take him over LeBron right now, and it isn’t just because of the price.

Honorable Mention:

Nicolas Batum ($6,100): The middle tier tonight is blown because of poor matchups for Barnes and Tobias Harris. Both were under 4x value in the first matchup against their respective opponents tonight. Batum was not good against Chicago the first time around, but he gets a pass since he was cold coming off of injury. Batum has averaged 33 DraftKings points per game in December. He is trending the right direction finally.

Thaddeus Young ($6,000): Young destroyed Cleveland in hit first meeting, racking up 42 DraftKings points on them. Young is still the starter and plays most of the minutes at the position, so we don’t really have to worry about Sabonis moving in on his action. The price is solid here for what Young can put up tonight.

Justin Holiday ($5,500): Holiday picked up 39.75 DraftKings points on Charlotte the first time around. The Bulls’ two most accomplished scorer are on the wings, and that is where Charlotte is the weakest. Both Bulls wings are worth playing tonight. The Hornets haven’t been able to stop anyone out there.

Dark Horses:

Andre Iguodala ($4,500): Iguodala picked up 29 DraftKings points with Curry out on Wednesday. His knee didn’t seem to be an issue, and Iguodala picked up come of the scoring with Curry sidelined. Durant was the big dog, but even he needs a pack. Iguodala is one of the biggest pieces behind K.D.

Trey Lyles ($4,000): Lyles has emerged as the Denver frontcourt bargain to have. Faried is still a solid option, but Lyles plays more minutes and more positions. Lyles has at least 5.5x value in every game with Jokic out. Faried has more upside, but Lyles is the safer play.

Stanley Johnson ($3,700): Johnson plays a lot of minutes. He played 40 in the first meeting with the Warriors, and had his best game of the season. Johnson picked up 29 DraftKings points in that game. The Warriors aren’t the greatest defensive team, and Johnson is priced to buy. His inconsistency could be an issue, but he has the upside you want in a GPP dart throw.

NEW ORLEANS, LA – FEBRUARY 18: Aaron Gordon #00 of the Orlando Magic competes in the 2017 Verizon Slam Dunk Contest at Smoothie King Center on February 18, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

Power Forwards

Best Bets:

Kevin Love ($8,500): Most of the high powered small forwards are eligible here as well, so you may not have to dig any deeper. If you do, Love was average in the first meeting against Indiana. However, he has been really good lately. Good enough to think about moving down to.

Aaron Gordon ($8,400): Consistency has been Gordon’s major issue. He struggled against Denver in the first meeting, but Denver was at full strength up front in that game. I like this matchup tonight against Lyles, Faried, and Plumlee. I don’t see any combination of those three shutting down Gordon tonight.

Honorable Mention:

Draymond Green ($7,700): Green is probable for tonight, and if he plays, I see him taking on a lot of Curry’s normal duties. He may not run the point per se, but he is such a good passer that the Warriors would be a little foolish not to use him. If Green is out there, he is a great play. However, he takes some of the value away from Durant, and maybe even Iguodala and Cook as well. Make sure to check Green’s status before lineups lock.

LaMarcus Aldridge ($7,600): Aldridge did struggle against Boston the first time around, but power forwards have demolished the Celtics for most of the season. I would be lying if I said that I wasnt’t a bit concerned with LMA’s lack of production since the start of December. He looked like a great play against Miami, and that didn’t work out. There is a lot of risk here.

Lauri Markkanen ($5,600): Markkanen put up 34.25 DraftKings points in the first meeting with the Hornets. Markkanen’s skill set is better suited to attack Charlotte, so I see him getting the bulk of the minutes tonight. The only thing that could throw a wrench in this is if Nikola Mirotic returns.

Dark Horses:

Kenneth Faried ($4,900): The emergence of Trey Lyles could put a halt to Faried’s rise off of the bench. I still think he’s worth using against Orlando because Faried should match up pretty well with Aaron Gordon. That should mean more minutes for Faried, but who knows with Mike Malone running the show. Expect the unexpected.

Dante Cunningham ($3,600): Cunningham is the starter again if Anthony Davis is out. He has put up 7x value in all three games with Davis out, and makes a perfect punt play. If Davis does play for some reason, I would stay away from Cunningham and any other value play that soaked up Brow’s production.

Max Kleber ($3,200): Kleber had a career night on Wednesday agianst Boston, putting up 32.75 DraftKings points. He’s going to have a little bit of a tougher time against Milwaukee tonight, but at this price, it doesn’t take much for him to hit value. The upside is clearly there. That makes Kleber an enticing GPP option.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – NOVEMBER 07: DeMarcus Cousins #0 of the New Orleans Pelicans celebrates after tipping in a basket in the final minute of the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on November 7, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Center:

Best Bets:

DeMarcus Cousins ($11,800): Sometimes a player playing his former team isn’t about revenge. This one likely is. Boogie’s time in Sacramento was great and horrible, often at the same time. Cousins demolished his former team with 83.75 DraftKings points in the first meeting. Even if Davis is in, Cousins remains an elite option.

Andre Drummond ($9,400): Drummond put up 46 DraftKings points in the first meeting with the Warriors. Drummond is an elite rebounder, so his floor is always pretty high. On a night like this, it’s pretty hard to fade Cousins, but you can try to fit both of them in your lineup. There is enough value out there to get creative. It would likely look better than the Harden/Westbrook lineup last night.

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Honorable Mention:

Al Horford ($7,600): Horford put up 42.75 DraftKings points in the first meeting with the Spurs. Horford has broken the 40 point threshold in four straight games. He has a really good chance at making it five here. Gasol has never been a great protector, so a hot Horford may be the way to go.

Myles Turner ($6,200): Turner’s inconsistency will keep some away, but Cleveland has not been very good with Tristan Thompson missing. Make sure to keep an eye on Turner’s availability for tonight since he is nursing a sore calf. Turner has at least 26 DrafftKings points in six of the last seven games. If he plays, this is a good matchup against the Cavs.

Dark Horses:

Dirk Nowitzki ($4,700): This is not an upside play. You know what you are getting with Dirk, but he has been over 20 DraftKings points in ever game for the past dozen matchups. He is a solid value play, but may be better left for cash games.

Jakob Poeltl ($3,600): Poeltl has seen 48 minutes combined over the last two games. His role is growing, which makes him a sneaky play at this price range. Nothing in this Toronto frontcourt is certain right now, but if you are building a lineup based on upside, Poeltl is an interesting play.

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