DraftKings NBA Picks February 26: Westbrook could be elite against Magic

DENVER, CO – JANUARY 25: Will Barton #5 of the Denver Nuggets plays the New York Knicks at the Pepsi Center on January 25, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Picks February 26: Westbrook could be elite against Magic

We are back up to a ten game DraftKings tournament on our Monday. There are a lot of big names in action as the NBA continues to provide marquee players hard out of the break. Where should we build? There is plenty of value out there!

Point Guards:

Best Bets:

Russell Westbrook ($11,800): Westbrook continues to be an elite option most nights. This is definitely one of them. The Warriors figured out Westbrook over the weekend, but the Magic allowed 69.75 DraftKings points to him in the first meeting. Mack and Augustin are slightly better defenders than Payton, but not enough for it to show up against an elite player like Westbrook. Don’t be surprised if Westy outscores the field tonight.

Chris Paul ($8,800): This is one place where I will still consider Paul alongside a healthy Harden. The reason being that the Jazz have shut down Harden this year. That means many more opportunities for Paul. Paul put up 114.75 DraftKings points in two games against Utah this season. Those are almost Harden-like numbers!

Honorable Mention:

Elfrid Payton ($7,700): Payton even hit value against a good Portland defense on Saturday. That is something that never happened in Orlando. Now Payton has a very favorable matchup with the Pelicans in what promises to be a high scoring game. The Suns are still losing, which is good for them in the long run, they are just much more fun while doing it. You can thank Payton for that.

Kyle Lowry ($7,300): Lowry is kind of hit and miss, but he usually puts on a show against teams that don’t defend the point well. With the Raptors at full strength, Lowry isn’t asked to put up huge numbers. That said, he put up 39.5 DraftKings points in the first meeting with Detroit. There is a very good chance that he does at least that again tonight.

D’Angelo Russell ($6,300): Schroder still didn’t look right against Indiana on Friday, so I will drop down a touch to Russell. The Nets are now starting three guards to get Russell in there, but that may be changing soon with RHJ coming back. At any rate, Russell wont be one of those losing minutes. The Nets still haven’t really turned him loose yet, and he has still hit 5x value in three of the last four games.

Dark Horses:

Rajon Rondo ($5,800): Rondo’s last five games? Two in the 50’s for DraftKings points, one in the 20’s, the other two in the teens. He is very hard to rely on and should be avoided in cash games, but he can really set you apart in DFS play. He has a great matchup against the Suns tonight. Can he have to great games in a row? Are you willing to bet on it?

Cory Joseph ($5,100): Joseph has 75.25 DraftKings points in the last two games filling in for Darren Collison. The Pacers have almost played better under Joseph than Collison this year. I view Joseph as underpriced here no matter the opponent for as long as he is starting. He is a solid value again tonight.

Trey Burke ($4,600): While all of the love was directed towards Emmanuel Mudiay, Burke has racked up 85 DraftKings points in the last two games. He has easily been the best guard for the Knicks lately. Ride him until the value dries up! The Knicks look like they will!

My pick: Westbrook(PG), Joseph(G); Russell(PG), Joseph(G), Burke(UTIL)

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – FEBRUARY 23: Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Pacers dribbles the ball against the Atlanta Hawks during the game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on February 23, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Shooting Guards:

Best Bets:

Victor Oladipo ($8,900): Oladipo’s huge games are gone now that Joseph is playing well with the ball. That has sent Oladipo more back to a shooting role. He is still hanging around 5x value there, but the upside isn’t as high. That said, if Oladipo gets hot, he can produce like the best of them.

Devin Booker ($8,300): Booker takes a huge number of shots, which makes him a big DFS draw in every game. It also makes him a huge risk every game. In the first game against the Pelicans this season, Booker went cold and didn’t even hit 20 DraftKings points. Pairing Booker with Rondo could net you 100 points or it could just as easily net you 40. How brave are you?

Jrue Holiday ($8,100): Holiday has three straight games of more than 50 DraftKings points. In fact, he even outscored the Brow yesterday! Holiday is on fire right now. This looks like a superb matchup with the Suns right here. I would take Holiday over any other SG in the field today based on bang for the buck.

Honorable Mention:

Donovan Mitchell ($7,900): The rookie continues to put up big numbers against just about everyone. The return of Rubio will likely take a chunk out of his assists, but Mitchell is the only accomplished perimeter scorer for the Jazz right now. Mitchell has at least 5x value in six of the last seven games. He is relatively low risk too!

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($6,000): KCP has at least 5x value five straight games. The unusual thing for him those is that two of those games have been in the 40’s. KCP usually isn’t one of those guys who is capable of putting up big games, but the Lakers have used him to spark the offense with positive results. They are trying to see who is worth keeping around with whatever free agents they bring in over the summer, so look for the minutes to be there for KCP.

J.J. Barea ($5,900): Barea has been spectacular starting as the two guard for Dallas lately. He has 118.5 DraftKings points over the last three games alone! Barea is another great value guard tonight. I’m not crazy about the matchup with the Pacers, but I would be he still hits at least 30 DraftKings points.

Dark Horses:

Bogdan Bogdanovic ($5,400): After a hiccup out of the break, Bogdanovic was back up to his recent tricks, nearly hitting the 40 DraftKings point mark once again. The presence of Hield means that Bogdanovic could be passed over any time he goes cold, but the Kings have proven that Bogdanovic will get the first crack at lighting the scoreboard.

David Nwaba ($4,900): Keep an eye on which game the Bulls plan on sitting LaVine. Honestly, I love Nwaba as a starter no matter what, but the game in which LaVine sits, Nwaba is a must-start. The Bulls have done all DFS players a solid and named Nwaba as a starter until further notice. That makes building our lineups easier!

Jamal Crawford ($3,800): Crawford has done an excellent job of filling in for Jimmy Butler. The veteran isn’t capable of putting up huge numbers, but at this price, 25 DraftKings points is still almost 7x value.

My pick: Nwaba(SG), Crawford(UTIL); Holiday(SG), Nwaba(F)

ATLANTA, GA – JANUARY 29: Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Minnesota Timberwolves reacts after their 105-100 loss to the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena on January 29, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Small Forwards:

Best Bet:

Paul George ($9,000): George was a dreadful 1-14 from the floor against the Warriors on Saturday. That should keep his ownership down against Orlando, but the Magic don’t really have anyone that can keep George under wraps. There is potential here. You can count the number of instances on one hand that George has had two bad games in a row.

Honorable Mention:

Andrew Wiggins ($6,600): The Timberwolves always lean harder on Wiggins with Butler out. On Saturday it was Teague who stepped up, but Wiggins still comfortably hit 30 DraftKings points. With that as his floor, Wiggins is worth using from now until Butler returns. More often than not, it will be he that leads this offense from the perimeter.

Brandon Ingram ($6,600): The Hawks are still the worst team defending small forwards in the league. Ingram has 75.5 DraftKings points in the two games since the break. Ingram is a sure value play right now. There are enough other Lakers producing right now that I don’t see Ingram having a huge game, but 5x value is a lock.

Joe Ingles ($6,000): Ingles continues to be a solid source of just about everything for Utah. Rubio, Mitchell, Gobert, and even Favors are the bigger names, but none are as consistent as Ingles is. He has at least 34 DraftKings points in six of the last eight games.

Dark Horses:

Buddy Hield ($5,300): Hield has used his Rising Stars MVP as a springboard into the second half. Hey, the Kings are no dummies either. That kind of notoriety puts butts in the seats. They can’t afford to hold Hield back anymore. Hield has 72.75 DraftKings points in 60 minutes since the break. Don’t expect that to change anytime soon.

Nemanja Bjelica ($4,700): Bjelica is the starter for Butler once again, but so far Crawford has outplayed him off the bench. That said, his price isn’t to the point that all of the value is gone for Bjelica. It just makes it a lot harder for him to be productive for the price.

My pick: Wiggins(SF); Wiggins(SF)

LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 18: Anthony Davis #23 of Team LeBron dunks during the NBA All-Star Game 2018 at Staples Center on February 18, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Pool/Getty Images) /

Power Forwards:

Best Bets:

Anthony Davis ($11,700): Davis had a pedestrian game against the Suns the first time around. I kind of think that could happen again. There is blowout potential, though the Suns are better now than they were then. That said, the Pelicans’ playoff hopes hinge solely on Davis. They will rest him as much as they can if they get a bigger lead here. That makes him a pretty big risk.

Julius Randle ($7,800): Randle has been a monster since taking over the starting power forward job for the Lakers. Randle has at least 5x value in seven of the last nine games. Atlanta wont provide a whole lot of resistance here. The Lakers have finally turned Randle loose, and he is still underpriced in DFS because of it.

Honorable Mention:

Aaron Gordon ($7,200): We all know that Melo isn’t much of a defender, but what Gordon did to him in the first game may be the worst defensive game Anthony has ever had. Gordon abused him for 78.75 DraftKings points in that game. Gordon was average against the Knicks and good against the Sixers since his return. Orlando may limit his minutes some, but there is still really good upside here tonight.

Nikola Mirotic ($6,500): Mirotic may not be starting anymore, but he still plays starter’s minutes. Mirotic has not played under 28 minutes in a Pelicans uniform. He has honestly done more damage as the priority scorer on the second unit than he did as the starter. There is still value to be had here.

John Collins ($5,800): Collins is finally starting in Atlanta, but the results have been mixed so far. That said, Collins has quite a bit of upside. We saw him have some big games with Ilyasova out earlier in the season. He remains a risky play on a night to night basis, but the DFS upside is there for Collins.

Dark Horses:

Domantas Sabonis ($5,600): Sabonis has struggled in February, but that Dallas front is weak enough to put him back on the DFS radar. There is quite a bit of risk involved here, but it really isn’t any more than playing Collins at this point. His first double-double of the month has come since the break. Sabonis’s slumber may be over.

JaMychal Green ($4,700): Green is going to have a pretty large role over the rest of the season for Memphis. He has 59.75 DraftKings points in two games since the break. As long as Green is this cheap, he is a strong value pick.

My pick: Gordon(PF), Green(F); Randle(PF)

CHICAGO, IL – FEBRUARY 09: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves rebounds against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on February 9, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bulls defeated the Timberwolves 114-113. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Center:

Best Bets:

Karl-Anthony Towns ($9,900): For whatever reason, Towns has dismantled the Kings this year. In two games, Towns has 126 DraftKings points in 71 minutes. With Butler out for a while, there could be more opportunities open for Towns in the short term. Judging by what he has done to the Kings so far this year and the price range, Towns is a strong play tonight.

Andre Drummond ($9,200): The presence of Blake Griffin has capped the upside on Drummond, but he dominated Toronto in the first game. And really, this is what Detroit what after when they went and got Griffin. They don’t have the playmakers that the Raptors do, so they decided to load up on bulk and beat people into submission. We will see if that works against the class of the East tonight.

Honorable Mention:

Marc Gasol ($7,100): Gasol torched Boston for 54 in the first meeting, but a lot has changed since then. Gasol has only hit value once in the last five games. That is a lot of risk, but due to the big drop off between the upper crust and the rest, Gasol may be at least worth a risk if you are rolling out a lineup full of them.

Steven Adams ($7,100): Right now, this is a really easy decision. It’s Adams over Gasol with no hesitation. However, Gasol may actually have more upside tonight. When the Thunder played Orlando earlier this year, Vucevic did a nice job of containing Adams. Again, a lot has changed since then. Vucevic still is being treated with kid gloves, and Adams has morphed into a DFS cash game play. I prefer Adams over Gasol, but neither are really a bad pick tonight.

Willie Cauley-Stein ($6,500): It’s no secret that Towns is not a great defender. Cauley-Stein came off the bench in the first meeting. Now he will have 30+ minutes to go at Towns. Don’t be surprised if WCS flirts with 40 again.

Dark Horses:

Alex Len ($5,600): I don’t really know if the status of Chandler matters at this point. Len has put up 109.75 DraftKings points in three games with him out. The Suns are in tank mode, but they also want to develop their youngsters. I have to think that the Suns start Len no matter what. That makes him a solid bargain again tonight.

Emeka Okafor ($3,400): There is a pretty good chance that Okafor wont start tonight against the Suns. He struggled yesterday, and the Suns’ athleticism could serve to keep Okafor on the bench more often than not. If Okafor does start, I don’t mind giving him a whirl here. However, if he is not in the starting lineup, there is a chance that he doesn’t play at all.

My pick: Len(C), Cauley-Stein(C)

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