DraftKings NBA Picks October 19: Is Brow matchup-proof?

DraftKings NBA Picks October 18: Is Brow matchup-proof?

We are back up to nine games for the main DraftKings tournaments tonight. No teams are on the second night of a back to back, so everyone that is healthy should be a full go. The status of Westbrook is on the doubtful side of questionable, so I will be publishing this article like Westbrook is out. However, if something changes, I will update on Twitter. I wont use Russ regardless, but it could change other pieces of my lineup.

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The money line was up a touch to 279 last night. Fading LeBron wasn’t a great decision, but what dropped both of my lineups into the 260’s was the insertion of Cameron Payne.

The winning lineup was down a bit to 354.5 DraftKings points. He built around Simmons, Wall, and Embiid, and hit on the value of Nik Stauskas, Covington, and Javale McGee. The 41.5 from Rodney McGruder didn’t hurt either.

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Point Guards:

Best Bets:

Stephen Curry ($9,700): Curry was not very good against Utah last year, but he only faced them once. Utah is a pretty good defensive team, but if Curry plays like he did in the opener, it wont matter. Curry racked up 58.5 DraftKings points, only behind Simmons among point guards. Don’t be shocked if Curry is the top scoring point guard tonight either.

Kemba Walker ($8,300): Walker was a beast in the opener, racking up 55.5 DraftKings points on the Bucks. He even outscored Harden! Walker gets a really nice matchup with the Magic here. It seems as though Walker is the key offensive piece for the Hornets. That makes him a very good pivot off of Curry and a great way to save some cash and still get a stud.

Honorable Mention:

Dennis Schroder ($7,700): As expected, Schroder played strong in place of Westbrook on opening night, and his price took a sizeable jump because of it. When it comes down to it, I probably trust George more, but it’s hard to ignore the matchup against the Clippers guards for Schroder. Especially when you know Schroder is going to play at least 35 minutes, and possibly over 40.

Mike Conley ($6,800): Conley showed how good he can still be when completely healthy in the opener. Also on display was just how inexperienced and inefficient the team around him is. Will Conley stay engaged? Will the Grizzlies try and deal him before he gets hurt again? I would say the latter is likely. The better Conley plays, the better place he could end up in 2019. Expect Conley to put on another show against the rebuilding Hawks.

De’Aaron Fox ($6,500): Fox looks like he is going to make a big jump this season. If the opener is any indication, he is in for a nice boost in year two. Fox racked up 41 DraftKings points on the Jazz, a team that was in the top five of fantasy points allowed to point guards last year. That performance was good for sixth among point guards on Wednesday while ranking 23rd in price.

Dark Horses:

Elfrid Payton ($5,800): Is Payton the missing link for the Pelicans? He put up a triple double in the opening night thrashing of the Rockets. Payton seems to fit in perfectly with the Pelicans. I know it’s only one game, but how is he still this cheap? Elfrid is going to be chalk tonight, but do you dare fade it when this kind of value is staring you in the face? the big issue with Payton has been inconsistency, so he could very well be under 20 DraftKings points tonight.

George Hill ($5,000): Hill is a cash game darling so long as he is starting. His floor is high for the price, but the ceiling is very low, making him something less spectacular in GPP’s. However, he seems to be holding off Sexton with ease so far, and this is a good matchup against the Timberwolves. The Cavs need scoring anywhere they can get it, so Hill is a solid play in any format.

Allonzo Trier ($3,400): Trier is quickly becoming a fan favorite because of his high energy athleticism off the bench. Trier put up 15 points in 26 minutes against Atlanta. It will be marginally tougher against the Nets, but if Ntilikina continues to struggle, Trier is going to see plenty of run. He is the most accomplished scorer on the second unit already, making Trier a sneaky GPP grab at this low of a price.

My pick: Payton(PG), Fox(G); Schroder(PG), Trier(G)

Shooting Guards:

Best Bets:

Kawhi Leonard ($8,500): I don’t think any of us were disappointed by Kawhi’s 43.75 DraftKings points against a the Cavs. It’s going to be tougher sledding against Boston, but this is where Leonard can really impact his new team. The Celtics shut down Lowry last season in nearly every meeting. It was DeRozan that picked up the slack. Look for Kawhi to do the same.

Jimmy Butler ($8,100): Butler was a little out of shape in the opener, but he still put up some good numbers. Every game is an audition for him right now. Expect Minnesota to give him all the run he can handle because they better he plays, the more likely they are to get somewhere close to what they paid for him. Butler could torch the Cavs here.

Honorable Mention:

Tim Hardaway Jr. ($7,300): My analysis from Wednesday still holds true. Who else is going to score on this team? While Timmy may not go north of 50 DraftKings points again, I see him hitting 6x value, even at his newly inflated price. The part that doesn’t bother me about paying this price is that Hardaway can shoot 40 times if he needs to. Who else can create their own shots?

D’Angelo Russell ($6,400): Injuries have marred Russell in his career so far, but in the opener he showed what all the fuss was about. Russell racked up 25 points in 32 minutes, and shot very well from the field. The Knicks are mostly a circus waiting to sign a main act this offseason, so don’t expect their defense to put up much resistance. There is good upside for Russell here.

Dark Horses:

Spencer Dinwiddie ($5,900): Dinwiddie played a lot of minutes off the bench. There is a good chance that the Nets are at their best with both Russell and Dinwiddie on the court since Russell is more of a shooter. The fluctuations of the Brooklyn rotation could frustrate us this season, but it’s hard to ignore than trend in the opening game. Both of them look like good options right now.

Buddy Hield ($5,600): Hield often struggled as a starter last year, but he ran for 30.5 DraftKings points in the opener while in the starting lineup. The Kings are even more loaded at guard than they were last year, so if Hield goes cold, he could come up well short of value at any given moment. He does look to have a tentative hold on the starting role right now though.

Malik Monk ($4,700): Monk played huge minutes off the bench in the opener because he was on fire. Monk ended up as a nice compliment to Kemba with 18 points of his own and kicking in 34 minutes. The Hornets may play with their rotations to decide what works, but I would think that Monk is a key piece of it right now.

My pick: Hardaway(SG); Hardaway(SG), Monk(UTIL)

Small Forwards:

Best Bets:

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,000): Giannis went bonkers for 59 Draftkings points in the opener. This isn’t rocket science. Giannis is so involved in everything that he is about as much of a lock for 50 DraftKings points as you can get with anyone. Play him with confidence against the Pacers.

Paul George ($8,700): George is going to be the higher priced chalk with Russ out again tonight. His usage is astronomical with Westbrook out of the lineup. The Thunder did look good without Weestbrook in the opener. They put up a good fight against the Warriors. Can they hold interest while beating on the Clippers?

Honorable Mention:

Tobias Harris ($7,400): The centerpiece of the Blake Griffin deal was the highlighted player for the Clippers in the opener, leading the Clippers in points and rebounds en route to 6x value. He could come close to that again, though the Thunder are much better defensively at the four than they were with Melo there. Harris could have trouble hitting 6x value again, but this is a similar situation to Hardaway. Who else in the starting five is a good enough scorer?

Caris LeVert ($6,300): LeVert was outstanding in the opener, stuffing the stat sheet en route to 40.5 DraftKings points. This is a nice spot for LeVert and his teammates to build on this. If you like under the radar younger players, I suggest watching the battle for New York tonight. Most of these guys are pretty unheralded in comparison to their peers, but they play some good basketball.

Dark Horses:

Joe Ingles ($6,100): We saw Ingles take over as a strong scorer on this team after Hood was dealt to Cleveland last year. It continued in the opener, but I tend to think a part of that was the byproduct of Rubio scoring just one point. Rubio wont be that cold most games, but Ingles showed that he can still provide instant offense for a team that is going to need it against the Warriors.

Cedi Osman ($5,400): Osman did his best LeBron impersonation in the opener, going for 40 DraftKings points against the Raptors. The role is there for Osman to fill a big scoring void. He is never going to be a dominant, dynamic scorer, but he showed that he can put up pretty strong numbers as a starter for this team.

My pick: George(SF), LeVert(F); LeVert(SF), Osman(F)

Power Forwards:

Best Bets:

Aaron Gordon ($8,200): We’ve seen this before. Gordon has shown flashes of absolute dominance like he did in the opener. The problem is twofold: He has been unable to stay healthy, and unable to be consistent when healthy. The monster game in the opener highlights what you can get from Gordon at his best, which makes him a constant GPP target.

Kevin Love ($8,000): Is there still a revenge narrative for Love against Minnesota? I tend to think most of the vitriol is from Minnesota fans towards Love for the messy divorce. Osman and George Hill showed that Love wont have to do it himself this year. He was content to let that happen in the opener. Will that be an ongoing trend?

Honorable Mention:

Nikola Mirotic ($7,000): I kinda thought that Mirotic would give the Rockets, namely Carmelo, some trouble. I didn’t expect him to smash the Rockets for 51 DraftKings points. He and Brow were unstoppable against Houston. This is going to be a formidable front this year, and Mirotic is a relatively cheap way to get a piece of it.

Jayson Tatum ($6,500): In a game where Kyrie struggled from the floor, we saw Rozier and Tatum carry this team in the opener against Philadelphia. Irving probably wont struggle like that every game, but having a burgeoning beast like Tatum in the frontcourt with Horford the Swiss Army Knife can’t hurt. Tatum seems primed for a big year seeing as he picked up riight where he left off in May.

Dark Horses:

Danilo Gallinari ($5,900): The verteran complimented the youngster Harris well in the opener. Gallinari is a dangerous shooter, but provides little else. That limits his upside, but Harris needs help with the scoring, and Gallinari is going to get every chance to do that.

Nemanja Bjelica ($4,600): Bjelica started over Bagley, and put up a strong line with 18 points in 27 minutes. It seems as though the Kings aren’t going to rush Bagley. That’s disappointing for season long owners, but it opens up a load of cheap potential for DFS players.

Patrick Patterson ($3,700): Patterson is a weak link on offense, but he helps space the floor for the Thunder were Grant really doesn’t. He will likely stay in the starting five, but that is a relative distinction considering Grant played ten minutes more than Patterson despite coming off the bench. Patterson is an acceptable punt so long as he is starting.

My pick: Patterson(PF); Gordon(PF)

Center

Best Bet:

Anthony Davis ($11,600): Davis served me up a healthy helping of crow when he went nuts on the Rockets in the opener. How was I supposed to know? Capela handled the Brow last year. The Kings are going to throw a half dozen bodies at Davis, but I doubt it matters. Is he matchup proof? The jury may still be out, but he is closer to that goal than anyone.

Honorable Mention:

Enes Kanter ($7,400): The Nets may not be the worst defensive team on the interior like they were last year, but they are close. Kanter chewed up the equally dreadful Hawks in the opener. We are going to see Kanter put up another huge stat line here tonight against the Nets. He is a suitable fade to Davis if you would rather play a different superstar.

Steven Adams ($6,900): The Thunder had a lot of pieces put up solid fantasy numbers since the ball wasn’t dominated by one individual. This offense looked good. Westbrook is an elite talent, but he can sometimes bog down this offense if he hands on to the ball too long. Enjoy the movement of the ball for the Thunder here again, which should result in another easy double double for Adams.

Dark Horses:

Jarrett Allen ($6,000): Allen is a very intriguing talent for the Nets, but so long as he keeps getting dominated on defense, his minutes will remain fairly low. They have to, right? Drummond abused Allen, but Allen still managed a double double of his own, and had no problem hitting value at this reasonable price. Kanter is going to make him look the fool again, but we don’t care so long as Allen nets another double double.

Mo Bamba ($4,700): Bamba vultured 25 minutes from Vucevic in the opener because he is an elite defender. It will be interesting seeing Mo battle with Howard here while they are in the game together. Bamba’s price is low enough to throw a dart here so long as he is going to see that kind of minutes.

Noah Vonleh ($4,100): Vonleh ran wild on the Hawks, posting a double double in just 16 minutes of court time. Kanter is going to dominate the court time again,. but the Nets are just as awful on the interior as Atlanta. Vonleh could be in for one more big game at a very low price.

My pick: Kanter(C), Vonleh(UTIL); Adams(C)

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