Early DraftKings NBA picks January 19: Westbrook or LeBron?

BOSTON, MA – DECEMBER 2: Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns carries the ball against the Boston Celtics during the second half at TD Garden on December 2, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics defeat the Suns 116-111. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Early DraftKings NBA picks January 20: Westbrook or LeBron?

We only have two games this afternoon, but there are two stars and a ton of value picks. You can use whomever you want with all the bargain plays available! Who should we target? Let’s take a look!

Point Guards:

Best Bet:

Russell Westbrook ($11,800): On a light slate, there really is no reason not to pay up for Westbrook. Cleveland’s perimeter defense leaves a lot to be desired. They haven’t really started playing yet. Westbrook is going to bring it for a big name Saturday matinee. He should hit 5x value without much of a problem.

Honorable Mention:

Dennis Schroder ($7,900): Schroder is riding a streak of four straight games with at least 40 DraftKings points. The Bulls are awful against the point with or without Dunn, so his absence wont matter. Schroder is in great position for another big game. Building around Westbrook and Schroder will be a popular plan, but the upside far outweighs the other options.

Isaiah Thomas ($6,100): Now that we are kind of getting a feel for just how involved in the offense Thomas will be, it is easier to roll with him for DFS purposes. Thomas has played more than 30 minutes in each of the last two games, and put up 5x value in each of those. He doesn’t have the ceiling that he had in Boston, but Thomas’s price isn’t where it was either. Thomas is a reasonably priced bargain play with decent upside.

Dark Horses:

Zach LaVine ($5,500): Oh, if only LaVine were at full strength for this one! The Bulls have cleared him to play 24 minutes. The question is how much damage can LaVine do in that time? I think 5x value or a little over are on the table, but if you are looking for real upside with Kris Dunn out, you have to move on to….

Jerian Grant ($4,200): I would bet that LaVine still starts, but Grant is going to play more minutes at a lower price. Grant put up 29.5 DraftKings points as a starter against the Hawks earlier this season, so there is pretty good upside here. I don’t expect him to play 36 minutes in this one, but Grant could play 30. That would still put him around 6x value.

My pick: Westbrook(PG), Schroder(G)

ATLANTA, GA – OCTOBER 12: Kent Bazemore #24 of the Atlanta Hawks reacts after hitting a basket against the Dallas Mavericks at McCamish Pavilion on October 12, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Shooting Guards:

Best Bet:

Kent Bazemore ($5,900): Bazemore is the highest priced option at the position playing today. None of the top PG plays are eligible here, so there isn’t much to go with. However, there should still be some decent value. Bazemore put up 33.75 DraftKings points in the first matchup with the Bulls. He is riding a modest streak of three games with at least 5x value, including going over 30 in each of the last two games. Bazemore should make it four straight games today.

Honorable Mention:

Justin Holiday ($5,700): Holiday is tough to rely on lately with LaVine back and Valentine still around. The injury to Dunn could help with his playing time a little. However, his price is a little high for as inconsistent as he is. At least Holiday should see a solid run today against one of the worst defensive teams in the league. That makes him worthy of a GPP gamble.

Dark Horses:

David Nwaba ($3,800): What, another Bull? Yes! Nwaba can play the point if needed, so that could result in more run for him if Grant struggles. Nwaba had 30.25 DraftKings points in just 23 minutes in the first meeting. There is value here if he gets enough run.

Marco Belinelli ($3,600): Belinelli lit up the Bulls from outside in the first meeting. He was 8-16 from the field for 23 points with 33 DraftKings points. You can bet Belinelli will see plenty of open shots against this porous D once again.

My pick: Belinelli(SG)

CHICAGO, IL – DECEMBER 04: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers drives against Denzel Valentine #45 of the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on December 4, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Small Forwards:

Best Bet:

LeBron James ($11,000): Well, the King always deserves consideration in his court. However, there are a couple of things working against him. First off, defensive specialist Andre Roberson is back for the Thunder. Considering the lack of threats elsewhere in the backcourt, I would say it’s certain that Roberson will be the one guarding James. That puts a huge dent in his value. You can cram both Westbrook and James in the same lineup rather easily today. However, if you are only paying for one, Westbrook is by far the better option.

Honorable Mention:

Paul George ($7,300): You may not get value from Paul George, but he is an intriguing GPP play today because of the matchup against Cleveland and because he is a constant scoring threat. George has seen his production take a bit of a hit with Westbrook playing out of his mind for the last month or so, but he has still hit value in six of the last ten games. There are worse places to spend today.

Denzel Valentine ($5,200): There is a lot of promising value with the Bulls today. Picking which players will actually produce for Chicago is likely going to decide this slate. Valentine played 35 minutes and put up 33.75 DraftKings points in the first meeting, but his minutes are diminishing lately. Not to the point where I wouldn’t consider him against Atlanta for this price though. The upside is there.

Dark Horse:

Andre Roberson ($3,700): Roberson’s return on Wednesday was a success, with the defensive specialist hitting well over 6x value. Roberson was playing at a high level before his injury as well. He now has four straight games of more than 20 DraftKings points. Don’t be shocked if he makes it five against the Cavs.

My pick: Roberson(SF)

CHICAGO, IL – JANUARY 17: Lauri Markkanen #24 of the Chicago Bulls dunks against the Golden State Warriors at the United Center on January 17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois.(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Power Forwards:

Best Bets:

Kevin Love ($7,300): If Love ends up with Melo guarding him, he could be a steal today. Anthony has never been a particularly good defender, and he is getting even worse this year. Love is not the most consistent guy, but he is routinely near 5x value. Love is good enough to roll with on a short slate.

Lauri Markkanen ($6,800): The Bulls have done a pretty good job at keeping all of the mouths fed at power forward, but since the news that Mirotic wants out came down, the Bulls cut his minutes. The team was markedly worse once they did that, but there are so many things in play with the Bulls this year that it’s hard to tell if that is a direct correlation to Mirotic’s diminished role or not. At any rate, Markkanen makes a solid play against Atlanta because he is getting consistent minutes every game. It doesn’t hurt that he has been over 30 DraftKings points in seven of the last nine games.

Honorable Mention:

Nikola Mirotic ($6,700): Mirotic carries more risk than Markkanen, but the Bulls increased his minutes on Wednesday. Mirotic responded with 44.5 DraftKings points in a valiant effort against the Warriors. Even though the Bulls cut Mirotic’s minutes some, he still has at least 30 DraftKings points in seven of the last nine as well. You should be able to get production out of both today if you decide to build that way.

Carmelo Anthony ($6,400): Melo is also doing a bulk of his damage via scoring this season. He is not he player that he was with the Knicks last year, nor is he priced like that. There is little upside with Anthony, but he has scored at least 20 points in six of the last nine games. Don’t be surprised if he hits that against the Cavs today.

Dark Horses:

Ersan Ilyasova ($5,000): Ilyasova is hogging the bulk of the minutes at the four for the Hawks as they continue to slowly bring along John Collins. Especially after his winter swoon. Ilyasova has responded well for the most part. He has at least 5x value in eight of the last nine games. As good as the Bulls are at the four, it is mostly offensive talent. There is still decent upside with Ilyasova today.

John Collins ($4,800): Collins finally got back on track Monday against a tough Spurs team. He also performed well against the giants in New Orleans, so I think I’m willing to go back to the well that I frequented for much of the holiday season.

My pick: Markkanen(PF), Ilyasova(F)

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – DECEMBER 25: Steven Adams #12 of the Oklahoma City Thunder blocks Clint Capela #15 of the Houston Rockets 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) /

Center:

Best Bet:

Steven Adams ($6,600): Adams is easily the best pure center on the slate today, but Love and Mirotic are also eligible here if you don’t want to use Adams. Adams has been on a tear lately, putting up 116.5 DraftKings points in his last three games. That puts him very close to 6x value. I expect him to be there against Cleveland today as well. They are better on the interior with Thompson back, but by no means are they a great defensive team.

Honorable Mention:

Dewayne Dedmon ($4,700): Dedmon has at least 5x value in four straight and six of the last nine contests. He is still not playing big minutes, but Atlanta was never really running him that much before he hurt his leg. At any rate, Dedmon should see enough run to put up solid numbers, but he is not a high upside play by any means.

Robin Lopez ($4,400): When the matchup is right, RoLo can be a good play. He racked up 35 DraftKings points on Atlanta in the first meeting. If you are one of those trying to cram both stars in your lineup this afternoon, you are going to need value plays at low salary. Lopez is a great place for that!

Dark Horse:

Tristan Thompson ($3,700): Thompson is a defender first and an afterthought on offense. That makes him a low upside play, but it also gives him a pretty consistent floor. You aren’t going to need to go this cheap in cash games. For those of you in GPP formats, you could do worse than Thompson at this price, but he is not going to get you 20 DraftKings points very often. 5x value really does mean 5x value with Thompson.

My pick: Adams(C), Lopez(UTIL)

Next: Main Slate DraftKings NBA Picks

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