DraftKings NBA picks December 23: Play the towers of terror against Miami!

We are tipping the scales with a dozen Saturday games this week! There is a lot of value out there again, but we need to pick the right star players too. Most of the value plays are on the west coast, so keep an eye on those lineups because the really big GPP’s on DraftKings still don’t have late swap back in them…….yet!

Point Guards

Best Bets:

Kyrie Irving ($8,800): Westbrook’s average against Utah in three games this year is what he put up against them on Monday: 56. That isn’t enough for his lofty price tag. Meanwhile, Irving has back to back games of 40+ DraftKings points. It is a bit misleading because the Heat didn’t have Dragic, but he seems to be trending upward. The Bulls likely stop here because they wont stop Irving. Chicago is the fifth worst team in the league defending the point.

Kris Dunn ($6,900): I know that Boston is tough against the point, but Dunn has produced against everyone lately. Dunn has only been under 30 DraftKings points once in the last ten games, and has only been under 35 once more in that span. That’s eight games at at least 5x value even at this price. Temper your expectations against Irving, but 5x value looks very possible.

Lonzo Ball ($6,900): One of the league’s more exciting rookies taking on Shabazz Napier instead of Lillard? Yes please! Portland’s top ten point guard defense doesn’t fly without Lillard. Ball could be in for a pretty big game here.

Honorable Mention:

Spencer Dinwiddie ($6,400): Dinwiddie’s shot was falling last night, so it’s no coincidence that he was back over 5x value. He was just 1-6 from the floor against Indiana back on Sunday, but maybe he’s feeling it from last night. There are a lot of injuries and bad matchups at the top at this position tonight. You can do much worse than Dinwiddie.

Jeff Teague ($6,200): Teague will always have his upside capped on a team with this much talent, but he has done well against Phoenix this year. Teague put up 38.75 on them just last weekend. I could see him putting up the same kind of stat line tonight, which leaves him in play at this price.

Tyler Johnson ($5,400): Johnson even put up a good stat line against the best point guard defense in the league. New Orleans is in the bottom third. Don’t hesitate to play Johnson against the Pelicans unless for some odd reason Dragic winds up playing. The consensus is that he will not play though. That leaves Johnson open for a big night.

Dark Horses:

Shabazz Napier ($5,100): Napier had a solid night filling in for Lillard last night, and should again tonight against the Lakers. Napier isn’t going to have a huge night. In fact, this whole offense looked lost last night. However, he is still going to get 6x value or more for this price tag. The best PG options dollar for dollar are in the lower tier tonight.

Isaiah Canaan ($4,800): Canaan has helped jump start the Phoenix offense with Booker out. He put up 30.25 DraftKings points on the Timberwolves last weekend, so there is no reason that he can’t do that again. Canaan is a very good bargain play tonight.

Malcolm Delaney ($3,800): It’s a mess for the Hawks with Lillard out. Delaney put up 20 points and a huge DraftKings point night at his salary last night. He will have the opportunity to do the same tonight. The going will be tougher against Dallas, but Delaney is still good for at least 6x value and likely more.

My pick: Johnson(PG), Delaney(G); Napier(PG), Johnson(G)

Shooting Guards:

Best Bets:

Victor Oladipo ($9,600): I get it. For veteran DFS players its still pretty hard to get used to Oladipo being priced as an elite option. Is he really worth it? As with anyone, it depends on the matchup. Oladipo put up 41.75 and 42.25 DraftKings points in the first meetings with the Nets this year. Oladipo has been at or above that mark in seven of the last ten games. That isn’t quite 5x value, but it also gives you an idea of where he will be tonight.

Tyreke Evans ($7,900): Evans has played well with Mike Conley out. He is playing more off the ball now with the emergence of Harrison, and that suits him just fine. Evans is putting up numbers across the board since he is the primary ball handler for roughly half the game. As long as he has these added responsibilities, Evans is worth paying for most of the time.

Honorable Mention:

C.J. McCollum ($7,700): McCollum didn’t shoulder as much of the scoring load as I thought he would last night for a couple of reasons. One, the Denver defense pretty much shut the whole team down. Two, the team didn’t score all that much to begin with. The Blazers get a reprieve tonight against the Blazers. McCollum could have a huge night tonight with KCP trying to guard him.

Khris Middleton ($7,600): Merry Christmas to the Bucks! Their reward is that they get to go to Charlotte and beat the team that they beat last night. Middleton had 28 in that game, so yeah, he’s worth using again.

Jonathon Simmons ($6,500): Simmons had a team high 22 points in the loss last night. He has rounded into the premier perimeter scorer for the Magic with Fournier out. It is worth riding the wave until Fournier regains his role. That wont be tonight, so Simmons is a solid option against a Washington team that just got blasted by Brooklyn last night.

Josh Richardson ($6,400): Richardson continues to put up huge numbers with Dragic out. Miami doesn’t have to worry about mouths to feed on the inside at all with James Johnson and Whiteside out as well. Richardson is one of the main offensive focal points right now, and is worth playing against anyone.

Dark Horses:

Caris LeVert ($5,200): His pitiful offering against the Raptors earlier this week will still leave a bad taste in some people’s mouths. LeVert played 26 minutes and had just five DraftKings points. Five! LeVert has righted the ship since then with three straight games of 5x value or more. He should be able to hit that mark against an Indiana team that has allowed 55.5 DraftKings points to LeVert in two games this year.

Wesley Matthews ($4,500): Matthews was cold last night, but he put up 34.5 DraftKings points on the Hawks in the first meeting. Atlanta is bad on the perimeter, so Matthews could see plenty of open shots, even with Dennis Smith back.

Mario Hezonja ($4,500): Aaron Gordon is most likely out again, so Hezonja should start tonight against the smaller Wizards. The Magic threw Marreese Speights out there last night to combat the massive size of the Pelicans with mixed results. Hezonja outplayed him in far less minutes. We should see Hezonja with another solid value game tonight.

My pick: Richardson(SG); Richardson(SG)

Small Forwards:

Best Bets:

Kevin Durant ($11,500): Durant didn’t have as big of a game with Draymond back, but he was still the focal point of the offense and over 60 DraftKings points. The Warriors play again on Christmas Day, so they could rest Durant tonight with Draymond back. Make sure to check on his status leading up to game time. Again, the Warriors play late and word may not come down before the lock time of the big GPP’s. Thanks for that DraftKings. They have started to bring back the late swap everywhere but the NBA. Bring it back. We wont bite!

Paul George ($7,100): Once again, Giannis missed out on 5x value by quite a lot against Charlotte. The chance of him getting 5x value tonight are practically zero. I would rather roll the dice with George, who has been respectable in both games against the Jazz. George should be closer to 5x value than Giannis tonight.

Honorable Mention:

Kyle Kuzma ($6,700): Kuzma had another huge game last night. The focus has changed from Ingram to Kuzma on the offense. Kuzma has three straight games of more than 40 DraftKings points. Ride him until he cools down. The only bad thing is everyone else will as well.

Nicolas Batum ($5,300): Batum had a solid game last night, but therein lies the problem. Solid wont cut it most of the time. He has been a little slow working back into the fold in Charlotte, but last night was a good sign. Consistency would be a good thing, but the options at this range at the position are average at best tonight. Batum at least hit value last night.

Al-Farouq Aminu ($5,200): Aminu should have been able to dominate Denver last night, but he didn’t. This is another great matchup for him on paper. Do you feel like taking the chance again? The silver lining is that I really doubt that he goes 1-9 from the field again tonight.

Dark Horses:

Trey Lyles ($4,500): Lyles came up big again last night filling in for Paul Millsap. I have no clue how he is still this cheap besides the fact that he doesn’t factor much in the offense, but Lyles is a double-double waiting to happen.

Allen Crabbe ($4,400): Carroll was the guy that went off last night, but the Pacers have handled him well in both games so far. Crabbe they have had a few more issues with. Crabbe put up 52.25 DraftKings points in the first two games against Indiana. That works out to over 6x value if he can do it again.

Wayne Ellington ($3,900): Ellington was matching Richardson shot for shot last night. They were both on fire. If it happens again, Ellington is a much better value. I like Ellington as a flier in this price range if you can’t afford Richardson. I wouldn’t even be opposed to using them both against the Pelicans.

My pick: Lyles(SF); Kuzma(SF)

Power Forwards

Best Bets:

Anthony Davis ($10,400): Davis and Cousins both had big nights last night, and they should tonight against a Miami team that is a shell of what they should be up front. Both Johnson and Whiteside are out which will provide nice value plays for Miami, but none of them can guard these two. When it’s all said and done, I prefer Boogie tonight. However, I think I want both.

LaMarcus Aldridge ($7,600): This looks to be a very good matchup for Aldridge regardless of how long Kawhi plays tonight. LMA struggled against the Jazz, but most teams do up front. He wont have that issue with the Kings. Leonard will be on a minutes limit here as well. It really doesn’t matter what it is since I doubt Kawhi plays half the game.

Honorable Mention:

Draymond Green ($7,200): Green looked good in his return to game action last night. Good enough for me to use him against a Denver team that is still missing Paul Millsap. Green put up 43.25 DraftKings points in the first meeting with Denver, and that was with a healthy Millsap. He could be even better tonight.

Nikola Mirotic ($6,500): Mirotic had his coming out party against Boston back on the 11th. Mirotic racked up 37.5 DraftKings points in 31 minutes in that game. Power forward continues to be a problem for the Celtics. Beasley ripped them up a couple of nights ago. Is tonight Mirotic’s night to do it again?

Taj Gibson ($5,900): Gibson has already played the Suns three times. I can guarantee that they remember him well. GIbson put up 112.75 DraftKings points in those three games. The Suns obviously don’t have anyone that can handle Gibson on the inside. That makes him a safe value play with adequate upside.

Dark Horses:

John Collins ($5,500): Collins had a good game last night, and he continues to be a very nice value source. However, his upside is capped so long as Ersan Ilyasova starts in front of him. Collins put up 25.25 DraftKings points in the first meeting against Dallas. That is pretty close to 5x value even at this price. Collins wont wow you with stats, but he will get you what you ask for.

Jordan Bell ($4,300): This is only in play if Zaza sits again, but Bell has been better than him anyway. It was another double double for Bell last night. It is only a matter of time before he takes this job anyway. The injury to Pachulia could have just expedited the process.

Chandler Parsons ($3,900): If you are a risk taker, this could be right up your alley. Parsons hasn’t had anything over 27 minutes since his return, but he picked up 28.5 DraftKings points in only 20 minutes against the Clippers earlier this year. And that was with a healthy Blake Griffin and Wes Johnson. There is potential here.

My pick: Davis(PF), Gibson(F); Mirotic(PF)

Center:

Best Bet:

DeMarcus Cousins ($10,800): Boogie took it to an undermanned Orlando front last night. Now he gets a decimated Miami front. It really is Christmas for Boogie. Look for another monster night here.

Karl-Anthony Towns ($9,500): Towns has beaten up Phoenix in the three meetings this season. He racked up 154 DraftKings points in those three games. If you don’t feel like using Cousins in the second night of a back to back, Towns is a very good alternative.

Honorable Mention:

Nikola Jokic ($7,600): Jokic had his way with a Portland team that is pretty solid up front last night. The Warriors are a much better defensive team with Draymond back, so I don’t like this matchup as much as I should. That said, this is too cheap for Jokic, even in a tough matchup. And it could come with the added perk of low ownership.

DeAndre Jordan ($7,400): I am all over Jordan tonight with Marc Gasol out. None of the three that will get minutes can handle Jordan. Jordan has been an animal with Blake Griffin out. I am expecting a huge night here. Everything is lining up for Jordan as well.

Jusuf Nurkic ($6,700): Nurkic picked apart the Lakers in the first meeting to the tune of 46.25 DraftKings points in just 28 minutes. That was with Brook Lopez in there too! Can Randle and Bogut handle Nurkic? I have my doubts. Here is yet another great center option.

Dark Horses:

Alex Len ($5,600): Len dropped a 50 bomb on the Timberwolves last weekend. The chances of him doing that again are pretty slim, but it is worth noting what he is capable of. The inconsistency of Len is well documented, so you know what the risks are.

Julius Randle ($5,300): The Lakers are going at the absence of Lopez on a matchup by matchup basis. It would seem that they need Randle against Nurkic, and Randle put up a double-double last night. He could be a solid value play, but honestly, I don’t see a reason to drop down this far.

Frank Kaminsky ($3,900): Howard left after just five minutes last night, which opened the door for Kaminsky. He put up 15 points and 5 rebounds in 30 minutes. The best thing is that he is eligible at forward as well. If Howard is out, which seems likely, Kaminksy is a great value play.

My pick: Towns(C), Kaminsky(UTIL); Nurkic(C), Jordan(UTIL), Len(F)

Next: FanDuel and FantasyDraft NBA Picks and Pivots!

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