DraftKings NBA picks December 27: Is James King against the Kings?

DETROIT, MI – DECEMBER 22: Tobias Harris #34 of the Detroit Pistons reacts to a second half three point basket while playing the New York Knicks at Little Caesars Arena on December 22, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit won the game 104-101. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA picks December 27: Is James King against the Kings?

After a big eight game slate, we are up to ten for our Wednesday DraftKings tournament. It combines a lot of the value of yesterday with the star power of Christmas Day. There are a few players in back to backs, so watch out for resting players!

Point Guards

Best Bets:

John Wall ($8,900): Westbrook has three straight 60+ DraftKings points games, but I don’t trust him against the top point guard defense in the league. With this many teams in action, you can do better. One place that I expect more is Wall. Wall was finally back up to his normal workload on Christmas Day in the win over Boston. Wall only had 31.75 in the first meeting with Atlanta, but he played just 24 minutes and took just eight shots in a lopsided win. There is a chance that this game could get out of hand as well, but I still see Wall playing 30 minutes.

Tyreke Evans ($8,400): It’s almost to the point where we are disappointed when Evans gets 43.25 DraftKings points like he did last night. That’s how good Evans has been with Mike Conley out. Evans only put up 33.25 DraftKings points in his first game with the Lakers, but he was mostly playing small forward then. He wont have to deal with Ingram tonight, which is a big plus for Evans’ value.

Honorable Mention:

Kris Dunn ($7,200): Dunn had one of the better nights on the slate last night, topping 50 DraftKings points for just $7,000. Dunn put up 43.75 on the Knicks in the first meeting in just 29 minutes. He has been playing more minutes than that lately. Dunn is one of my favorites on the slate, and I wouldn’t be shocked if he tops 50 again.

Spencer Dinwiddie ($6,900): This is another favorable matchup for Dinwiddie, who has done well against those teams in the bottom ten in point guard defense. The Pelicans are 27th in the league in fantasy points allowed to point guards. If you are looking to fade Dunn, Dinwiddie is likely your best bet to do so and get somewhere close to Dunn’s production.

Jeff Teague ($6,100): Teague put up 36.5 DraftKings points in Denver in the first meeting this year. Now, Teague was slightly under value in great matchup against the Suns and Lakers since the Denver game, so he is not a sure thing. There is a lot of talent on this Minnesota team, so Teague’s production has a tendency to be sproadic.

Dark Horses:

Jamal Murray ($5,900): Murray torched the Timberwolves last week for 45 DraftKings points. He was hot from beyond the arc and played a ton of minutes in that game. The trouble with counting on Murray is that his minutes directly suffer if he doesn’t shoot well in the early going. He is capable of big nights, but has a very low floor.

George Hill ($4,500): Hill isn’t going to put up the type of game that wows anyone, but he has hit 6x value in each of the last three games with De’Aaron Fox out. Hill is playing more minutes since he isn’t ceding any to Fox, so he is a good bet to hang around that 6x value, though he likely wont get you any more.

Josh Hart ($4,500): Hart has played 73 minutes over the last two games filling in first for KCP then Ball. He has responded with 56.5 DraftKings points in that span. So long as Hart is getting big minutes, which he should for the duration of Ball’s absence and in road games, Hart is a great value.

My pick: Dunn(PG), Hart(G); Dunn(PG), Hill(G)

CHICAGO, IL – DECEMBER 13: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz dunks against the Chicago Bullsat the United Center on December 13, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bulls defeated the Jazz 103-100. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Shooting Guards:

Best Bets:

Bradley Beal ($7,400): Beal did more damage than Wall did (35.5 DraftKings points) in the first meeting, while still only playing 27 minutes. Washington should be fairly well rested, but there is still some risk of them sitting for much of the last quarter if this is out of hand, However, I don’t trust Oladipo against the tough Dallas defense on the outside, nor do I trust Butler to hit value against Denver. The Nuggets are the only team to hold Butler under 40 this month besides his cold shooting night against Phoenix. Also, we saw what Roberson did to Harden on Christmas. He is likely going to hold DeRozan well under value as well. Beal is the safest of the minefield of top SG options tonight.

Donovan Mitchell ($7,000): Not everyone is cold in their first game back. Mitchell sank 12 of 16 shots against a good Thunder team en route to 39.75 DraftKings points. The Warriors are one of the worst teams in the league in allowing fantasy points to shooting guards. There is value to be had here. Maybe even more than Beal.

Honorable Mention:

Jordan Clarkson ($5,600): Clarkson played big minutes on Christmas Day with Lonzo Ball out. Clarkson took it to Memphis with 30 DraftKings points in just 20 minutes in the first meeting. With Clarkson playing around 35 minutes this time, he has the chance to put up some big numbers here.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($5,300): The more I watch KCP, the more I realize that for someone that is not an elite scorer, he sure takes a ton of bad shots. I get it. The Lakers needed this type of player when they signed him, but I just don’t see him as an integral part of this team right now. KCP did put up 29.25 DraftKIngs points in the first meeting with Memphis. He will have plenty of open shots tonight. The only question here is how many, if any, he can hit.

Courtney Lee ($5,100): Lee is mostly a scorer, but that is what the Knicks need from him. Lee put up 26 DraftKings points against the Bulls in the first meeting. That isn’t a long ways above value, but anyone that takes as many shots as Lee does has the potential to put up a big night at any time.

Buddy Hield ($5,000): You just never know what you’re going to get with Hield. He only played seven minutes in the first half last night despite starting the game. Conventional wisdom says that Hield can light it up against Cleveland. The Cavs allowed 34 DraftKings points to Hield in the first game in 25 minutes. If Hield plays more than 20 minutes, he is a lock to hit value tonight.

Dark Horses:

Terry Rozier ($4,600): Either Rozier or Smart will start for Jaylen Brown tonight. Rozier put up 33.75 DraftKings points in 28 minutes in the first meeting with Charlotte. I like the upside of both, but Rozier could be the better value. Smart is more consistent if you don’t want to incur much risk.

Allen Crabbe ($4,200): Crabbe is a constant source of value. He has at least 5x value in four straight and six of the last eight. The downside is that Crabbe has only broken 6x value once in that span. Crabbe is likely best suited for cash games due to his limited upside.

Jamal Crawford ($3,900): Crawford had his best game of the season against Denver last week. Crawford has provided a nice scoring spark off of the Timberwolves bench lately, and is a strong value play for as long as he continues to hit his shots.

My pick: Clarkson(SG), Smart(SF); Mitchell(SG), Rozier(UTIL)

LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 23: Kyle Kuzma #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers gains position on Al-Farouq Aminu #8 of the Portland Trail Blazers during the second half of a game at Staples Center on December 23, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

Small Forwards:

Best Bets:

LeBron James ($11,700): I wasn’t that crazy about LeBron in the first game against the Kings. I expected a blowout and limited minutes. Instead, LeBron played 41 minutes and racked up 69.75 DraftKings points. LeBron’s horrible outing on Christmas snapped a streak of 11 straight games of over 60 DraftKings points. The good news is that Sacramento doesn’t have anyone that can guard him. LeBron has a great shot at getting back into the 60’s here.

Kyle Kuzma ($7,400): Kuzma was the only reason that the Lakers stayed as close for as long as they did on Christmas night. He now has more than 40 DraftKings points in four of the last five games. Two of those topped 50. He isn’t going to do that against a decent Memphis team, but he did put up 31 DraftKings points on them the first time around. There is a good chance that he hits 5x value tonight due to him being the entire offense right now.

Honorable Mention:

Otto Porter ($5,900): Porter’s minutes were also limited in the blowout against Atlanta in the first meeting. However, this is a great place to get low risk exposure to this game. The Hawks are the worst team in the league defending small forwards. Porter has a chance to go way over value depending on how long this game stays close.

DeMarre Carroll ($5,300): Brooklyn has a lot of stout, solid players on their team. If you are looking for consistent value, find the nearest Net. Carroll has done beyond that lately though, putting up three straight games of more than 30 DraftKings points. Carroll could be a sneaky value play on a big slate.

Kelly Oubre ($4,700): Oubre has the trust of the coaching staff in that his minutes haven’t really been reduced with the return of Porter. Oubre has provided a lot of value off of the bench for the Wizards, including 30.25 DraftKings points in the first meeting. He is a strong value play with decent upside tonight.

Dark Horses:

Bojan Bogdanovic ($4,300): Bogdanovic plays a lot of minutes, so it is actually pretty hard for him to not hit value unless his shot isn’t falling. He is not a big part of the offense, nor is he a prolific defender, but he is a decent value play against a solid defensive team like Dallas.

Andre Roberson ($3,700): Well, if you are looking for an interesting dart throw, Roberson is your guy. He had a huge game against Harden defensively on Christmas Day. Whenever he guards someone who has the ball in his hands a lot, Roberson is a decent value play. That will be the case against Toronto tonight. DeRozan doesn’t handle the ball as much as Harden, but he will have it quite a bit.

Darius Miller ($3,300): If you find yourself in a salary predicament and don’t mind playing a backup, Miller is a pretty good choice. He is more offensively oriented than Dante Cunningham. Points could be at a premium against the Nets tonight, so I could see Miller being a larger part of the game plan like he was against Miami.

My pick: N/A; James(SF)

MILWAUKEE, WI – OCTOBER 20: Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers discussses a call with referee Marc Davis #8 during a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center on October 20, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

Power Forwards

Best Bets:

Kristaps Porzingis ($8,600): Porzingis is taking a ton of shots lately, but they aren’t falling. That makes him a strong upside play since Porzingis’s price has fallen to this point. He is always a risk due to his penchant for getting hurt during games or going ice cold from the field. There is risk involved with all of the expensive power forwards tonight, but few are as underpriced as Porzingis.

Kevin Love ($8,300): Love showed up LeBron on Christmas, so that likely means the King will take over against the Kings. However, the Kings are pretty weak in the interior. Love put up 38.75 DraftKings points in only 29 minutes in the first meeting. Love is probably the safest pick above $8,000 at the position.

Honorable Mention:

Harrison Barnes ($6,600): Barnes often goes unnoticed because he is so consistent. Only the Spurs have held Barnes under 25 DraftKings points in the last month, but he has also not topped 40 DraftKings points either. This is a solid matchup for Barnes, and you likely wont know what he does unless you roster him. He wont come in way over or under value.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson ($6,400): RHJ has been playing at a high level lately. He has at least 5x value in three straight and eight of ten. I expect his rebounds to go down against Davis tonight, but I also expect Hollis-Jefferson to give Davis some fits despite being undersized.

Zach Randolph ($6,300): Randolph dominated the Cavs in the first meeting, putting up 48 DraftKings points on them. That wont happen again with Love spending more time at PF with Thompson back, but Randolph should still get enough cracks at Cavs other than Love to hit value at this price.

Dark Horses:

Serge Ibaka ($5,900): Ibaka has had a consistently strong December. To the point where I no longer worry about using him for DFS purposes anymore. The Thunder are nearing the bottom ten in power forward defense. This would be a very good time to use Ibaka up front.

Julius Randle ($5,200): Randle racked up 29 DraftKings points in just 17 minutes in the first meeting with Memphis. Now Randle is seeing more minutes with BroLo out, and JaMychal Green is also out. This could be a monster game for Randle at a very affordable price.

Jarell Martin ($4,100): Martin is seeing more run with Green out, and has put up at least 4x value in both of those games. Wright is starting, but Martin is seeing more minutes off the bench and is producing at a higher level. If you are targeting this spot for value, you want Martin.

My pick: Randolph(PF); Randle(PF)

WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 19: DeMarcus Cousins #0 of the New Orleans Pelicans looks on against the Washington Wizards in the first half at Capital One Arena on December 19, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Center:

Best Bets:

DeMarcus Cousins ($11,500): Neither Boogie nor Brow have been over value much at all lately. The rhetoric is that Davis is outplaying Cousins, but that isn’t necessarily the truth for DFS purposes. Cousins is still outperforming Davis there. If you are hell bent on using one of them against the somewhat undersized but feisty Knicks, it should be Cousins.

Marc Gasol ($8,800): The Lakers weren’t very good against centers anyway. Now you take out Lopez. The return of Bogut has helped, but Gasol is still in a position to dominate. Just keep an eye on this one since Memphis played last night. The team may opt to limit Gasol’s minutes or sit him entirely.

Karl-Anthony Towns ($8,700): This is not a great matchup for Towns on paper, but he put up 48.5 DraftKings points against the Nuggets last week. In that game, Towns outplayed Jokic. If you were just checking numbers, Jokic is the clear play here. However, I am intrigued by what Towns did against them in Denver.

Honorable Mention:

Nikola Jokic ($8,600): The Timberwolves are 27th in the league defending the center position. Jokic didn’t come close to value last week, but that was his first game back to normal minutes after missing two weeks. We saw Jokic have a strong game against Portland on Friday, so there is a chance that he is getting back to where he was.

Enes Kanter ($6,800): Kanter put up back to back huge games over Christmas weekend. Kanter has 116 DraftKings points in his last two games. The Bulls are not an easy matchup, but with the way Kanter is playing, he is likely a safer option than Porzingis.

Steven Adams ($5,700): It’s easy for Adams to fly under the radar on a team like this. Still, he has at least 30 DraftKings points in eight of the last 11 games. It is virtually impossible for Adams to put up a huge night with the players on this team, but as you can see, he is routinely going well over 5x value.

Dark Horses:

Willie Cauley-Stein ($5,600): Cauley-Stein put up a big game last night against the Clippers. WCS has become a strong scorer up front for the Kings as well as a strong defender. He is a rather strong pick against the Cleveland interior at this price.

Brandan Wright ($3,600): Wright is a cheap starter, but is not a sure thing here. At any rate, any healthy body in the Memphis frontcourt can be a good value play against the Lakers. Wright is worth a flier if you need to go cheap, but I do prefer Martin if you have the extra $500.

My pick: Jokic(C), Kanter(F), Adams(UTIL); Cauley-Stein(C)

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