DraftKings NBA Picks January 18: It's time to Boogie!

LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 13: Cedi Osman #16 of the Cleveland Cavaliers dribbles past Josh Hart #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half of a game at Staples Center on January 13, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. 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 Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Picks January 18: It’s time to Boogie!

We have had a nice balanced week with at least five games every day. That leaves our Friday with just seven games for our DraftKings NBA tournaments. Even with about half of the league in action, we only have three players priced in five figures and and even lower middle tier. That could create some high ownership on the big names. Do we want to play that or avoid it entirely.

DraftKings NBA Point Guards:

Best Bets:

Stephen Curry ($10,000): You can fade Curry if you want, but I don’t know that I recommend it. He put up 57.5 DraftKings points on the Clippers the first time around and hasn’t been below 45 DraftKings points since Christmas. That’s a great floor and solid upside. Curry is suitable for cash and GPP lineups.

Kyrie Irving ($9,000): I’m usually not wild about playing point guards against Memphis, but Irving ran up 53 DraftKings points on them the first time around. Irving was his dominant self against the Raptors on Wednesday, and put up strong numbers against Orlando, who is notoriously stingy at the point. I have no issue using Irving here, but only if you pair him with Curry. Curry may be the top play on the entire slate.

Honorable Mention:

Damian Lillard ($8,600): Lillard looks like a bargain here. He put up 45.75 DraftKings points in the first meeting against the Pelicans, and should be right around that mark again in an uptempo game. Lillard has four straight games in the 40’s, and I don’t see him falling short here either. Lillard is probably more of a cash play because Irving has higher upside and Lillard has the higher floor. However, I can’t argue with using him in GPPs either.

Elfrid Payton ($6,400): Payton is finally getting back into the swing of things. The Pelicans have him right around 30 minutes per game, and I really don’t know how much higher his minutes will go. The telling this is that Payton’s assist numbers are climbing as are his rebound totals. The Pelicans don’t really need to him to score, so the peripheral stats are more of a measure of his value. I would say that Portland is a pretty good place to let Payton loose.

Dark Horses:

Jordan Clarkson ($5,300): There was a time about a week ago when I could and often did use both Cleveland guards. We were punked by Clarkson on Sunday and by Burks on Wednesday, so now what? This is a solid matchup for Clarkson, but not so much for Burks. I could see playing none of the above, but Clarkson’s bench scoring makes him really tempting, and the price is solid. On top of that, Utah has like 1.5 healthy guards. Who is going to guard him?

D.J. Augustin ($4,800): Augustin put up 27.75 DraftKings points on a Detroit guard defense that isn’t very good. He is definitely in play here against the Nets. A value play that plays a certain 30 minutes per game and who is an efficient scorer is a good thing to have. I could see Augustin flirting with 30 DraftKings points again tonight.

Collin Sexton ($4,500): The Cavs guards are GPP only. Utah’s guard defense hasn’t been horrible even with the corps weakened and Cleveland’s guards are anything but consistent. But they are cheap. Like huge value play cheap. If you are star stuffing tonight, you’re going to need value somewhere. That makes Sexton and Clarkson solid punts and Burks to a lesser extent, but only in GPP formats.

My pick: Augustin(PG); Clarkson(PG), Sexton(G)

SALT LAKE CITY, UT – SEPTEMBER 29: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz controls the ball in a preseason game against the Perth Wildcats at Vivint Smart Home Arena on September 29, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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 Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Shooting Guards:

Best Bets:

Donovan Mitchell ($8,900): Forget about what Mitchell did or did not do the first time against Cleveland. He is the only playmaker healthy at the guard positions for Utah. Mitchell has not been under 40 DraftKings points since Rubio, Exum, and Neto went down. It’s definitely not going to happen against a porous guard defense for the Cavs.

Jrue Holiday ($8,000): Holiday put up 41 DraftKings points on Portland in the first game, and I would expect him to be around that mark again. His assists are down with Payton back, but Holiday has increased his rebounds and scoring, so he has pretty much evened himself out. Only the Nets have managed to keep him under 35 DraftKings points since Christmas, and you know how much I like high floors. If you don’t trust Mitchell, Holiday is a strong pivot.

Honorable Mention:

Lou Williams ($6,700): Yeah, the numbers say don’t use LouWill against the Warriors. Don’t listen. Williams has 80.5 DraftKings points in two games against the Warriors so far. Yes, the Warriors are a good defensive team, but all that fast tempo opens up more shots for both teams. If you get Williams more shots, all he’s going to do is stuff the stat sheet. Williams is a strong middle tier play tonight.

Derrick Rose ($5,900): Tyus Jones is down with an ankle injury, and the Timberwolves were run out of the building by the Sixers, so the game log doesn’t tell the whole story. Rose’s minutes aren’t being monitored, nor are they in jeopardy. If anything they may increase with Jones out. Teague has struggled lately, so I don’t really want to mess with that, but the price is right on him too. I prefer Rose here, but honestly, neither starting guard is a bad play tonight.

Dark Horses:

Terrence Ross ($5,400): Here we go again. Ross is playing at a high enough level that we kind of have to take notice. Ross has at least 28 DraftKings points in four of the last five games, and 22 in the other. Brooklyn presents a less than ideal matchup, but they do play pretty fast, so the opportunities will be there for Ross. Are we willing to take the risk?

Kyle Korver ($4,300): Korver has 75.25 DraftKings points over the last three games. His price still hasn’t been adjusted accordingly. Korver is going to continue seeing extended run with no one expected back until at least next week. Sure, he hasn’t been a huge part of any offense since Philly, but Korver may still be capable of big numbers. We’ll find out against his former team.

Dion Waiters ($3,500): Waiters publicly lamented about his lack of playing time after being blasted by Milwaukee. That is going to mean one of two things: Either the Heat are going to play Waiters more, or they are going to bolt him to the bench and trade him. I would expect them to play him more, but we really just don’t know. This is a huge risk, but one that could pay off big time.

My pick: Mitchell(SG), Korver(G); Rose(SG)

OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 13: Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors reacts after the Warriors made a basket against the Atlanta Hawks at ORACLE Arena on November 13, 2018 in Oakland, California. 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 Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Small Forwards:

Best Bets:

Kevin Durant ($10,100): Durant has just dominated the Clippers this year. He has 139.25 DraftKings points in just two games, but one of those was without Curry. Who cares? He still almost hit 60 in the other. I don’t know if the Clippers can keep it close, but even if they can’t Durant is getting at least 50. He may carry the least risk of the high priced players.

Justise Winslow ($6,800): Winslow is still seeing most of his time at the point with Dragic out, so this is a great matchup against Detroit. Winslow has at least 36 DraftKings points in three straight games. Big deal, right? Well, when you consider that they were against Memphis, Boston, and Milwaukee, then yeah. It’s a big deal. He should be just as good if not better against the Pistons.

Honorable Mention:

Joe Ingles ($5,800): Ingles put up 32.25 DraftKings points in the first meeting against the Cavs, and that was with Utah at full strength. I expected a lot more from Ingles with all of the injuries, but it has mostly gone to Mitchell and Gobert. That’s not going to change, but a little more of it may be dispersed if Thompson shuts down Gobert, which is a distinct possibility. That should seep out to Ingles, at least in theory.

Al-Farouq Aminu ($5,300): Aminu put up 36 DraftKings points in the first meeting with the Pelicans, posting a double double in that game. With the way Aminu has been scoring lately, he could do it again. I don’t really see a scenario where the Pels completely shut down Aminu. As usual, he is a fairly low risk play, but he doesn’t have a ton of upside.

Dark Horses:

Joe Harris ($4,900): This is tricky because the Nets run a lot of players, but Harris has at least 28 DraftKings points in three of the last four games. Keep an eye on the injury reports since that is how we figure out who to take a chance on. With Crabbe, LeVert, and Dudley out, Harris should see good run again, and has been blowing away value for this price.

Andre Iguodala ($3,900): Speaking of blowing away value, Iguodala has at least 20 DraftKings points in six of the last eight games, and the needle hasn’t moved on his price. Of course, there isn’t a lot of upside here. Iggy hasn’t topped 30 in that span. Living in the 20’s is not a bad thing for a value play of this price.

Marco Belinelli ($3,800): You could roll the dice with Memphis value with Kyle Anderson out, but we really don’t know whether it will be Holiday or Casspi that gets most of the run…..or the production. Belinelli is the safe alternative to that. He has at least 20 DraftKings points in four straight games, and at least 25 in the last three of those. I don’t really trust any Spurs tonight, but I can make an exception for Belinelli.

My pick: Winslow(SF), Belinelli(F);Durant(SF), Aminu(PF), Belinelli(F)

DraftKings NBA /

DraftKings NBA Power Forwards:

Best Bets:

Anthony Davis ($11,700): It’s hard to fade Davis at this point. He even reamed the Warriors for 72 DraftKings points on Wednesday. Davis has only averaged 45 DraftKings points per game in his 20 matchups against the Blazers over his career. This looks like a place to fade, but it is risky. Davis is going to be the late night hammer for many. If he goes off and you fade, you’re toast.

Blake Griffin ($8,700): Griffin has struggled for the better part of two weeks aside from his revenge game in L.A., so there is quite a bit or risk here. Griffin mauled Miami for 55.75 DraftKings points in the first meeting between these teams. I don’t know if I can trust Blake right now, but if you feel up to it. this looks like the place to try.

Honorable Mention:

Tobias Harris ($7,100): Harris has been really good against the Warriors so far this year, putting up 86.75 DraftKings points on them in the two meetings. The good part is that Harris is relatively cheap for that output. The bad part is that Draymond Green might lock him down, and having Boogie on the court could really change things. I like the upside, but wow, this risk is intimidating.

Draymond Green ($6,900): Green has 69 DraftKings points in the two games against the Clippers so far. The return of Cousins is probably going to affect Green probably more than anyone else on the team. It will also free up Green to do what he does best: lock down defense. That could hamper his DraftKings totals, but with Green’s recent strong play, I can still see him hitting value until Cousins plays a full compliment of minutes.

Aaron Gordon ($6,400): Gordon is in a smash spot against a weak Brooklyn front, but Detroit should have been on Wednesday as well. Gordon has a ton of upside, which makes him tempting at this price, but the fact remains that he is more likely to kill your lineup than to vault it up the leaderboard. Yes, even against the Nets.

Dark Horses:

Nikola Mirotic ($5,900): Mirotic lit up the Blazers for 46.25 DraftKings points the first time around. Chances are that he wont see that 36 minutes that he did the first time around. Don’t read too much into this. Davis missed that game. However, Mirotic was locked in on Wednesday, and seems to be back. With him only needing around 30 DraftKings points to hit value, Mirotic is worth the price.

Omri Casspi ($3,700): No matter who has started for Memphis, it has been Casspi that has produced the most in a bench role. If you are going to reach for Memphis value with Anderson out, Casspi is the safest pick no matter who gets the starting nod.

My pick: Gordon(PF); N/A

DraftKings NBA /

Best Bets:

Nikola Vucevic ($9,400): Towns has been awful against the Spurs and Vucevic is PLAYING THE NETS! Good Lord, he is going to destroy them. Ride the wave!

Andre Drummond ($8,400): Drummond put up a monster against the Heat in the first meeting with 25 points and 24 rebounds. He also played 44 minutes in that game. And Whiteside missed that game with an injury expect Whiteside to steal some of those rebounds, but Drummond could still hit 50 DraftKings points here.

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Honorable Mention:

Montrezl Harrell ($7,200): Harrell continues to put up solid numbers for the price, and this would seem to be the place for him to succeed again. I don’t know that it is. Harrell had 62.25 DraftKings points in 58 minutes against the Warriors this year. Now he’s going to have to deal with Cousins for about 20 minutes. That could change a lot of things.

Hassan Whiteside ($6,500): Whiteside can do a lot of damage in about 25 minutes, which is about all he gets anymore. I do like Whiteside’s blocks and rebounds, but he is also facing someone that thrives in those areas as well. There is a chance that they could neutralize each other.

Dark Horses:

DeMarcus Cousins ($5,500): Is there risk involved here? Sure, but Cousins is priced very low for his ability. Of course, we don’t know how he’s going to fit with the Warriors or even how many minutes he is going to play. This is the definition of a dart throw. I don’t know exactly what the upside is here, but last year we saw Cousins put up around 30 DraftKings points in 20 minutes. Can he do that here?

Kevon Looney ($4,000): Boogie’s return couldn’t have come at a worse time for Looney. He has been putting up really nice numbers lately as the main center for the Warriors. Looney is going to cede some minutes to Cousins, but with Cousins likely on a strict minutes limit, Looney should still be able to see his normal allotment of 25 minutes or so. Looney is still a decent value pick, for tonight anyway.

My pick: Vucevic(C), Cousins(UTIL); Drummond(C), Whiteside(UTIL)

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