DraftKings NBA Picks February 24: The Joker's wild

LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 20: Chris Paul #3 of the Houston Rockets reacts to his basket in a 124-115 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on October 20, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Picks February 24: The Joker’s wild

It’s a slow Sunday with just three games for our DraftKings NBA tournaments. It starts early at 2:30 pm eastern, and we can have all of our tilting done before we hit the sack with the final game starting at 6:30 eastern. This slate is a nightmare for sites without late swap, but for those of us on DraftKings, we can play some things out here.

Did you guys check out some NHL and PGA over the break? I did, and thanks to our advice right here at Fantasy CPR, I was able to add a little bit to my bankroll for the stretch run of the NBA season. Just because the NBA is back up and running doesn’t mean we need to ignore the friends we made over the break, right?

I didn’t get an article up yesterday due to treacherous travel conditions turning an eight hour trip into closer to 13 hours. I still managed to put a couple of lineups together. I built with CP3, Hield, PG, Boogie, and Diallo in one lineup. That one managed a solid 317.5 DraftKings points, but that still didn’t top the outrageous 319.75 needed to cash.

NILKNARF took this one down with 383.25 DraftKings points. He built with CP3, Westbrook, Bazemore, Eric Gordon, Diallo, Markkanen, Rubio, and Jonas. All had great returns with Diallo’s 36.5 being the low mark.

I get asked a lot why I chose one player over another in a certain tier, so I am switching things up a little. Instead of just putting the plays I like from each price tier, I’m going to put in more of my thought process in here instead of just telling you what to do. If you don’t think my logic is sound, then you can make your own choice.

This is one of those days to find a strong core and not vary much, if at all, from it. This is a day to attack the big tournaments with a couple of entries.

If you would like to try DraftKings for the first time, use this link for the referral bonus! It is good for $10 in free DraftKings entry tickets with your first deposit of $5 or more.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – FEBRUARY 07: Kyle Lowry #7 of the Toronto Raptors calls to his teammates against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on February 07, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. 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 Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Point Guards:

Best Bets:

You know it’s a weaker slate when Kyle Lowry leads the pricing at point. He has a terrible matchup with Orlando, a team that held him to just 26.5 DraftKings points earlier this year. There are lots of ways to waste money at the point today, and this looks like the most egregious. I’m staying away.

Honorable Mention:

Dennis Smith Jr.’s minutes took a hit with Mudiay back, and the production dipped as well. At this point we really have to wonder what in the hell the Knicks are doings since DSJ was pretty much the centerpiece of the PorzinGOD deal. Why only play him 22 minutes? Mudiay played 26 minutes and outdid DSJ by nearly ten DraftKings points. This whole situation is a disaster. For now Muiday looks like the one to take a chance on, but that could change at any moment, even in the middle of a game.

This is a great matchup for Jamal Murray, but his days of breaking slates are over. The Nuggets are completely healthy at guard, and it’s really an embarrassment of riches. It is also a muddy situation for DFS players. Murray is still seeing plenty of minutes, but there is a finite cap on his upside. Still, I could see Murray flirting with 6x value against the Clippers.

Dark Horses:

The major reason that Murray’s upside is capped is because of the outstanding play of Malik Beasley. The new Beastley has at least 5x value in 13 of the last 14 games. There is virtually no risk here, but the upside is capped for the same reason at Murray’s is.

However, Beasley is still safer than testing the Spurs’ waters, which is pretty much what we are left with for value. Derrick White will play, but probably only enough to ruin the value of Forbes just like Thursday. Patty Mills is the one to play here if using a Spur.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is starting, but is always a massive risk. You don’t have the upside with a guy like Jeremy Lin, but he’s a guaranteed 5x value. Isaiah Thomas is the really intriguing piece though since he put up 24.25 DraftKings points in just 16 minutes against Dallas on Friday. The minutes should get another slight boost, and this is a situation where IT2 could do some serious damage.

My pick: Mudiay(PG), Beasley(G); Beasley(PG)

ORLANDO, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 19: DeMar DeRozan #10 of the San Antonio Spurs attempts a shot during the game against the Orlando Magic at Amway Center on December 19, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. 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 Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Shooting Guards:

Best Bets:

DeMar DeRozan is coming off of anotehr strong outing against his former team, but he has been mostly hit and miss elsewhere. The Knicks look like a big time hit spot, but I would also say there is a pretty good chance of a blowout or resting players here since the Spurs also play tomorrow. If anyone sits, play DeRozan anyway. The risk far outweighs the reward.

There’s no way I’m playing Lou Williams for 7 grand against Denver. I don’t care how much value is available. Find somewhere else to spend the money.

Honorable Mention:

Evan Fournier has 56 DraftKings points in two game against the Raptors. That is almost exactly 5x value. There isn’t a lot of upside on Fournier, but he is one of the most consistent guys out there. The money line from last night could take down a GPP today. I see no issue with using Fournier or bench scorer extraordinaire Terrence Ross today.

Gary Harris and Will Barton have yet to get back on track for Denver, but with their prices as low as they are now, there could be some real value here if one of them gets going. I would say that Barton is probably more likely to do so because the Nuggets are taking it more slowly with Harris, but the Clippers are just so bad defensively against guards.

Dark Horses:

More Knicks dumbassedness for you. So what if I invented a word. There is literally no word out there that can describe the Knicks in a PG-rated article. They jettisoned Kadeem Allen, who had outplayed everyone but DSJ, to the G-League to activate Mudiay. Damyean Dotson looked good on Friday, so I guess we could go back to him. Of course, Allonzo Trier played more minutes and had a nice game for the price himself. Will that trend hold? If so, Dotson is sooooo cheap. Trier is a good value as well.

Landry Shamet continues to play well in his new home. However, he’s not the kind of player that is really going to put up big numbers for you. I like him a little more against Denver due to the stout guard defense of the Nuggets’ first string. Still, Danny Green plays more minutes and Patrick Beverley have the better floor at the same price.

My pick: Fournier(SG); DeRozan(SG), Shamet(F), Dotson(G)

DENVER, CO – NOVEMBER 23: Jonathan Isaac #1 of the Orlando Magic plays the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center on November 23, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) 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 Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Small Forwards:

Best Bets:

There are plenty of reasons that I don’t really trust Kawhi Leonard this year. First off, he doesn’t look like the same player in Toronto. It could be the scheme. It may be the injury. Hell, it could even be that he was traded to a Winter Wonderland when he wanted to go to a beach. Who knows? I just can’t get excited about using him against an Orlando team that has shut him down this year. For $1,400 less, I’ll just use DeRozan and probably get better results.

Honorable Mention:

It’s Gallinari revenge round 4 tonight, but I wouldn’t go too heavily on this. After all, Gallinari has only averaged 30.6 DraftKings points in the first three meetings against his former team. This is the first tilt against them without Harris in the picture, so Gallinari should continue to see increased chances.

Jonathan Isaac had his first true bust of a game in over a month against the Bulls on Friday. We can overlook that here. Toronto is a solid team, but I still see Isaac topping 30 DraftKings points here.

The Knicks turned Kevin Knox loose on Friday and he put up a solid stat line. This is a good place to use him against the Spurs so long as the Knicks play him 30+ minutes again. He hadn’t done that before last night since February 11th. Don’t you love the Knicks’ rotations?

Dark Horses:

Marco Belinelli has been instant offense for the Spurs all season long. Most of the same options are available here as at SG, but Belinelli could stand out above them against the perimeter defense of the Knicks. Davis Bertans is a great play too for $3,700. There is no shortage of value today.

My pick: Isaac(SF); Bertans(SF)

TORONTO, ON – OCTOBER 5: Pascal Siakam #43 of the Toronto Raptors dribbles the ball during the second half of an NBA preseason game against of Melbourne United at Scotiabank Arena on October 5, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. 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 Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Power Forwards:

Best Bets:

I want no part of LaMarcus Aldridge here whether he plays or not. He was ineffective on Friday, and will likely sit either tonight or tomorrow. Save your money. Pascal Siakam looks like a much better pick even if Orlando has handled him for the most part this year. Siakam is becoming a larger part of the Toronto offense by the game.

Honorable Mention:

It looks like we may be able to trust Aaron Gordon again, but looks can be deceiving. He does have three straight games of more than 30 DraftKings points and he is averaging above that in two games against Toronto this year. I view Gordon as a solid play, but he isn’t going to put up the sort of numbers that win you a GPP.

This should be a smash spot for Millsap, and Denver has played him more than 30 minutes in two straight games now. Millsap has 56.25 DraftKings points in 54 minutes against the Clippers this year, but those numbers should go up with Harris in Philly.

If Aldridge ends up sitting, Rudy Gay is a lock. Even if Aldridge plays, I still like Gay a lot more for the price. To be fair, fading LMA is a risk here, but any minutes that Gay spends at the four are going to be hot minutes for him. The Knicks have plenty of weaknesses, but PF may be the most glaring.

Dark Horses:

Even though Denver keeps trimming the minutes on Mason Plumlee, he just keeps cranking out 5x value or more. That’s going to continue against the Clippers. Plumlee can do some damage in 25 minutes. He has proven that time and time again.

No matter how you look at this, JaMychal Green is still too cheap if you need this kind of value. The only thing holding me back from going all in on Green is the strength of the Denver frontcourt and their backups.

My pick: Gay(PF), Millsap(F); Plumlee(PF)

ORLANDO, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 05: Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Orlando Magic and Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets embrace after the game at Amway Center on December 05, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Harry Aaron/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Centers:

Best Bets:

No lie, Nikola Jokic is going to be about 75% owned today, and maybe even higher than that. There’s no price crunch on this slate and there is value at every position. I see no reason not to play Jokic. Even though Jokic has only averaged 27 minutes and 44.8 DraftKings points against the Clippers this year. If this stays close, Jokic could hit 70.

Nikola Vucevic is an interesting pivot here, especially when we consider that he has put up 115.25 DraftKings points in just two games against the Raptors. His numbers may slide with Gasol on him from time to time now, but I still expect Vucevic to put up strong numbers.