DraftKings NBA picks January 19: Is Wall the best play?

BOSTON, MA – JANUARY 18: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on during the second half of the game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on January 18, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA picks January 19: Is Wall the best play?

We have a bit of a light Friday with seven games. However, there isn’t quite the star power that we are accustomed to. Not one player is priced in the five figure range. This looks like a night to build a balanced lineup, but there are still some nice values if you want to pay for the top guys.

Point Guards:

Best Bets:

John Wall ($9,700): Wall racked up 48.75 DraftKings points in the first game with Detroit. Considering how well Wall was playing up until Wednesday, I’m willing to treat that as an outlier. This is a great matchup for him, and one that Wall already performed well in. He should perform above value tonight, which is hard to do with this price tag.

Tyreke Evans ($8,800): Evans has been a constant in the 40’s since he took over as the starting point guard. He racked up 45.75 on the Kings once during that span. There is no reason to think that he wont do it again. Evans is good at a little of everything, so not many teams can hold him under value.

Honorable Mention:

Ish Smith ($5,700): The middle tier doesn’t do much for me tonight. I like D’Angelo Russell as much as anyone, but I’m not paying the price against the third best point guard defense in the league and with Russell likely on a severe minutes limit. It seems prudent to move down to Smith. Smith is not the most consistent guy in the world, but I trust him a lot more than I do others in this price range.

Darren Collison ($5,600): This looked like a good matchup for Collison anyway. It looks even better with Lonzo Ball out for the Lakers. We have seen Collison put up some good numbers when the matchup is right. With the Lakers in the bottom five as far as point guard defense, this is definitely a place where I want to roll with Collison if I need to save cash.

Dark Horses:

Josh Hart ($4,600): Hart hasn’t been starting with Ball out, but he is better for DFS purposes than Tyler Ennis. Hart is playing more minutes that both Ennis and super sub Jordan Clarkson over the last two games. He responded with 47.5 DraftKings points in the last two games. That makes Hart a pretty solid bargain play tonight.

Tyler Ulis ($4,100): Ulis has hit 5x value in four out of the last five games. He is clearly the point guard to own in Phoenix right now, and this is a pretty solid matchup against Denver. Of course, using either Phoenix point is pretty risky, but if you need the salary relief, both of them have been solid value picks over the last ten days or so.

My pick: Wall(PG), Hart(G); Evans(PG), Hart(G), Ulis(UTIL)

PHOENIX, AZ – JANUARY 14: Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Pacers points to a teammate during the second half of the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena on January 14, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Shooting Guards:

Best Bets:

Victor Oladipo ($9,600): I still think the price on Oladipo is a little high. That said, he has been able to hit 5x value even at this price in four of the last ten games. He certainly has a chance at another 50 against the Lakers tonight. The Lakers are in the bottom third of the league defending shooting guards, and they are even worse against the point if Oladipo winds up there.

Donovan Mitchell ($8,100): I find it hard to spend big on shooting guards since they are so reliant on making shots, but when the matchup is right, I make an exception. The Knicks have been tough on point guards lately, but not so much on the off guard. Mitchell takes a high volume of shots on a team that really doesn’t shoot a lot. His production is up in the point category with Gobert out because of the extra shots. Mitchell has as good a chance as anyone to go well above value.

Honorable Mention:

Gary Harris ($6,800): Harris has at least 30 DraftKings points in seven of the last nine games, which has led to a pretty big price increase. I’m still on him tonight since he hung 49 DraftKings points in the Suns in the first meeting. There are many in Denver’s rotation not getting consistent minutes, but Harris’s seem to stay put. That makes him one of the easier DFS plays for the Nuggets.

Tim Hardaway Jr. ($6,100): It’s a rare occasion when I use someone against Utah, but Hardaway is going to be an exception. Hardaway is not up to his full minutes load yet, but he should be around 30. He put up 43.5 DraftKings points on Utah in 36 minutes earlier this year. I’m not expecting that big of a performance, but mid-30’s is within reach. That makes Hardaway worth using.

Dark Horses:

Bogdan Bogdanovic ($5,600): Bogdanovic has been in the 20’s in DraftKings points for most of the last month, but he rarely ever hit 30. Well, he has cleared that mark three times in the last six games, and one of those was against Utah. The Sacramento guard situation has not sorted itself out yet with the exception of Bogdanovic. He is still the only one I will touch on most nights.

Reggie Bullock ($4,500): Avery Bradley is likely to be out again, which means more run for Bullock and Kennard. Bullock is the starter, and has turned in a couple of good games with Bradley out. Of course, he is very inconsistent and not a reliable player, but if you are looking for that GPP upside, he has some tonight with the minutes guaranteed.

My pick: Harris(SG); Harris(SG), Hardaway(SF)

DENVER, CO – JANUARY 16: Will Barton #5 of the Denver Nuggets celebrates a basket against the Dallas Mavaricks at the Pepsi Center on January 16, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

Small Forwards:

Best Bets:

Brandon Ingram ($6,900): This is more based on usage than anything else at this point. KCP is out, Ball is out, Kuzma is probably on the doubtful side of questionable. This opens up a lot of possibilities for Ingram and a few other Lakers. I’m definitely on Hart, but don’t sleep on Ingram’s ability to put up numbers in a hurry. Ingram could have a good night with expanded usage tonight.

Will Barton ($6,500): Simply put, I find it hard to trust Tobias Harris no matter the circumstances. In my book, Barton is a far safer play with Jamal Murray sidelined. We know that Barton is capable of putting up big games when he plays enough minutes. The minutes will be there tonight against the Suns. This is going to be a very high scoring affair with plenty of cheap options!

Honorable Mention:

T.J. Warren ($6,400): Warren is not officially listed as probable, but he practiced in full yesterday and showed no after effects. That should make him a go against Denver, which is a good thing. Warren put up 36.25 DraftKings points on the Nuggets the first time around. As long as Warren isn’t restricted, he is a strong play tonight.

DeMarre Carroll ($5,600): Carroll has at least 25 DraftKings points in each of the last six games. Three of the last four have been in the 30’s. He has regained his role in Brooklyn along with his health, so Carroll should be a stable value going forward. Someone is going to lose minutes with Russell back, but my money is on Joe Harris and Dinwiddie Carroll and LeVert should be safe.

Dark Horses:

Larry Nance ($4,800): Nance is a very intriguing play if Kuzma is ruled out. Here is where we are burned by the asinine DraftKings policy of no late swap in the big tournaments. This game tips off more 3.5 hours after the full lineups lock, so we could swing a miss with this one. We likely wont have official word by 7pm eastern. Nance is a decent play anyway, but nowhere near as good as he would be if he starts for Kuzma.

Kyle Anderson ($4,700): Anderson is starting for Kawhi Leonard, but as we saw on Wednesday, that is not a precursor to DFS success. The Spurs have a lot of hybrid players that can play the three if Anderson or Davis Bertans aren’t getting it done. This is not a fluid situation, but Anderson is worth a flier if he starts.

My pick: Barton(SF), Anderson(F); Nance(F)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 15: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson #24 of the Brooklyn Nets shoots against Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks during their game at the Barclays Center on January 15, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /

Power Forwards:

Best Bets:

Kristaps Porzingis ($8,900): It does take a leap of faith to use Porzingis on any given night, but this is lining up to be a good situation. Gobert is still out, and Porzingis still managed 38.5 DraftKings points on the Jazz with Rudy in there. On top of that, Porzingis has six straight games with 40 or more DraftKings points. Consistency has been hard to come by from him this year, so enjoy it at this level while it lasts.

LaMarcus Aldridge ($8,600): Aldridge has 99.75 DraftKings points over the last two games with Kawhi out again. He played at a high level most of the time with Leonard out earlier this season, so there is plenty of potential here. However, this is the Spurs. No one likes to shake things up more than Pop. At least this game tips early!

Honorable Mention:

Julius Randle ($6,600): Randle still doesn’t start, but that hasn’t been a problem most of the time. Randle does most of his damage against undersized teams, which is pretty much what the Pacers are without Turner in there. They throw a few big veterans in there to chew up minutes, but Randle shouldn’t have any problems with them. He is a strong play regardless of the status of Kuzma.

Domantas Sabonis ($6,400): Enjoy the ride while Turner is out! Sabonis has 13 straight games of more than 20 DraftKings points. Of course, that isn’t where you need him with his price up to this range, but Sabonis has hit value in seven of the last ten games. He is a strong play against the weak Lakers front.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson ($5,900): The emergence of Sabonis has taken the consistency out of Thad Young and you can’t count on Beastley without an injury to a Knicks starter. That leaves us with either the slumping Otto Porter or the often overlooked Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. RHJ is more of a part of the offense this year, and he is still a very good rebounder He could be a sneaky pick against the Heat, who are finally starting to get healthy.

Dark Horses:

James Johnson ($5,400): Johnson is underpriced coming back from injury. He put up 36.25 DraftKings points in the first meeting against Brooklyn, so the track record is there. He also hit close to 6x value in the two good matchups that he has had since his return. This is a really good matchup for Johnson, and the price is definitely right.

Trey Lyles ($5,300): I am all over JaMychal Green if Gasol is out again, but I am planning for Marc’s return since it is not a body related injury. That leaves Lyles, who racked up 32.75 DraftKings points against Phoenix a couple of weeks ago. He wont even have to tangle with Chriss in this one! Denver’s rotation is a bit in flux here, so this is more of a risk than it should be. You know we wont get Malone’s starters by lock time, so any Denver player in the frontcourt beside Jokic is a risk.

Dragan Bender ($4,600): That is two straight clunkers after three huge games when Chriss first went down. Bender will start again, but Alex Len may turn out to be the better pick. He has been over the last two games. It really is a coin flip at this point, but I do like the matchup for either of them.

My pick: Johnson(PF), Sabonis(C), Hollis-Jefferson(UTIL); Lyles(PF)

DETROIT, MI – DECEMBER 08: Andre Drummond #0 of the Detroit Pistons reacts to a offensive basket interference call during the first half while playing the Golden State Warriors at Little Caesars Arena on December 8, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Center:

Best Bets:

Andre Drummond ($9,900): Drummond is the highest priced player on the board tonight, but Washington is not an easy matchup. Drummond has 84.25 DraftKings points in two games against Washington. That would leave Drummond under value for this price, but Drummond is one of the very few that could hit 50 tonight.

Nikola Jokic ($9,500): The Suns are the worst team in the league defending centers, but Jokic only put up 38.75 DraftKings points on them in the first meeting. Jokic is not the most consistent guy on the slate, but he has more upside than Drummond based on matchup. Drummond is probably the better cash play with Jokic having the most upside.

Honorable Mention:

Hassan Whiteside ($8,400): Whiteside put up 32 DraftKings points in just 20 minutes in the first meeting. That was when Whiteside’s minutes were still limited. They wont be tonight. That said, Brooklyn has been pretty tough on centers lately. Still, Whiteside has a lot of upside and is less of a risk than the top two options.

Willie Cauley-Stein ($6,800): Cauley-Stein ripped Memphis for 35.5 DraftKings points in 28 minutes in the first meeting. This could be an even better matchup for WCS and the Kings if Marc Gasol is held out again. The stats say this is not a good matchup, but Cauley-Stein was able to handle Memphis the first time around.

Dark Horses:

Marcin Gortat ($5,200): Gortat put up 65.25 DraftKings points in the first two games against Detroit this year. As per usual, Gortat struggles in every game that isn’t a terrific matchup this year. Gortat is a pretty strong value play tonight at a position that is littered with potential lineup killers.

Mason Plumlee ($4,400): Plumlee racked up 34.5 DraftKings points in just 23 minutes in the first meeting with Phoenix. Plumlee’s minutes are not guaranteed, but this is the same rotation that Denver had in the first meeting. Plumlee worked out better than Lyles for the most part. There is risk involved here though.

My pick: N/A; Jokic(C)

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