DraftKings NBA Picks February 25: Ride Simmons with Embiid out

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DraftKings NBA Picks February 25: Ride Simmons with Embiid out

We have another giant 11 game slate for our DraftKings NBA tournaments tonight. There are five players over five figures, but one is out and three are questionable. Giannis is doubtful, Towns is probable, and Harden is a complete unknown. That makes this pretty difficult.

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?

Despite the small three game slate, the money line was still at 275.75 DraftKings points. The chalk Knicks/Spurs hit. I missed value with Shamet and Raptors value with Kawhi out.

scott1681 put up a strong 366.75 DraftKings points to win this one. He built around Vucevic, Millsap, DSJ, DeRozan, and Terrence Ross and got huge value out of Mitch Robinson, Dotson, and Mason Plumlee.

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 looks like a night to go strong in a multi entry tournament. The $1 20 max looks tempting!

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CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – FEBRUARY 17: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors and Team Giannis dribbles upcourt against Team LeBron during the NBA All-Star game as part of the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend at Spectrum Center on February 17, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. 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 Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Point Guards:

Best Bets:

Stephen Curry is a great choice against Charlotte. Even with the Warriors fully healthy now, Curry has kept his production up. Damian Lillard has struggled lately, but Cleveland should provide a reprieve here. Lillard put up 46.5 DraftKings points in the first meeting with Cleveland. If paying up at the point tonight, Lillard is probably the one you want to build with.

I do like the matchup for Luka Doncic against the Clippers tonight if he is able to play. However, I wouldn’t really look for Dallas to push him. This is another loaded slate. 300 probably wont cash with the way this year is going. We are going to want more, so I would use Kemba over Doncic, but I’m not a huge fan of either one here.

Honorable Mention:

Chris Paul is the easiest play on the slate if Harden sits. Considering the Rockets are playing Atlanta, why would they push Harden? They just beat the Warriors without Harden. The Rockets certainly wont need the Beard here. Paul is one of my favorite plays so long as Harden is out, and I really don’t see what Houston has to gain by playing him.

Ben Simmons really picked up his game with Embiid out. I would guess that trend holds true for the duration of Embiid’s absence. There is other value to go around as well, but here we can have Simmons scoring like a five figure player for only $8,000. He will go a long ways towards helping us cash.

Surprisingly, De’Aaron Fox has struggled in all three games against the Timberwolves this year. Eric Bledsoe did well against Minnesota on Saturday. I would guess Fox would here as well, You could use Bledsoe against the Bulls, especially with Giannis out, but he has not performed up to the level that we need against them in the previous three games.

Darren Collison smoked Detroit for 37.75 DraftKings points in just 24 minutes in his only game against the Pistons this year. Detroit’s point guard defense hasn’t improved. Jeff Teague is also worth considering in this tier, but he was so bad against the Bucks, I’m not sure I can bring myself to do it. Derrick Rose is the better play here.

Dark Horses:

The Lakers are seriously limiting the effectiveness of Rajon Rondo by running Ingram out there at the point even with Ball out. We saw Collin Sexton have a nice game against Memphis on Saturday, so a Lakers guard seems imperative. I’m not messing with it. For me, I’m taking Sexton and avoiding this situation entirely. I like Rondo, but can’t trust the minutes right now.

Tyler Johnson is way too cheap for the numbers he is putting up, and this is now a revenge game. Johnson will be in all of my lineups! If you need more value below this, don’t mess with the Spurs’ situation with all of the other options out there, especially when Delon Wright is still so cheap.

My pick: Simmons(SF), Johnson(PG), Wright(G); Simmons(SF), Johnson(PG)

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – FEBRUARY 16: Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns shoots during the MTN DEW 3-Point Contest as part of the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend at Spectrum Center on February 16, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Shooting Guards:

Best Bets:

I’m approaching this as if Harden is out. If he plays, I’m still not interested in that big tag with the way CP3 is playing. Devin Booker looks like a nice play against the Heat if Phoenix can stay close. Booker has hit value in three of the last four games. This looks like a spot for him to do it again.

D’Angelo Russell put up 47.75 DraftKings points against the Spurs earlier this year. Since the Spurs didn’t rest anyone last night, I would guess they will tonight. If they rest LMA, I would consider DeRozan. That said, there really is no reason to reach here. There are better options out there than paying the price for DeRozan.

Honorable Mention:

This doesn’t look like a great spot for Zach LaVine, but he has averaged 42.3 DraftKings points in the three prior meetings with the Bucks. The Bulls still don’t play a lick of defense, but they could easily hang around here with Giannis out.

Jimmy Butler‘s production should have went up with Embiid out. Instead, it was Simmons who who put on the show. You simply can’t trust Butler’s production from one game to the next. You could throw Lou Williams out there, but with the way Thompson and Hield are going, I think you would get better return out of them for around the same price.

C.J. McCollum struggled in the first game against Cleveland. In all honesty, I wouldn’t use him anyway. Not with Khris Middleton at this price with Giannis out. Middleton is pretty much a must play tonight.

Oladipo’s injury has opened things up for Bojan Bogdanovic, but I still don’t particularly like the matchup here. I would rather play the rock solid Malcolm Brogdon against the Bulls, a team that he has averaged 32.6 DraftKings points against in the three prior meetings.

Dark Horses:

Joe Harris put up 27 DraftKings points on the Spurs the first time around, but I find it hard to play any Nets right now considering Kenny Atkinson wants to play everyone about 24 minutes a game. All of the Nets are stunted, but Harris is still a low enough price to consider if you don’t want to figure out whether Patrick Beverley or Landry Shamet are the play to have.

When you compare all of the others to Eric Gordon with Harden out and Reggie Bullock, there is no comparison. Gordon and Bullock are by far the better plays. Avery Bradley is worth a look if you are going for separation. I also really like Trey Burke if Doncic is out again.

My pick: Middleton(SG); Booker(SG), Russell(G)

DraftKings NBA Small Forwards:

Best Bets:

LeBron James is going to be a popular play and I get it, but I wont be using him. LeBron only has 99.75 DraftKings points in two games against the Grizzlies. That isn’t hitting his lofty price. The Grizzlies are also in a situation where they may not be able to stay close. If I knew this game would stay close, I would strongly consider LeBron. However, there are probably better options out there on this loaded slate.

Kevin Durant has been the one most unaffected by the return of Boogie, but the days of Durant hitting more than 60 are few and far between. If Charlotte keeps this game close, I can see Durant coming close to that. It would help if there were a strong defender on Curry, but I still see decent potential for Durant.

Honorable Mention:

Danilo Gallinari has 85 DraftKings points in the two games against Dallas so far, and now he doesn’t even have to deal with Harrison Barnes. Or Harris stealing touches for that matter. Gallinari is one of the stronger mid range plays here.

Andrew Wiggins has had solid numbers against the Kings this year, but that was before Wiggins’ rebirth when Thibs was fired. Wiggins is also a strong mid range play if you are going for a balanced build.

Dark Horses:

Forwards against Portland. It’s still a thing. Cedi Osman has quietly been the best player on the Cavs for the month of February. Ride him for just $5,000. For the price though, Bogdan Bogdanovic may have better upside because of his sharpshooting abilities.

This price is too low for Dion Waiters as a starter. The only issue now is that the Heat are almost completely healthy with Dragic returning. Will Waiters still get the amount of shots that we need from him? I would rather take the sure 6x value from Al-Farouq Aminu.

Well, how about that? P.J. Tucker put up 46 DraftKings points with Harden out. The main reason for that is that Tucker became a strong offensive option. Even if the Rockets end up blowing Atlanta out, I’m confident Tucker hits value anyway.

As usual, Andre Iguodala and Dorian Finney-Smith are good value plays. I prefer Iguodala here simply because he is more consistent. The Hornets pulled one over on everyone on Friday by putting Miles Bridges in the starting lineup and only playing him 12 minutes. Don’t fall into that trap again.

My pick: N/A; Tucker(SF)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 08: Lauri Markkanen #24 of the Chicago Bulls reacts during the second half of the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on February 08, 2019 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 Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Power Forwards:

Best Bets:

The herd thinned out quick with LeBron not having a great matchup and Giannis out, but that doesn’t mean we should automatically jump to the Blake Griffin bandwagon. Blake only had 32.25 DraftKings points against Indiana in the first meeting.

Anthony Davis is still putting up massive points per minute, but he’s only playing 20 minutes. You will get much, much more out of Lauri Markkanen in a game with the Bucks who still struggle against power forwards.

Honorable Mention:

Julius Randle put up 42.5 DraftKings points in just 28 minutes in the first game against the Sixers. With Randle now the focal point of the frontcourt, don’t be shocked if he does even better this time around.

This is a great spot on paper for LaMarcus Aldridge, but I don’t know how much I trust that he will play. Still, if he is in the lineup, we have to consider him against the Nets. They are weak at both frontcourt positions.

John Collins put a big number on Phoenix, so we know the ability is there. However, we have a hard time believing that he can do this on a consistent basis. This is a good matchup for Collins, but again, this is probably a bigger risk than we need to take.

Tobias Harris continues to be a strong play with his new team, and this is no exception. However, I don’t think that I can argue that he’s a better play than Marvin Bagley or Kyle Kuzma. I do trust Kuzma more than LeBron for the price differential, and Bagley has topped 45 DraftKings points in three of the last four games. We are talking about 7x value there!

If Myles Turner is out again, fire up Domantas Sabonis. Sabonis has topped 40 in both games with Turner out. You can run Kyle O’Quinn out there to decent results, or you can run Sabonis and clear 6x value with ease.

Dark Horses:

Cheick Diallo continues to put up strong numbers whether Davis is on the court or not. We know that Diallo is guaranteed at least 20 minutes of court time. He can do a lot of damage in that time. The thing that makes me nervous is that Philly has a pretty good front even with Embiid out. Kenneth Faried and Kenrich Williams are safer picks.

Dario Saric has cleared 24 DraftKings games every time he has started, so we pretty much know that the floor is solid. The ceiling is also higher against the Kings than it normally is in this situation. Saric has 58.75 DraftKings points in 51 minutes against the Kings this year.

Davis Bertans is on my list only if someone sits out. He was a non-factor against the Knicks last night. I would rather roll out Kelly Olynyk, who has at least 5x value in three of the last four games. Ersan Ilyasova is also a strong play while starting for Giannis.

My pick: Markkanen(PF), Bagley(F), Kuzma(UTIL); Markkanen(PF), Ilyasova(F)

basketball parlay: PHOENIX, ARIZONA – JANUARY 22: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves handles the ball during the first half of the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena on January 22, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Centers:

Best Bets:

Karl-Anthony Towns has racked up 151.75 DraftKings points in just 95 minutes against the Kings this year. If the Kings can keep this close, Towns may be able to squeeze even more value out of this.

This is not a place where I would normally target Drummond either since both he and Blake struggled against the Indiana front the first time around. However, if Myles Turner is out again, I would consider using Drummond here.