DraftKings NBA picks December 29: Can Charlotte slow down KD tonight?

NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 21: Michael Beasley #8 of the New York Knicks looks on in the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics during their game at Madison Square Garden on December 21, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA picks December 29: Can Charlotte slow down KD tonight?

We are back to nine games on a busy night in the NBA. There are a ton of stars on DraftKings, but also several injuries that open up value across the board. What is the right mix? Let’s find out!

Point Guards

Best Bets:

Russell Westbrook ($11,500): The good news is that Westbrook had a triple double in the first meeting with Milwaukee. The bad news is that he only played 26 minutes and only had 37.5 DraftKings points. However, Westbrook has at least 5x value in six straight and eight of the last nine. He is rolling right now, and the Bucks played last night. He should do much better than last time.

Lou Williams ($7,600): Williams is an elite sixth man that plays starter minutes. He torched the Lakers for 81.75 DraftKings points in two meetings so far. I am a little nervous with the impeding return of Blake Griffin. Especially with Williams priced this high. Kyle Lowry has a tough matchup, but the did well against the Hawks the first time around. He’s a suitable pivot if you don’t trust Williams.

Honorable Mention:

Kris Dunn ($7,400): It’s tough to move off of Dunn right now. He has 69.5 DraftKings points in two games against the Pacers so far this year. That would put him just a touch below 5x value, but he has the upside that we all covet in GPP formats.

Kemba Walker ($7,100): Walker put up 44 DraftKings points in the first game against the Warriors. He had a tough go against Boston, Toronto, and Milwaukee, but he isn’t the only one that has struggled against those teams. I expect Walker to get back on track against the Warriors tonight.

Jordan Clarkson ($6,400): Clarkson has 76 DraftKings points in two games since Lonzo Ball went down. There is no reason to expect him to slow down anytime soon. Clarkson has has some issues translating all his bench success as a starter, but he is doing it this time around. Expect Clarkson at or above 6x value again.

Dark Horses:

Rajon Rondo ($6,100): Did anyone see that coming on Wednesday? Rondo set a franchise record with 25 assists, becoming the only player in the last 20 years to do so. Rondo also accomplished the feat in just 30 minutes of court time, the fewest of any of the seven players to accomplish that feat. Well, that’s one way to work his way back into the rotation. Let’s see if it works. If Rondo starts, I’m all for rolling the dice on him.

Milos Teodosic ($5,000): The Lakers still aren’t a good defensive team against the point, and the Clippers are hell bent on starting Teodosic. He was well over 5x value his last time out, and should be again tonight.

George Hill ($4,900): Hill continues to put up good numbers with Fox out. He will continue to play plenty of minutes, and faces a Suns team that still does not defend well. Hill isn’t going to make your lineup, but he could hit 30, making him a nice value play.

My pick: Westbrook(PG), Dunn(G), Rondo(UTIL); Hill(PG)

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – DECEMBER 25: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets steals the ball away Andre Roberson #21 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half of a NBA game at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on December 25, 2017 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Thunder defeated the Rockets 112-107. (Photo by J Pat Carter/Getty Images) /

Shooting Guards:

Best Bets:

James Harden ($11,600): The same caveat applies as last night. If Chris Paul is out, Harden is a must play. If Paul is in the lineup, Harden wont pile up enough stats to make him worth this price. Thankfully, the Rockets play the early game again so we will know before the entire lineups lock.

Bradley Beal ($7,200): I find it hard to trust the production of John Wall right now. For that reason, Beal could be good for this price. In my opinion, Booker is overpriced. It would take him 42.5 DraftKings points to hit value tonight. That’s a tall order for someone that just came back. DeRozan is just 7-32 from the floor in the last two games, so count me out. That brings us to Beal, who may not outscore Booker, but he should be close.

Josh Richardson ($7,100): I may move off of this pick if Waiters returns tonight. However, Richardson is playing so well that I don’t see how the Heat could bench him. They are still trying to win games, right? Or has the tanking begun already? At any rate, I would think Tyler Johnson would lose his role first, but NBA coaches defy (fantasy) logic all the time. Keep an eye on this situation if you play on using Richardson.

Honorable Mention:

Eric Gordon ($6,100): This is also contingent on the status of Chris Paul. Gordon continues to put up huge numbers whenever he gets the starting nod. He is too inconsistent to rely on otherwise, but when Gordon starts the game, he is a lock for at least 5x value, and usually more.

Lance Stephenson ($5,600): Fire up Lance again! Stephenson was a monster with Oladipo out on Wednesday. With Oladipo out again, expect another big night from Stephenson. Just expect the same amount of ownership that we had on Tyus Jones and Ish Smith last night. It may even be higher than that.

Justin Holiday ($5,500): Quietly, Holiday has become a solid DFS option once again. He went through a rough patch after he returned from injury, but Holiday has been over 22 fantasy points in each of the last nine games. He has little upside, but a nice floor. There is potential for a better game too with Oladipo out.

Dark Horses:

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($5,400): KCP put up a whopping 46 DraftKings points in the first meeting with the Clippers. The Lakers are going to need that kind of production out of him again if Kuzma is out. At any rate, the Clippers still can’t defend the wing, so the upside for KCP is there tonight.

Josh Hart ($4,600): If Kuzma is forced to sit, I would expect Hart to still get around 30 minutes like he has been lately. The rookie has carved out a good role on this team, but that could all go away once the Lakers get healthy again. However, that shouldn’t happen tonight. Hart should still see good run tonight.

Bojan Bogdanovic ($4,500): Bogdanovic should get more shots with Oladipo out. He did on Wednesday, but didn’t do a whole lot with them. Bogdanovic put up 61.25 DraftKings points over the two games with the Bulls this year, and Oladipo was in for both of those matchups. There is a lot of potential here due to his high volume of minutes, but Bogdanovic has struggled with consistency.

My pick: Stephenson(SG); Stephenson(SG), Caldwell-Pope(G)

BOSTON, MA – NOVEMBER 08: Brandon Ingram #14 of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the basket during the first quarter against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on November 8, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images) /

Small Forwards:

Best Bets:

Kevin Durant ($10,600): I don’t trust Giannis to hit value because he rarely does for that price. However, Durant exploded on the Hornets for 72.25 DraftKings points in the first meeting. Curry was also out for that game. If I’m paying up for anyone tonight, it’s going to be Durant. Yes, even if Chris Paul is out again.

Kyle Kuzma ($7,500): Okay, I know all the reports surrounding Kuzma, but if he is in the lineup, I’m comfortable using him. He is the biggest scoring threat for the Lakers right now, and seems to be hitting from everywhere. The problem is that the Lakers tip late. If you are playing in the big GPP tournaments, you are literally padding DraftKings’ pockets by rolling the dice on him. With no late swap, this is way too big of a risk.

Honorable Mention:

Brandon Ingram ($6,600): Ingram played 44 minutes in his return against Memphis. This could be a huge game for Ingram if Kuzma is held out. Of course, the issue is that we likely wont know the status of Kuzma before the full lineup lock. Ingram is a decent play at any rate though, but he loses any upside with Kuzma in the lineup.

Otto Porter ($6,200): Houston is solid defensively, but Porter seems to be playing his full compliment of minutes again. Porter has 30 DraftKings points in three straight games now, and has decent upside. Houston tends to run and then run some more for good measure. I can see Porter having a good game for this price.

Dark Horses:

Larry Nance ($4,300): Nance is going to be a spectacular value if Kuzma is out tonight. It seems likely that Nance would take the starting spot back for as long as Kuzma is out. Nance put up 60 DraftKings points in two games against the Clippers before Kuzma took his job. Expect a big night from Nance if he starts.

Andre Iguodala ($4,200): Iguodala has been the most consistent producer with Curry out. The Warriors throw a bunch of guards out there just to see what sticks. Iguodala consistently sticks. He is a lock for 5x vlaue at this price, and can go well over that on any given night.

Patrick McCaw ($3,700): McCaw has started at the point a few times with Curry out. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to it, but McCaw has the most upside of all of the Warriors bench players. If Omri Casspi is ultimately held out, that means more run for McCaw. But again, this is risky since the Warriors play late. You can find value elsewhere.

My pick: Nance(SF); Durant(SF), Nance(F), McCaw(UTIL)

NEW ORLEANS, LA – DECEMBER 13: Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans reacts during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Smoothie King Center on December 13, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

Power Forwards

Best Bets:

Anthony Davis ($10,800): Davis put up 59.75 DraftKings points in the first meeting with Dallas this year. Put simply, the Mavs don’t have the size or the athleticism to deal with these two beasts. I prefer Davis if only paying for one, but they both pushed 60 in the first meeting. They had nearly identical stat lines, and if you can afford both of them, use them. This will be a big night for New Orleans bigs.

Draymond Green ($7,900): Green has put up some good numbers with Curry out. He has taken over the role of orchestrator when needed. As he has always done, Green does a little bit of everything. His price is up to the point where he could come in well under value, but I doubt that happens here.

Honorable Mention:

Blake Griffin ($7,200): Griffin is officially listed as questionable. However, this is a west coast game, and there is a lot of uncertainty here. Griffin likely will be on a minutes limit, but depending on what it is, Griffin could still make value at this low of a price. I would say that number needs to be at least 30 minutes. But again, if there is no official word, steer clear of this unless you are in the late swap tournaments.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson ($6,300): This is not a good matchup on paper, but RHJ put up 32.5 DraftKings points in the first meeting with Miami. James Johnson is still out, so I like the uspide here. Hollis-Jefferson will go largely unnoticed, but I like him particularly in cash games. He doesn’t really hit 40, but high 30’s is likely.

Kelly Olynyk ($6,300): Olynyk has been rolling lately will all of the injuries to the Miami frontcourt. Whiteside returned on Wednesday, but Olynyk filled in for Johnson and put up 43 DraftKings points. If Johnson is still out, I still like Olynyk as a solid middle tier play.

Dark Horses:

John Collins ($5,200): Despite coming off the bench, Collins has at least 5x value in seven of the last nine games. He still only plays about half the game, but Collins has firmly established himself as a solid value play in his current role.

Ersan Ilyasova ($5,000): Collins is more consistent on a game to game basis, but the starter, Ilyasova, has put up at least 30 DraftKings points in three straight games. I prefer Collins for cash games, and he still is a solid GPP value, but it looks like Ilyasova is the better GPP play right now.

Jordan Bell ($4,700): We no longer need to worry about playing Bell even if Pachulia starts. The rookie has at least 5x value in each of the last five games and eight of the last ten. He has firmly established a place in the rotation here, and should see at least 5x value on most nights.

My pick: Ilyasova(PF), Collins(F), Bell(C); Davis(PF), Bell(C)

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 ($11,100): Boogie put up half a DraftKings point more than Brow in the first meeting with Dallas. Neither are a bad pick tonight, and even though most nights I don’t advocate stacking them, tonight is an exception. Dallas doesn’t have the bulk up front to slow this down. My favorite stack is Durant/Davis, but Davis/Cousins is right up there if you can make it work.

DeAndre Jordan ($8,100): The Lakers are even worse defending the post than they were with BroLo in there. If Griffin comes back in any capacity, it limits the upside of Jordan. However, against an opponent like the Lakers, it may not matter that much. The matchup is good enough that we can roll with Jordan for one more night.

Honorable Mention:

Hassan Whiteside ($6,800): Whiteside looked a little rusty in limited minutes on Wednesday, but the rebounding was still there. At any rate, Whiteside only needs 34 DraftKings points for 5x value at this price. As long as he isn’t under 30 minutes, he will have no issues hitting even 6x value. If he is limited to around 25 minutes or so, it may be best to pass on him.

Steven Adams ($6,300): Adams put up 33.5 DraftKings points in the first meeting with Milwaukee, and that was with Monroe there. Henson wont be able to stop Adams tonight. Don’t expect huge numbers since there are a lot of mouths to feed on this offense, but his rebounding alone gives Adams a nice floor here.

Willie Cauley-Stein ($6,300): Randolph couldn’t run with the Suns in either of the two early meetings. That could result in more minutes for Cauley-Stein. He has taken on a larger role for this team in recent weeks, so I expect him to do better against the Suns this time around. Will that result in enough for him to make value? It should, but this is also a risky situation.

Dark Horses:

Jonas Valanciunas ($4,700): As usual, Jonas is a tough one to use because he is so very inconsistent. He did put up 27 DraftKings points in the first meeting with Atlanta, and Dedmon is still out. This would look like a great place to look towards Valanciunas for value, but you never know.

Tyson Chandler ($4,400): Chandler usually gets the minutes, but he doesn’t always put up the numbers. We have seen the veteran have huge rebounding nights at times this season, but not with any consistency. This is a good matchup on paper, so if you are looking to save money, Chandler is a solid option.

My pick: N/A; N/A

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