DraftKings Main NBA Picks April 1: Can Jokic torch the Bucks again?

We have nine evening games on Easter Sunday. There is still value on this slate thanks to some key injuries. There are a lot of meaningful games tonight with big playoff implications. Who is worth using in these key matchups?

Point Guards:

Best Bets:

Russell Westbrook ($11,500): Westbrook has taken in to the Pelicans this year. In two games, Westbrook has 123.25 DraftKings points in 74 minutes. Both teams are still jockeying for position in the playoffs, so expect Westbrook to put on a big show again here.

Eric Bledsoe ($7,600): Bledsoe torched the Nuggets in the first meeting. He put up 52.75 DraftKings points in that first game. I’ve touted Bledsoe for being one of the more consistent plays, then he goes off on the Lakers for 63.25 DraftKings points on Friday. So he is consistent with plenty of upside. That makes Bledsoe a favorite for GPP’s as well as cash games.

Honorable Mention:

Quinn Cook ($6,900): Cook lit up the Suns for 44.5 DraftKings points in the first meeting.We have seen some big games from Cook with Curry out. He wont need to do as much scoring with Durant back, but he still has value as the facilitator of this team.

Jamal Murray ($6,600): Murray lit up the Bucks just like Bledsoe did to him. Okay, not just like. It was “only” 47.25 DraftKings points. Murray gets so many shots in this offense and contributes enough across all categories that Murray usually hits value. The high numbers of shots means that he has big upside.

Dennis Smith Jr. ($6,400): Smith blasted Cleveland for 46.25 DraftKings points in the first meeting. Cleveland is a little better defending the point now, but Smith has become a very consistent play near the end of his rookie season. There is plenty of upside against Cleveland here.

Dark Horses:

Isaiah Taylor ($5,800): The Hawks have played it safe and shut down Dennis Schroder for the rest of the season. That will give Taylor a lot more run down the stretch. Taylor has picked up 95.75 DraftKings points in three games starting for Schroder. That makes him an easy 5x value right now with plenty of potential for more.

Tyler Ulis ($5,500): The Elfrid Payton experiment is effectively over in Phoenix, at least for the rest of 2018. This is the Ulis show now. Ulis has 114.5 DraftKings points over the last three games. Believe it or not, he has more upside that Taylor right now despite all of the guards in Phoenix. You almost have to play Ulis here.

Josh Hart ($5,400): The Lakers really have no reason to push Lonzo Ball here. Expect Hart to start for Ball again. He put up 32.75 DraftKings points in his first game back after missing a month with a hand injury. That means Hart is a strong value play once again.

My pick: Ulis(PG), Taylor(G), Hart(SG); Ulis(PG)

Shooting Guards:

Best Bets:

C.J. McCollum ($7,300): McCollum has averaged 45.8 DraftKings points in three tries against Memphis this year. In the last meeting, he put up 55.75 DraftKings points against Memphis on Wednesday with Lillard out. Lillard is back, but McCollum’s output against Memphis is better than Lillard’s anyway. Memphis defends the point well, so look for C.J. to pick up the slack in a big way.

Donovan Mitchell ($7,300): Mitchell has a lot of potential here if Rubio is forced to miss this game as well. If Rubio is in, he warrants consideration against his former team. Minnesota does not defend the point well, so watch the starting lineups to see which Utah guard you should use.

Honorable Mention:

D’Angelo Russell ($7,300): Russell had a miserable game last night, being yanked after just seven minutes and never going back into the game. He looked disinterested at best. I know the Nets have nothing to play for, but you are still making millions of dollars to play a game you love. This kind of apathy will not go well with the fan base. Stay tuned to see if there are more implications, or if Russell learned his lesson. At any rate, he has to be considered a risk right now.

Will Barton ($6,700): Barton has done very well filling in for Gary Harris. He put up 38.75 DraftKings points in the first meeting with Milwaukee. There is a great chance that he matches that total tonight.

Buddy Hield ($6,500): Hield has at least 5x value, even at this price, in seven of the last nine games. I don’t have any worries about using Hield anymore. There is a ton of upside against the Lakers tonight. The Lakers are horrible perimeter defenders.

Dark Horses:

Caris LeVert ($5,400): LeVert posted one of the best games of his young career last night with 52.5 DraftKings points against the Heat. On a night where Carroll struggled, LeVert came up huge. Will that mean more minutes down the stretch? Whether it does or not, LeVert is still a solid bargain at this price with good upside.

Troy Daniels ($4,800): Daniels continues to start with Devin Booker sidelined, and he is putting up really good numbers. Daniels has hit 5x value in seven of the last ten, hitting more than 30 DraftKings points in three of those. Shaq Harrison is a nice GPP dart, but I prefer the starter in this case. Daniels puts up value more often than not.

Shelvin Mack ($4,500): Yes, I still prefer the consistency of Mack over the inconsistency of Augustin. Augustin has a nice game or two, which vaults his price to an unsustainable level. Meanwhile, Mack’s output and price remain where they have been for most of the last month.

My pick: N/A; LeVert(SG), Daniels(G)

Small Forwards:

Best Bets:

LeBron James ($12,100): I’m torn on LeBron here. He has slowed down a little over the last week, and Dallas shut him down in the first meeting. Still, Cleveland would love to hang on to the three seed. It’s reasonable to expect LeBron to come up big, but I don’t know that he’s hitting 61 DraftKings points tonight. He has only been over 60 twice in the five games since his streak in the 70’s ended.

Kevin Durant ($11,300): Durant is the alpha on the team with Curry out, which has led to some pretty big outputs at times this year. However, Durant only had 37.25 DraftKings points in his one game against the Suns this year. The blowout potential looms large here, but Durant would likely be the reason for the blowout.

Honorable Mention:

Josh Jackson ($7,400): Jackson has 69 DraftKings points in two games against the Warriors this year. The Suns have to be pleased with Jackson’s output with T.J. Warren out. Jackson’s streak of 30+ DraftKings points is up to nine. It should be ten after tonight. I’m all about using a guy with that nice of a floor.

Taurean Prince ($7,200): We saw Prince struggle with his shot against Philadelphia for the first time in quite a while. That can be expected. Philly has a strong defense for the most part. I would expect Prince back on track against the Magic, whose defense is among the worst in the league.

Harrison Barnes ($6,200): Not only did Barnes put up 40.5 DraftKings points in the first meeting against Cleveland, he also shut down the best player on the planet. What can he possibly do for an encore? I will settle for another 40+ DraftKings points game. I don’t want to get greedy.

Dark Horses:

Anthony Tolliver ($5,300): Tolliver isn’t a flashy player, but he constantly puts up good numbers for the Pistons, and he has all season long. He almost seems to do better playing the power forward position, which he will fill for at least the next week with Blake Griffin out. I like Tolliver as a strong mid range value play as well.

Damion Lee ($4,900): The Hawks continue to run Lee out there to see if he fits in their future plans, and he just keeps producing. Lee has 60 DraftKings points over the last two games. That makes him a really good value play here tonight.

Corey Brewer ($4,500): Brewer has cooled off since he first got to Oklahoma City, but there is a lot of potential against the Pelicans. They still don’t defend the wings well, and Brewer has shown the ability to score when shots come his way.

My pick: Tolliver(SF), Barnes(F); Lee(SF)

Power Forwards:

Best Bets:

Anthony Davis ($11,100): Davis has destroyed the Thunder this year. In the first two meetings, he racked up 125.25 DraftKings points. He has had a couple of off games lately, but he also put up 75 DraftKings points against Portland. The potential on Davis is still higher than anyone else on the board just because of the situation he is in.

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($10,800): The Nuggets are glad that they aren’t in the Eastern Conference. Giannis blew up the Denver frontcourt for a whopping 77 DraftKings points in the first game. I’m not saying that another triple double is in the cards here, but Denver still doesn’t have anyone that can successfully guard the Freak.

Honorable Mention:

Aaron Gordon ($8,400): Gordon’s inconsistency makes him hard to use for some, but his upside is massive in nearly every matchup. Gordon racked up 48.25 DraftKings points on Atlanta the first time he faced them. He has a great chance at doing it to them again.

Julius Randle ($8,300): Randle’s price is finally to the point where it is pretty hard for him to hit value. However, he has averaged 41.1 DraftKings points on the Kings in three games this year. Still, Randle has not topped 5x value in two weeks. He has been over 35 DraftKings points in all of the games though, making Randle more of a cash game staple.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson ($6,700): RHJ brutalized the Miami front last night for 47.5 DraftKings points. He has also averaged 38.6 DraftKings points against Detroit this season. Now he gets to face them with Tolliver likely starting at power forward. This could be a huge night against for Hollis-Jefferson.

Dark Horses:

Dewayne Dedmon ($5,500): Dedmon continues to roll out double-doubles at a fast pace. He is not an elite scoring option, so that does cap Dedmon’s value, but he is still worth playing with his price in this range. There is a lot of potential here against Orlando.

Marquese Chriss ($5,400): Chriss finally has a clear path to playing time once again with Alex Len out. Chriss has 76 DraftKings points over the last two games. That makes him a huge value right now. The injury to Len takes a little of the volatility out of the Phoenix frontcourt. However, Chriss could struggle against Draymond.

Jonathan Isaac ($3,700): Isaac is being given plenty of run by the Magic down the stretch. The team is high on this guy, and watching him in limited minutes, it’s easy to see why. Isaac has a ton of potential here against the Hawks, and he is priced right for a GPP dart throw. Just don’t use him in all lineups.

My pick: Isaac(PF); Chriss(PF)

Center:

Best Bets:

Andre Drummond ($10,700): How much more do I really have to say about the Nets frontcourt? This is a very dead horse. All you need to know is that one of the elite rebounders is playing the worst frontcourt in several years with the other star on the team out. Any questions?

Nikola Jokic ($9,400): I really don’t trust Towns against Utah despite a huge last two games. I would rather go with Jokic, who dominated the Bucks in the first meeting. Jokic racked up 82.25 DraftKings points in that one. He and Giannis put on a hell of a show. They could do it again!

Honorable Mention:

Nikola Vucevic ($8,500): There are so many elite options at center tonight that it’s hard to choose who to use. Vucevic has 133.25 DraftKings points in just 77 minutes against Atlanta this year. He could put up point totals that rival Drummond and Jokic, and those two are going to be monsters.

Rudy Gobert ($7,500): I want to play all frontcourt players tonight. For value and stud players. Gobert will go largely overlooked, but he has 92.75 DraftKings points in two games against Minnesota this year. You can save salary at center, and still get a strong points total.

Paul Millsap ($6,400): Millsap has looked like the Millsap of old here lately. He shredded the Oklahoma City frontcourt on Friday night for 50.75 DraftKings points. The Nuggets are still battling for a playoff spot. They need Millsap to come up big once again. He could against Milwaukee.

Dark Horses:

Nerlens Noel ($4,900): Noel has played well in limited minutes for Dallas lately. The Mavericks aren’t going to push him very hard because of his injury history, so that means Noel has almost no upside. However, there is good value potential here, though I don’t know why you would waste this precious position on a value pick.

Maxi Kleber ($3,600): Dirk light has recovered from his injury, and Dallas wants to see where he fits in. They pretty much know what they have in Noel and Dwight Powell. Now they are finding out with Kleber. Kleber has 58.5 DraftKings points in the last three games, making him a very nice value play.

My pick: Jokic(C), Vucevic(UTIL); Drummond(C), Jokic(UTIL), Kleber(F)

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