DraftKings NBA Picks April 18: Which star can we trust?

NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 10: Rajon Rondo #9 of the New Orleans Pelicans reacts against the Brooklyn Nets in the first quarter during their game at Barclays Center on February 10, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Picks April 18: Which star can we trust?

Get used to these unbalanced slates now that the playoffs are here. We have three more Game 2’s going on tonight. We have several stars on the slate here, so how do we attack this? Is there enough value to pay up for anyone with LeBron? Should we? Let’s check it out!

Point Guards:

Best Bets:

Russell Westbrook ($10,800): You pretty much know what you are getting from Westbrook here. In each of the five games against Utah, his DraftKings point output has been in the 55-64 point range with the average right at 58. Westbrook doesn’t have a ton of upside against this solid defense, but 5x value is a given. I actually prefer Westbrook more in cash games against Utah, but due to his propensity to keep hitting value, he is worth using in GPP formats as well.

Chris Paul ($7,900): Paul was mostly a non-factor in Game 1 and Harden and Capela took over. This may happen again in Game 2, but it would shock me if Paul only had four assists again. Paul should be more involved in the offense here, at least in the passing game.

Honorable Mention:

Jeff Teague ($6,600): Once again, Teague had a nice game against the Rockets. Teague was a great value source despite only playing 29 minutes in Game 1. The floor will be open for Teague again. He came within one rebound and two assists of a triple double. If he gets this well rounded production again, Teague is a must play at this price.

Ricky Rubio ($6,300): Rubio finally had a solid game against the Thunder this year. He waited until the playoffs to do it. Rubio put up 37.75 DraftKings points in Game 1. However, considering his less than stellar track record against the Thunder this year, I would rather pay the extra $300 for Teague and just accept the higher ownership. There are other ways to get separation.

Dark Horses:

Darren Collison ($5,000): Sunday’s win over Cleveland was by far Collison’s worst output of the season on Cleveland. He will gladly take the win, and in all fairness, Collison just barely missed value. He is still a very nice value play here with a decent amount of upside.

Derrick Rose ($3,600): This is why Minnesota brought in Rose, right? To help bring a veteran presence for the playoffs? Rose did just that, playing 24 minutes and putting up 24 DraftKings points in Game 1. Minnesota fell just short, but you can bet that Rose will be playing good minutes for Minnesota throughout this series, making him a great value source.

My pick: Collison(PG), Rose(G)

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:

James Harden ($11,200): It’s the playoffs, so Beard was huge in Game 1, racking up 67 DraftKings points. You can expect another strong showing from Harden. Actually, you can for the duration of the playoffs unless Houston has to play Utah. That’s really the only team that Harden struggled against this year. If you are worried about LeBron or stacking stars, Harden should be your top target.

Victor Oladipo ($9,000): Oladipo put up 56.5 DraftKings points in Game 1, marking his highest total since April 1st. Cleveland didn’t really have an answer for Oladipo in Game 1. That likely holds true for the rest of the series. Oladipo will have to have another game like this to swipe another win in Cleveland. It is certainly possible.

Honorable Mention:

Jimmy Butler ($8,000): Butler had a pedestrian 28.75 DraftKings points in Game 1, but two things stand out. First, Butler still played 36 minutes, so his knee should be fine. Second, Butler still had the ball in his hands with a chance to tie with two seconds left. That means Butler is still the guy that they want taking the shots. I’m expecting a bounce back here, but Butler still may not hit value. Or he’ll go for 65. I don’t see much of an in between here.

Donovan Mitchell ($7,800): Mitchell is still listed as questionable with a bruised foot, but if he can walk, he’ll play. Utah can’t afford to go down 0-2 here. Mitchell racked up 52.5 DraftKings points in Game 1, so his foot wasn’t a deterrent in that game. If he starts, Mitchell is safe to use.

Dark Horses:

Bojan Bogdanovic ($5,100): Bogdanovic usually carries risk as he isn’t the most consistent shooter, but when he gets hot, look out. Bogndanovic tallied 39 minutes in Game 1 and posted a cool 30 DraftKings points. The best part is that Bogdanovic only hit 5 of 17 shots. That means there was value left out there. Bogdanovic could be a big bargain tonight.

J.R. Smith ($4,000): Smith played 29 minutes in Game 1, so he is still the preferred shooter off the bench even with Hood and Clarkson around. The Cavs will try and lean on the veteran when they need some bench points again in Game 2. The problem is that even though Smith netted 15 points, he only had 19.5 DraftKings points. As long as Smith is doing nothing besides scoring, he remains a sizable risk.

My pick: Harden(SG)

NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 09: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on in the fourth quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on April 9, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images) /

Small Forwards:

Best Bets:

LeBron James ($11,500): The Cavs as a whole laid an egg on Sunday, getting blown out by the Pacers at home. You can’t blame LeBron. The King still had his customary 60+ DraftKings point output against the Pacers. James did everything he could to keep the Cavs in the game, but he needs some help. The only sure thing is that LeBron will get his 60. The rest of the team is up in the air.

Paul George ($8,300): We don’t have to worry about PG against Utah. George had another game of well above value against the Jazz, putting up 48.75 DraftKings points in Game 1. At this point I would almost play George over Russ just because there is more upside with George here. Russ always has the higher ceiling, but not necessarily against Utah.

Honorable Mention:

Joe Ingles ($5,900): Ingles was off in Game 1, but I have my eye on him just in case Donovan Mitchell is forced to sit out. It Mitchell is out or limited, someone has to take his shots. A bulk of that will fall to Ingles. I’m only using Ingles if Mitchell is out or on a minutes limit though.

Andrew Wiggins ($5,600): The dropoff is steep at SF. Ingles has struggled lately, so I would drop down to the far more consistent Wiggins. Butler has taken a chunk out of his production, but not enough to keep him from hitting value or close to it. Wiggins’ consistency has me reserving him almost exclusively for cash games though.

Dark Horses:

Jae Crowder ($4,400): Crowder was solid in Game 1, putting up 26 DraftKings points and contributing pretty much across the board. Crowder is a solid value pick here again tonight. Utah needs him to keep doing what he’s doing to have a chance in this series.

Jerami Grant ($3,700): Grant still played well when he was in there, but he only played 14 minutes in Game 1. I don’t know whether that will change or not, but Grant still came close to value in limited minutes. He is a great bargain if his minutes get back up around 20.

My pick: George(SF), Crowder(F)

CLEVELAND, OH – JANUARY 20: Carmelo Anthony #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder is congratulated by his teammates while walking off the court during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena on January 20, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. Oklahoma City defeated Cleveland 148-124. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /

Power Forwards:

Best Bet:

Kevin Love ($7,700): Love still hit 37.75 DraftKings points thanks to his huge rebounding total. For whatever reason, Love took just eight shots in 34 minutes. That trend can’t continue if Cleveland wants to win this series. I expect a bigger night from Love here tonight. If so, he will be a value at this price.

Honorable Mention:

Carmelo Anthony ($5,400): Those that took the plunge with Melo in Game 1 were handsomely rewarded with a 36.25 DraftKings point game. That puts Anthony close to 7x value if he can do it again. There is also a steep drop at PF tonight. If you don’t trust Love, Melo is easily the best option left, and he comes at a reasonable price.

Dark Horses:

Larry Nance Jr. ($4,800): Nance put up a solid line in Game 1 with 22.25 DraftKings points. He didn’t do too bad against the Indiana front. The main thing to take away from this is that Nance racked up 30 minutes, which is as many as he played the last two games combined. The Cavs are going to ride him in this series, so there is potential here.

Domantas Sabonis ($4,600): Sabonis was underwhelming in Game 1, playing just 16 minutes. However, the production was still there when he was on the floor. Considering that Sabonis has handled himself well against Cleveland this year, there is still potential here, especially if the game stays close. I think the Pacers didn’t use him much just in case they need him later in the series.

My pick: Anthony(PF), Nance(UTIL)

ATLANTA, GA – NOVEMBER 03: Clint Capela #15 of the Houston Rockets dunks against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena on November 3, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia.(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Center:

Best Bets:

Clint Capela ($7,200): Capela dominated Towns in just about every way possible in Game 1 en route to a 50 DraftKings point night. Capela was a huge reason that the Rockets won this game. While Capela may not have this big of a night again, we saw this coming. Capela has played well against Towns all season long.

Honorable Mention:

Steven Adams ($5,800): Adams put up some decent numbers in Game 1, but the part that stuck out to me was the fact that the Jazz hacked Adams down the stretch every time he touched the ball. That should result in some free points for Adams if he can hit free throws. Adams isn’t a poor shooter, so the strategy by the Jazz should give Adams some hidden value in this series.

Myles Turner ($5,700): Turner put up 31 DraftKings points in Game 1, which makes him a good value for the price. Unfortunately, Turner is no longer eligible at PF, so you have to use him at UTIL if using Capela again. Turner is still very inconsistent though, and Turner wont keep Sabonis on the bench if his inconsistency rears its head in Game 2. There is still a big risk factor here.

Dark Horse:

Ryan Anderson ($3,800): Anderson is still hampered by an ankle sprain, but he will be in uniform tonight. Keep an eye on his status before tip here. If Anderson plays, he can rack up points in a hurry of off the Houston bench. I want an affirmative statement that he will play before using him though.

My pick: Capela(C)

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