DraftKings NBA Picks February 27: Giannis is King vs. Kings

DENVER, CO – NOVEMBER 15: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets plays the Atlanta Hawks at the Pepsi Center on November 15, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. 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 Picks February 27: Giannis is King vs. Kings

We are back with another massive 11 game slate for our DraftKings NBA tournaments. Only four players top five figures though. Giannis is still questionable, but the rest should be a go. Where should we look to build with this? Let’s take a look!

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?

Last night was a total disaster. The entire Celtics team sucked and Terrence Ross was 1-10 from the field. There went my lineups. The money line was only 265.25 DraftKings points, but I was 30 points shy of that with my best lineup.

Someone had a good night. It was WinWithZen, who put up 353 DraftKings points to take the win. He built with Jokic, Paul George, Mitch Robinson, and Aaron Gordon and got huge value out of Allonzo trier, Will Barton, and Jerami Grant.

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 attack the $1 20 max. There are so many different ways to go!

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PHOENIX, ARIZONA – JANUARY 24: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers handles the ball during the second half of the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena on January 24, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Point Guards:

Best Bets:

I would play Luka Doncic in most cases now, but I still can’t bring myself to do it against the lockdown guard defense of the Pacers. Kyrie Irving against a Portland team that he put 42.5 DraftKings points on the first time around looks like a better option. You could run this back with Damian Lillard as well considering he put up 43.75 against Boston in that game and is cheaper.

The only thing for certain in this tier is that I wont be paying north of $9,000 for Curry against Miami. They locked him down the first time around.

Honorable Mention:

I’m not really interested in Kemba Walker against Chris Paul defense. However, I will take the other side of this. Walker is not a weak defender, but with the way Paul is playing right now, there aren’t many that can stop him.

Judging Trae Young by what he did earlier in the season against a team is a bit unfair. Young took some time to get acclimated to the league. Instead, we should go by his February averages of 23 points and nine assists per game. Minnesota is right in the middle as far as point guard defense goes. I really don’t see them slowing Young much here.

I could get behind using Fox here, but Milwaukee’s defense is good. I would much rather run Eric Bledsoe against the Kings. Bledsoe put up 24.5 DraftKings points in just 21 minutes the first time around. However, the Kings are staying competitive now when they weren’t earlier in the season. I see a full compliment of minutes for Bledsoe here. He could do quite a bit of damage in that time.

Dark Horses:

Darren Collison has six straight games of more than 30 DraftKings points. Collison put up 30.25 DraftKings points in the first meeting with Dallas. I don’t really see them keeping him under here. I would consider Collison safer than Ricky Rubio at the same price.

Tomas Satoransky has been mostly quiet lately, but he could make some noise against Brooklyn. Satoransky has three straight games of more than 5x value. The Pelicans have thrown Elfrid Payton right back in there, so he is safe to use as well. Payton put up 38.25 DraftKings points against the Lakers earlier this year.

Delon Wright put up 29 DraftKings points on the Bulls just before the break, so right now he is my favorite value guard. I say right now because that will flip to Tyus Jones in a hurry if Teague is out again. Ryan Arcidiacono is also worth a look if Kris Dunn is out again.

My pick: Wright(PG), Satoransky(PG), Wright(G)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 18: D’Angelo Russell #1 of the Brooklyn Nets reacts during the final minutes of the fourth quarter of the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Barclays Center on December 18, 2018 in New York City. The Nets defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 115-110. 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 Shooting Guards:

Best Bets:

The Rockets are at full strength, so we really have to weigh whether it’s worth using James Harden or not. I didn’t use him at all on Monday, and I don’t think I will here either. Charlotte’s guard defense isn’t great, but there are better ways to attack this team than letting Harden shoot 30 times.

Bradley Beal has been under value every game against Brooklyn this year, but all three of those games happened before John Wall went down. Can we trust Beal with Wall out? This is a tougher perimeter defense, so I think I would choose to use Satoransky or attack with bigs. If you are spending that much at SG, D’Angelo Russell is a much better option. Donovan Mitchell also put up 43 DraftKings points on the Clippers earlier this year, so I don’t see a reason to take a chance with Beal on this loaded slate.

DeMar DeRozan exploded for 55.25 DraftKings points in the first game against Detroit, so he is also in play. With all of the depth at SG, especially in the upper tier, I wont have any exposure to Harden or Beal. There are so many other places to attack.

Honorable Mention:

Zach LaVine is a strong play against Memphis, but I’m probably only going after this if Dunn is out again. Jrue Holiday looks like a much better option, especially considering he has played better with Payton back on the floor. Holiday has 95.75 DraftKings points in two games against the Lakers this year. This is a 6x value spot for Jrue.

I normally wouldn’t use Lou Williams against Utah, but he did put up 41 DraftKings points on them the first time around. The sheer volume of shots from Williams lately makes him worth a look. I would trust LouWill a lot more than Hield against Milwaukee.

Only Charlotte has held Bojan Bogdanovic under 5x value since Oladipo went down. He’s still a very strong value option. Derrick Rose put up 46.75 DraftKings points in the first game against Atlanta, but he was also running the point in that one. I’m only on Rose if for some reason he draws Trae Young defense again.

Malcolm Brogdon has between 30 and 35 DraftKings points in 10 of the last 11 games. Good luck finding that anywhere else. The consistency on Brogdon makes him a cash game staple, but his price is so low on DraftKings that we can still pull 6x value off of him with no risk at all!

Dark Horses:

Dion Waiters put up 39.25 DraftKings points in the first meeting with the Warriors, but he also played 41 minutes in that game. That wont happen again, so temper your expectations. However, with Waiters so cheap, he could still turn in 6x value here.

Eric Gordon and Joe Harris both look like strong picks since they are mostly shooters. It doesn’t take much for a hot shooter to hit value at this price. You can also put the super cheap and starting Reggie Bullock in here along with his replacement, the red hot Luke Kennard. There is so much value at all tiers of SG tonight!

My pick: Russell(SG), Harris(G); Brogdon(SG)

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – FEBRUARY 07: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers dribbles against the Boston Celtics during the second half at TD Garden on February 07, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Small Forwards:

Best Bets:

I don’t really want to use any Lakers tonight, but it is so hard to fade LeBron against a team that he has 130.25 DraftKings points against in just two games. The King has been about the only Laker producing good lines lately, so I kind of think LeBron is the play to have on this slate if you are spending big.

Kevin Durant put up a strong 53.5 DraftKings points on Miami the first time around. When you look at where Miami put their defensive efforts in the first game against the Warriors, I think Durant is the only starter I really want here. I’m gravitating more towards the cheaper starters and Iggy personally, but if you want to pay up, it should be Durant.

Honorable Mention:

There is a big drop off at SF, and it’s even worse if Giannis plays. If Giannis is out again, I’ll use Middleton here. If Giannis plays, I don’t really consider anyone until way down at Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins put up 33 DraftKings points in the first game against Atlanta, and this is another really good spot for him. The minutes are there for Wiggins. Now if we could only get some consistency to go with it…..

If Otto Porter is in with no limitations, I want a whole bunch of that. He destroyed the Grizzlies in the first meeting, and it will happen again, especially if Dunn remains out. If Porter is out, I’ll go with one of the guys he was traded for in Jabari Parker against the Nets. Kent Bazemore and Kenrich Williams are very strong options as well. Be careful with Williams though. The inconsistency is piling up with all of the drama in New Orleans.

Our resident THJ junkie is going to love this, but we would be fools to ignore what Tim Hardaway Jr. is doing in Dallas. THJ has at least 5x value in four of six games. If Indiana can lock down on Doncic again, it’s going to mean more shots for Hardaway. What could possibly go wrong?

Dark Horses:

Nicolas Batum is performing well above his price lately. Batum has 102.75 DraftKings points in three games since the All Star Break. I’ll take that all day for $4,700. I will also take Al-Farouq Aminu and his certain 20. He should be in line for a lot more with the way Boston played last night.

This is another good matchup for Gordon Hayward, but I just don’t see how I can play him after last night. That ankle may not be right. P.J. Tucker is a stronger play and is cheaper.

Mo Harkless is easily the best value play on the slate with Evan Turner out, and it’s not close. If you need even more value, there’s always Andre Iguodala. If you need to go cheaper yet, Deandre Bembry is worth a look as well.

My pick: Iguodala(SF), Harkless(F); James(SF), Harkless(F)

DETROIT, MI – FEBRUARY 07: Blake Griffin #23 of the Detroit Pistons celebrates a 115-106 win over the Brooklyn Nets with Andre Drummond #0 at Little Caesars Arena on February 7, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Power Forwards:

Best Bets:

If Giannis plays tonight, he could break the slate. Giannis racked up 67.75 DraftKings points in just 30 minutes against the Kings in the first meeting. Right now it looks as though Giannis is planning on playing. If he is out there with no restrictions, I will have a bunch of shares here.

Blake Griffin put up 48 DraftKings points in the first meeting with the Spurs, so there is a good chance he does it again. However, Lauri Markkanen is cheaper and has at least 40 DraftKings points in every game this month. I’ll take the floor and the upside of Markkanen here.

Honorable Mention:

Yes, I’ll have an order of Julius Randle revenge against the Lakers. He hasn’t put up a truly dominant game against his former team, but he is certainly capable of it. The price is right here since we know Davis is only good for about 20 minutes anymore.

John Collins put up 40 DraftKings points on Minnesota the first time around, and Collins has put up 80 DraftKings points over the last two games. If the Hawks can continue hanging around in games, we could see some big nights on the horizon.

Marvin Bagley has at least 47 DraftKings points in three straight games. Now he gets to tee off on a Milwaukee team that has been gouged by power forwards. The only one I may like better here is Bobby Portis because, you know, he’s playing the Nets.

Jayson Tatum put up 43 DraftKings points in the first game against Portland, but for someone who watched the Boston game last night…..wow. I just don’t know if I can willingly play any Celtic. The whole team was that bad.

Dark Horses:

Eventually the Rockets are going to realize that running Faried and Capela together is really good for the team. I really hope it happens for tonight’s matchup against Charlotte. Draymond Green put up a big game against Charlotte on Monday, and his price barely budged. I’m a big fan of Draymond against the Heat.

Dario Saric is still a strong value pick, but off nights are still possible. It wont be enough to give Taj the job back, so Saric will continue to get most of the chances here. He could be in for a good night against Atlanta.

If Jae Crowder can continue playing like he is, I really like him at this price against the Clippers. On the other side it’s a tough matchup for JaMychal Green, but I have a hard time fading him when he’s this cheap. Green has at least 22 DraftKings points in four of the last five games.

My pick: Antetokounmpo(PF); Antetokounmpo(PF)

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 put up a whopping 70.25 DraftKings points in the first matchup against the Hawks. Atlanta still doesn’t have anyone that can stop Towns. It’s going to be a long night in Atlanta for the Hawks frontcourt.

Andre Drummond put up a strong 46.5 DraftKings points against the Spurs the first time around. San Antonio had trouble with the Detroit front, and likely will again. I don’t know that I could play Drummond over Towns, but I could definitely play both together.