DraftKings NBA Picks February 14: Is Anthony Davis your Valentine?

The NBA is trying to get us in trouble with a monster 12 game slate on Valentine’s Day. We have a ton of choices on DraftKings. How much time can we take away from our significant others to research lineups and make changes/check scores? Just make your dinner reservations for 7:30 eastern to accommodate all of the injury news.

Point Guards:

Best Bets:

Chris Paul ($9,500): One thing that has been lost with the George Hill deal is that Sacramento isn’t as good defending the point as they were when Hill was there. That doesn’t mean the Kings are bad, but they are merely average instead of top eight material. Paul can do a lot of damage against average teams. He wont have to make up for Harden with a tough matchup today, so his production may be down a little. I still see Paul around 5x value though.

Damian Lillard ($8,800): Lillard put up 53.5 DrafKings points on the Warriors the first time around. We have seen Lillard have big games at times this year. This likely wont be one of those places, but if he’s hitting 50, are we really going to complain at this price. There is decent upside here for GPP usage.

Kemba Walker ($8,600): There are so many options out there today that there are several decent options to choose form. Tonight Kemba isn’t one of those. He is elite due to his matchup. Walker had 114 DraftKings points in just two games against Orlando this season. They are marginally better without Payton defensively, but not enough to keep Kemba from hitting 6x value or higher.

Honorable Mention:

Donovan Mitchell ($7,900): Mitchell, despite being a rookie, is the driving force of this offense. Don’t be surprised if Utah elects to hold out Rubio so he can rest through the break as well. If they do, Mitchell could be in for an ever bigger night. In the last three games without Rubio, Mitchell has 128.25 DraftKings points. He could flirt with 50 against the Suns!

Tyreke Evans ($7,600): I expect ownership to be low because of Evans’ struggles against the Thunder on Sunday. That said, that was the first game action for Evans in almost two weeks. He was rusty, and he played only 26 minutes. The Thunder defense collectively has been pretty sluggish since losing Roberson. There is some potential here so long as Evans has knocked the rust off.

Dennis Schroder ($7,200): Many will be on Kyle Lowry because of the great matchup with the Bulls. However, Lowry has not hit value once in three games against the Bulls. I also have questions about Payton if Booker returns, so that gives us Schroder, who has averaged 37.2 DraftKings points per game in three tries against Detroit. Schroder also has eight straight games with more than 28 DraftKings points. The last five have been above 30. This is another great matchup for Schroder.

Dark Horses:

De’Aaron Fox ($6,300): Fox is a bit of a tough sell against Houston, but he continues to put up over 30 DraftKings points per game. There isn’t a lot of upside since he hasn’t broken 40, but that means Fox is a solid 5x value. Not many are, even in the higher price ranges.

Rajon Rondo ($6,000): Rondo is going to have a hard time scoring in this offense, but he is still one of the better passers in the league. With so many offensive weapons on the team, a great passer can put up some pretty big point totals as well. It seems as though the Pelicans have resigned themselves to admitting that they need Rondo. He should be a safe option with good upside against the Lakers tonight.

Isaiah Thomas ($5,800): As expected, the arrival of Thomas killed the value of Hart. That’s okay, because Thomas is still priced to buy. He played 31 minutes in his Lakers debut, and hit 6x value. This is a good matchup against the Pelicans. This is a team that could really use his scoring, so Thomas is a great play at this price.

My pick: Rondo(PG), Thomas(G); Walker(PG), Mitchell(G)

Shooting Guards:

Best Bets:

Victor Oladipo ($9,600): With Collison out, Oladipo has spent more time with the ball in his hands, and the results have been very favorable. Oladipo has 128.5 DraftKings points in the two games that he has played without Collison. With Collison out again, Oladipo is definitely worth this price against the Nets. He has ravaged Brooklyn for 141 DraftKings points in three games this season.

Bradley Beal ($8,900): Who in the world is going to play point for Washington tonight? Wall is out. Satoransky still has not passed concussion protocol, and Tim Frazier had surgery for a broken nose on Sunday. It appears as though Frazier is the most likely of the three to play. At any rate, I still see Beal logging a lot of time with the ball in his hands. That should increase his fantasy output quite a bit. The Knicks can’t guard him anyway as shown by the 47.5 DraftKings points Beal put up in the first meeting. He could have a huge night tonight!

Honorable Mention:

Jrue Holiday ($8,100): Holiday’s price is jacked up because it’s the Lakers. This is a great matchup for Holiday, and the rest of the team for that matter. Every time I think Holiday is a risk for his price, he goes out there and throws up 40 or more. He torched Detroit on Monday. There is a great chance that he gives the Lakers the same treatment.

Nicolas Batum ($6,200): If you have been playing fantasy of any sort over the last few years, you know how tough it can be to rely on Batum. His hot streak has subsided, but this matchup against Orlando is simply too good to ignore. Batum put up 36.25 DraftKings points in the first game against Orlando. He should come close to 6x value again tonight…..if he can hit his shots. Batum was 0-10 from the floor against Toronto on Sunday.

Dark Horses:

Bojan/Bogdan Bogdanovic ($5,600, $5,400): It’s choose a Bogdanovic night! Bojan is by far the more consistent of the Bogdanovices, but if Bogdan’s shot is falling, he may have more potential. I tend to think that the Pacers are in a better spot against Brooklyn, but if you just can’t free up that extra $200, Bogdan is a solid play against Houston as well.

Jonathon Simmons ($5,200): Simmons has 70 points in two games against Charlotte this season. After a rough stretch against Milwaukee and Atlanta, Simmons got back on track against the Bulls on Monday. The minutes have remained constant for Simmons even with Augustin and Mack getting hot. That makes Simmons a very strong play here. Mack is outplaying Augustin right now, but they are both cannibalizing the other’s value. Stick with Simmons.

Dwyane Wade ($4,600): Wade was huge for the Heat last night, posting a double-double in just 21 minutes! It wasn’t even with assists! That’s right, Wade came down with 11 boards in 21 minutes. That should keep him fresh enough to have an impact tonight as well. Wade isn’t going to put up huge numbers, but he is a threat for 6 or 7x value at this price so long as Miami plays him. It appears as though the Heat will keep up their end of the bargain.

My pick: Simmons(SG); Bojan(SG), Wade(UTIL)

Small Forwards:

Best Bets:

DeMar DeRozan ($8,400): Yes, I know that George had a huge night against Memphis over the weekend. Westbrook was also out in that game. I just don’t see George being worth that much with Russ back. As for Durant, he has taken less than ten shots in back to back games. I would much rather roll with DeRozan at a lower price against the terri-Bulls. Look, the Bulls are going to be good in the next year or two, but they aren’t now. DeRozan can have his way with them like he did in two prior meetings this year.

Ben Simmons ($8,000): Simmons continues to produce across the board, and his price is finally down to a more manageable place. Simmons has hit at least 40 DraftKings points in four of the last six games and six of the last ten. His consistency makes him a cash game darling, having put up between 32 and 42 DraftKings points in each of his last dozen games. However, with Simmons putting up such well- rounded stats, he is worth consideration in GPP formats as well since a triple double, even in smaller one, really helps your bottom line in DFS.

Honorable Mention:

Otto Porter ($6,900): Porter has come out of hibernation with another injury to John Wall. Porter has provided a nice scoring boost to a team that needs it. When Wall is out there, he dominates the ball and the scoring. It’s more evenly distributed with him out. I like Porter for this price, and he has adequate upside for GPP usage.

Michael Beasley ($6,900): You can argue that Beasley has more upside than Porter, but that may be a bit misguided with the way Kanter has been playing. At any rate, Beastley’s usage remains high. He put up 43.25 DraftKings points in just 25 minutes in the first meeting with Washington. I don’t know that you’re going to see Beasley falter like he has in the past. He is in a good place here.

Joe Ingles ($6,100): If for some reason Rubio plays, I’m off of Ingles for this price. However, with Hood gone and Rubio out, Ingles has emerged as a very good scorer as well. Ingles has at least 7x vlaue in each of the last three games. He wont hit that with his price this high, but Ingles is still a strong bet for 6x value.

Dark Horses:

Mario Hezonja ($5,900): Hezonja continues to put up really good numbers with Aaron Gordon out. The Magic have no reason to play Gordon tonight, so I think Hezonja gets one more start. The chances of him abusing Charlotte like he did the Bulls is relatively low, but 7x value can still be in play here. The Hornets aren’t great at the forward spots.

Allen Crabbe ($5,100): You know exactly what you are getting from Carroll. Right about 5.5x value. If you want more, Crabbe could give it to you. His floor is much lower than Carroll’s, but Crabbe has put up 116 DraftKings points over the last three games. He is a streaky shooter who is on a roll right now against a pedestrian Indiana team. I love Crabbe as a value play tonight.

Kelly Oubre ($4,900): With the Wizards possibly having no true point guard tonight, I see a lot of floor time in Oubre’s future. I’m guessing that Beal will have to run the point, which opens up SG for Oubre and Jodie Meeks. Meeks is cheap, but is a huge risk. Oubre is far less risk with strong upside.

My pick: Hezonja(SF), Crabbe(F), Oubre(UTIL); Hezonja(SF), Crabbe(F)

Power Forwards:

Best Bets:

Anthony Davis ($11,600): Davis dominated the Lakers in the first meeting with 65.25 DraftKings points. Center is an even weaker position for the Lakers. With Davis now playing there, we have the potential for an even bigger night for Davis here. His price almost looks low for what Davis is capable of tonight. If you are only using one star, it should be Davis.

Blake Griffin ($9,000): Griffin’s stats have taken a hit alongside Drummond, and he still looks a little overpriced. That said, this is a tremendous matchup with Atlanta. Both of them are going to dominate the Hawks. Who is going to have a better night? I think it’s pretty obvious Drummond will, but as far as value goes, Griffin could be close to Drummond’s output.

Honorable Mention:

Julius Randle ($7,400): Randle’s per minute output continues to dazzle, but the Lakers don’t always give him major run. They should. Randle has only missed 30 DraftKings points twice in the last dozen matchups. Randle played less than 30 minutes in seven of those. He is a great play against New Orleans tonight, even though it is harder for him to hit value at this price.

Enes Kanter ($7,000): On paper, this is not a great matchup for Kanter. I don’t care. Since Porzingis went down, Kanter has become what we always wished for Porzingis to be: consistent. Kanter lacks the huge upside of Porzingis, but he is still putting up really good numbers with him out.

Nikola Mirotic ($7,000): The matchup against Detroit was not a good one for Mirotic on paper. He didn’t care. Mirotic lit up the Pistons for 43 DraftKings points, his second straight huge performance for the Pelicans. This is a great matchup against the Lakers. Expect Mirotic to come up big in this one as well!

Dark Horses:

Derrick Favors ($5,700): Favors continues to be worth a look when the matchups are favorable. Tonight against Phoenix certainly qualifies. Most of the scoring for the Jazz is happening on the perimeter lately, so that caps the upside of Favors. Still, he has hit 38 DraftKings points in back to back games. He could do it again tonight, but as usual with Favors, there is risk involved here.

Dewayne Dedmon ($5,500): Dedmon played 28 minutes last night and came up with another double-double. The Hawks have been willing to turn him loose a little, but this is still a very crowded frontcourt. This is a tougher matchup for Dedmon here, but a strong performance against this huge frontcourt should go a lot ways towards establishing him as the future for the Hawks.

Bam Adebayo ($5,300): This is a tough matchup on paper for Bam, but Adebayo abused the Sixers for 41.75 DraftKings points in the first meeting. Whiteside has been taking his double-double then taking a seat lately, which has opened up good minutes for Bam. He is making the most of them so far.

My pick: Dedmon(PF), Davis(C); Dedmon(PF)

Center:

Best Bets:

Andre Drummond ($10,600): Drummond has 163.5 DraftKings points over the first three games against Atlanta. There is some blowout potential here, so I’m not as crazy about Drummond as I should be. However, if this games gets out of hand, Drummond will be the main reason why.

Joel Embiid ($9,700): Embiid put up 41.25 DraftKings points in the first game against Miami. Embiid’s price is to the point that it’s hard for him to hit value since the Sixers still limit him somewhat. This is not a team that he can just dominate on the inside. Embiid will have to work for it, but I also think that he comes with lower ownership. Take that for what you will.

Honorable Mention:

Dwight Howard ($8,200): We have a double-double machine against a beat up frontcourt. Yes please! Howard has cooled off since his scorching January, but he is still capable of putting up big numbers in good matchups. Expect a strong end to the first half for Howard.

Clint Capela ($7,700): Capela destroyed the Kings for 53.25 DraftKings points in just 28 minutes in the first tilt between these teams. Capela beat up on Minnesota last night. He has the potential to do so again tonight. Capela has the potential for a big night every time he steps on the floor.

Myles Turner ($6,800): The best way to get a leg up in DFS is to find the center that is playing the Nets and build around that. Turner has averaged 43.3 DraftKings points per game over the first three games against Brooklyn this year. Don’t be shocked if he raises that average tonight.

Dark Horses:

Willie Cauley-Stein ($6,000): WCS put up 42 DraftKings points in the first meeting with Capela and the Rockets. Cauley-Stein carries far more risk than Capela, but he has put up good numbers at times this year. Can he do it against the Rockets again?

Robin Lopez ($4,400): Rarely is Lopez much of a DFS factor because he is mostly a defensive player. However, RoLo has put up 81 DraftKings points in three games against the Raptors this season. That makes him a sneaky play with decent upside tonight.

My pick: N/A; Turner(C)

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