DraftKings NBA picks January 23: Is Westbrook worth it?

We have a solid five games on our Tuesday night with plenty of stars to choose from. Which ones should we use? Where are those coveted value plays? Let’s take a look at where we should spend our money!

Point Guards:

Best Bets:

Russell Westbrook ($11,800): It’s hard to fade Westbrook on a short slate, but he only had 49.5 DraftKings points in the first meeting against the Nets. Actually, Westbrook is cooling off of late. He has only topped 5x value twice in the last five games. With other suitable options, you don’t absolutely have to pay up for Westbrook. That said, Westbrook is a threat to go off against anyone.

Stephen Curry ($10,500): Curry’s price is now up to the point where it is harder for him to hit value. When all of the Warriors are healthy, Curry and Durant seem to be around 45-50 DraftKings points. Curry has had four straight games of under 5x value after a string of six straight raised his price to this point. He is still a solid play, but you may get more bang for your buck elsewhere.

Honorable Mention:

Kyrie Irving ($8,900): You know, the Lakers defense against point guards has been much better with Ball sidelined. Ball is out again, so I’m not as high on Irving as I otherwise would be. That said, Irving torched the Magic over the weekend. That could carry over to tonight. Just keep in mind that if you miss with Irving, he is going to be well under value whereas Curry and Westbrook will still be close.

Jordan Clarkson ($6,500): I will take Clarkson over the inconsistency of Elfrid Payton here. Clarkson has 110.75 DraftKings points over the two games that Lonzo Ball has missed. That’s right folks. You can get close to 8x value if Clarkson can do it against Boston. I would temper expectations against a good defense like Boston, but I don’t see any reason to fade Clarkson at this price. I’ll bet he still flirts with 6-7x value.

Dark Horses:

De’Aaron Fox ($5,200): Fox is getting plenty of run since the Kings have exiled their veterans to bench roles. Fox isn’t always consistent with his production, but the Magic have been lit up by just about everyone lately. Not even just lately, but for most of the season! This puts Fox in a really good situation to go way above value at his price, though his inconsistency still makes him a bit of a risk.

Dejounte Murray ($4,600): Murray has taken over the starting spot from Tony Parker according to the team. That unearths a lot of DFS potential while his price is still this low. Murray has done well as a starter this year, posting more than 25 DraftKings points in every such instance. He also has a nice matchup with Cleveland tonight. There is quite a bit of potential here.

George Hill ($4,300): I am willing to roll with Hill since we will know if he is starting or not before the lineups lock. Hill torched the Jazz playing mostly from the two on Wednesday. Hill also got a full compliment of minutes last night, which makes him a cheap starter who is capable of putting up a lot of points in a little time against a weak defense. Hill is the definition of a dark horse tonight.

My pick: Clarkson(PG), Murray(G)

Shooting Guards:

Best Bets:

Tim Hardaway Jr. ($6,700): The Knicks haven’t fully turned Hardaway loose just yet, but he is still playing around 30 minutes per game. That is plenty for him to still hit value, though it does take a little bit of a chunk out of his upside. Still, on a smaller slate, Hardaway at around 80% of his workload is still better than most at full strength.

Klay Thompson ($6,600): It’s another short slate, so you will see Thompson make another appearance here. There are usually better options with more games going, but there is about half the normal number of games and Thompson has a solid matchup against the Knicks tonight. There is some potential here, but Thompson is always capped because of the wealth of talent on that team.

Honorable Mention:

Jaylen Brown ($6,200): Brown has turned into a consistent contributor for Boston lately. He is not the kind of player that is going to get you much above 5x value, but Brown has been around 6x four times in the last ten games. This is a good matchup with the Lakers, especially if KCP is forced to sit again. Brown is likely better suited for cash games, but he is good enough for GPP consideration tonight.

Evan Fournier ($6,100): Fournier has provided a much needed scoring boost to Orlando since his return after missing much of December. He has at least 5x value in three straight and seven of the last ten games. While Sacramento is not a great matchup, it is good enough to see if Fournier’s hot shooting continues.

Bogdan Bogdanovic ($5,500): Bogdanovic is the only constant in the Sacramento backcourt. His consistency makes him ideal for cash games, but on a slate like this with a good matchup waiting for him, Bogdanovic is in play for GPP tournaments as well. Especially considering how bland the SG positions looks tonight. There isn’t a ton of upside anywhere at the position, so there is no shame in taking the reliable option.

Dark Horses:

Andre Roberson ($4,000): Roberson has five straight games of at least 5x value, and put up over 6sx value in his first game against Brooklyn. Roberson’s defensive chops give him a solid floor, but he has no upside as long as he remains an afterthought on the offensive end. That makes Roberson ideal for cash games, but you can’t ignore value at this price if you want to spend on two or more stars.

Mario Hezonja ($3,800): Hezonja played so well with Aaron Gordon out that he has carved out a solid bench role for the Magic. He lacks upside when not starting, but Hezonja is one of the few at this low of a price that can get you consistent value.

My pick: Bogdanovic(SG), Roberson(UTIL)

Small Forwards:

Best Bets:

Kevin Durant ($10,500): Since the old proverb goes Thou shalt not use LeBron James against the Spurs, Durant is a much better idea. The last thing I need is the wrath of the DFS Gods coming down on me. Durant is overpriced much like Curry, but on a short slate, they are both still going to get very close to 50 even if they don’t go over. You have to pay a premium for that. If using only one, I would likely go with Durant because the Knicks don’t have anyone that matches up well with him.

Paul George ($7,600): This is a place where Westbrook may be somewhat limited, so George could pick up the production a little bit here. He wont ring up Brooklyn for 36 like he did Cleveland, but George should still be comfortably in the 20’s and at least get close to 5x value for DraftKings purposes.

Honorable Mention:

DeMarre Carroll ($5,800): Carroll is going to have a tough time with PG, but his 5x value or more in seven straight and 10 of the last 11 are what have me considering Carroll tonight. He is playing arguably his best basketball of the season right now. Carroll is emerging as another scoring option on this team which still needs someone besides Russell or Dinwiddie. Despite the tougher matchup, Carroll is still a solid option.

Jayson Tatum ($5,700): Okay, it’s still hard for me to avoid the good matchups. Tatum has at least 20 DraftKings points in each of the last five games, but he has also not hit 30 in that span. Tatum has limited upside, but his floor is getting more tolerable. The rookie has a lot of potential. Enough that it is worth keeping an eye on the Lakers injury updates throughout the day to see if Tatum ends up with an even better matchup.

Kyle Anderson ($5,600): Anderson has been outstanding over the last two games with Leonard out again. He has 72.75 DraftKings points in those games. Now he gets to take a crack at a disinterested Cleveland team that doesn’t play defense that well even when they are in top form. There is a lot of potential for Anderson again tonight.

Dark Horses:

Marcus Morris ($5,000): Morris is becoming more accustomed to his role in Boston. He isn’t going to play more than 30 minutes here, but he is consistently in the mid 20’s. So is his fantasy production. Morris is averaging 26 DraftKings points per game over the last four outings. That makes him a pretty safe bargain play, but he does have little upside.

Joe Harris ($3,800): Yes, here it is, another low upside guy on the list. Harris still sees enough minutes that he is worth a look for those of you trolling the bottom looking for something productive. Harris has more than 5x value in three of the last four and seven of the last ten games. That’s pretty solid for someone priced in this range.

My pick: Anderson(SF)

Power Forwards:

Best Bets:

LaMarcus Aldridge ($8,700): LMA was a complete bust in what should have been a great matchup with the Pacers on Sunday. I’ll give him another chance against Cleveland. The Cavs have struggled containing all power forwards this year. There is also a good chance that Pau Gasol is out, which means Aldridge may have to do even more. This could be a monster game for Aldridge, Okay, maybe not Boogie’s monster from last night, but 60 is possible.

Aaron Gordon ($8,100): Gordon has managed to not be as bad during his bad games. Us DFS players have been waiting for a more constant floor from Gordon for a while now. It may be here. Gordon has only been under 30 DraftKings points three times in the last dozen games. I know, that’s still a 25% chance of a bust, but I like him here since he wont really have to deal with Randolph.

Honorable Mention:

Draymond Green ($8,000): Green remains one of the best all-around players out there. He stuffs stat sheets without putting up big numbers in any one area. That leaves Green with a high floor, but also a capped upside. Then again, playing for the Warriors also caps the upside.

Julius Randle ($6,600): Randle racked up 37 DraftKings points in the first meeting with Boston this year. The Lakers turned him loose on the Knicks on Sunday, and Randle dominated, putting up 52 DraftKings points. Of course, this is a late game so we don’t know if Randle will start again. Still, he is a decent flier since Randle will at least come close to value even if he doesn’t start.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson ($6,300): RHJ put up big numbers on Detroit like we thought he might. The Thunder aren’t a great matchup, but Hollis-Jefferson put up 30.5 DraftKings points on them in the first meeting. RHJ is also a big enough part of this offense right now that he should be able to hit value without an issue. I trust him more than I trust Melo dropping another double-double.

Dark Horses:

Skal Labissiere ($4,400): Skal didn’t start last night, but he still racked up 33.5 DraftKings points in 29 minutes. It will be a much tougher go against Orlando tonight, but Skal wont really have to tangle with Aaron Gordon. Cauley-Stein started at PF last night with Koufos at center, and the Kings hit triple digits. I would expect something like that again.

Daniel Theis ($3,700): Theis put up 23.5 DraftKings points in the first tilt against the Lakers. The difference is that Theis will play even if this game doesn’t get out of hand this time around. He lacks significant upside since Boston still wont play him more than half the game, but there is potential here for this price.

My pick: Aldridge(PF),Gordon(F)

Center:

Best Bets:

Al Horford ($7,300): This seems like a slate to punt center. I want no part of Porzingis against the Warriors because you just know Draymond is going to make his night miserable. I don’t trust Horford to hit value anymore. Love against the Spurs? That’s a hard pass, though Aldridge at center is looking good right now. If you elect to go away from Aldridge though, dropping at least this far is recommended. I only mention Al because he has a superb matchup.

Steven Adams ($6,800): Teams have dominated Brooklyn on the interior lately, and Adams is playing at a consistently high level for the first time in his career. Well, at least during the regular season Adams has at least 6x value in four straight games, and went over 7x in two of those. His price is rising, but I could still see Adams hitting 6x or higher against the Nets.

Honorable Mention:

Willie Cauley-Stein ($6,600): WCS is showing his versatility by playing, and playing well, at both the four and the five lately. Orlando is somewhat soft up front with Vucevic still out. I’m expecting WCS to play mostly at center tonight, which is a big advantage for him.

Bismack Biyombo ($6,100): Biyombo struggled against Boston and Cleveland, but he has a good chance to get back on track against Sacramento. Of course, the emergence of Khem Birch is cutting into Biyombo’s time and production. It may not matter here.

Dark Horses:

Kosta Koufos ($3,800): Koufos had a big against the Hornets last night, but his production has been all over the place lately. Fortunately for the Kings and us DFS players, Orlando is really struggling on the interior without Vucevic, which makes Koufos a solid punt option.

Khem Birch ($3,700): Birch has 68.25 DraftKings points over the last three games, which puts him right at 6x value. You aren’t going to find huge upside for this price. It’s not every day that you get a guy like Bjelica starting at $3,000….

My pick: Adams(C)

Next: NBA DFS Picks and Pivots for FanDuel and FantasyDraft

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