DraftKings NBA Picks February 28: Attack the Knicks front

CHARLOTTE, NC – NOVEMBER 26: Eric Bledsoe #6 of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts after a play against the Milwaukee Bucks during their game at Spectrum Center on November 26, 2018 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 Picks February 28: Attack the Knicks front

We have a solid six game slate for our DraftKings NBA tournaments tonight. Minnesota, Indiana, Golden State, Miami, Houston, and Utah are all on the second night of back to backs. Despite only six games, we have a star studded player pool with six players with five figure salaries. Which ones should we build with?

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 had four lineups with four solid scores, but none of them hit 300. The money lineup was at 300.25 DraftKings points. The news about Giannis being limited came out so late that I had no legitimate pivots besides Julius Randle. That worked fine, but leaving $3,200 on the table and not having enough to upgrade to LeBron in all but one lineup really hurt.

BrentOlney had an absolutely massive takedown with 413.75 DraftKings points. That was a whopping 21 points ahead of second place! He built with LeBron, Towns, and Eric Bledsoe and hit on every value possible. He had Tyus Jones, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Mo Harkless, Avery Bradley, and Batum. All of them had at least 30 DraftKings points.

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.

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.

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – FEBRUARY 15: Ben Simmons #25 of the World Team dribbles down court during the 2019 Mtn Dew ICE Rising Stars at Spectrum Center on February 15, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Point Guards:

Best Bets:

Russ is the highest price on the slate, and there is no way he should be. Philly shut him down the first time around. Considering how tough their point guard defense is, I don’t see anything changing here. Stephen Curry has a poor matchup against Orlando as well. The Magic have been worse against point guards lately, but I still think there are better ways to spend the money.

On the other hand, Ben Simmons put up 51.5 DraftKings points on the Thunder the first time around, and he has mostly been a terror with Embiid out. If you are allotting a large sum of money to spend on a point guard, Simmons is my favorite.

It’s really hard to ignore what Chris Paul is doing lately. I wouldn’t play Harden, but CP3 is still a great option at almost $3,000 less.

Honorable Mention:

Now we reach the dropoff at PG, and it’s a pretty steep one. I don’t trust any of the Knicks guards right now, not even DSJ. You are almost better off playing whoever doesn’t start for the Knicks. I am crossing off all but one player from this team. You are playing roulette if you play any Knicks guard.

Ricky Rubio is back with five straight games of at least 5x value. I want to trust this, but we know how it goes with Rubio. He lures us in just to break our lineup with a single digit performance. However, Rubio has 60.75 DraftKings points in two games against Denver this year. He is more safe than Jamal Murray or the new Beastley.

Another game, another 30+ DraftKings points for Darren Collison. Minnesota isn’t going to hold him under that, especially if Tyus Jones draws the start again. By the way, I really like Jones if he ends up starting for Teague again.

Dark Horses:

Jordan Clarkson has abused the Knicks for 63.25 DraftKings points over the first two games. The problem with Clarkson is the same as it always is. He is horribly inconsistent. Case in point: over the last two games, Clarkson has one game with 30.25 DraftKings points. In the other he had 8.75, and the minutes weren’t all that varied. Collin Sexton is also inconsistent, but his floor is much higher.

D.J. Augustin put up 30.5 DraftKings points in the first meeting against the Warriors. Forget what this looks like on paper. Augustin keeps putting up really good numbers at a very low price. There isn’t a ton of upside here, but there is plenty enough to use him, especially on a short slate.

Good grief, Goran Dragic is cheap. He had a nice return against the Warriors. CP3 is going to give him some problems, but Dragic only needs 24DraftKings points for 5x value. He should eclipse that with ease so long as the Heat don’t limit him in his first back to back since his return.

My pick: Simmons(SF), Collison(PG); Augustin(PG), Simmons (G)

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – FEBRUARY 15: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the U.S. Team reacts during the 2019 Mtn Dew ICE Rising Stars at Spectrum Center on February 15, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Shooting Guards:

Best Bets:

Just because I am interested in giving you all of the facts, James Harden did put up 67.5 DraftKings points in the first game against the Heat. Paul didn’t play that game, but he would have had success regardless. Probably not $11,000 worth of success though.

Donovan Mitchell has 96.75 DraftKings points in two games against the Nuggets this year. After a really rough start to his sophomore campaign, Mitchell is back to doing what he does best: carrying the Jazz offense.

Honorable Mention:

This is a really good matchup for Jimmy Butler, but I just don’t know how we can trust him. I would much rather use Klay Thompson for much less. Thompson blew up for 43.25 DraftKings points on the Magic in the first meeting. He is one of my favorite Warriors tonight.

Aside from a hiccup against the Raptors, Evan Fournier has five straight games of at least 30 DraftKings points. A sixth is likely against the Warriors, but I sure as hell wont touch Terrence Ross. Or will I? He was a disaster against the Knicks, but Ross put up a staggering 37.75 DraftKings points against the Warriors the first time around. This looks like the time to get back on the horse, but there is a very real fear of being bucked out of the money again.

Despite Wade doing his best impersonation of himself circa 2007, Josh Richardson has quietly put up really good numbers as well. And there is the little fact that JRich put up 41.5 DraftKings points on Houston the first time around. I’m not opposed to using both Wade and Richardson here, but Wade is probably the better value. His career only has about 20 games left. I don’t see Wade resting for load management anytime soon. He’s going out with a bang!

Dark Horses:

We can’t trust Butler, but I think we can trust J.J. Redick. Redick doesn’t have a lot of upside, but he’s a sure 28-30 DraftKings points every game.

Okay Eric Gordon. You got me last night. Shame on me. It’s back to Dennis Schroder for value tonight.

We are going to need value with all of the star power tonight, and it doesn’t always come pretty. Wesley Matthews has four straight games of more than 20 DraftKings points, but his upside is pretty much non-existent. Josh Okogie plays a lot of minutes, but he doesn’t always do a lot with them considering all of the other pieces Minnesota has.

My pick: Ross(SG); N/A

OAKLAND, CA – FEBRUARY 06: Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder reacts after making a three-point shot over Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors during the second half of their NBA basketball game at ORACLE Arena on February 6, 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 Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Small Forwards:

Best Bets:

Paul George has a salary that’s a little easier to swallow and he had a better game against Philly than Westbrook did the first time around. George had 53.5 DraftKings points in that one. If I do go with an expensive Thunder player, it will be George. I’m leaning towards going without both of them though.

Kevin Durant went berserk on Orlando for 78 DraftKings points in the first meeting. Having Boogie around is going to bring that number down some, but I don’t see a good reason KD can’t hit 50.

Honorable Mention:

There is a pretty big drop off at the position again. Andrew Wiggins has been solid of late, but he was so awful in the first game against Indiana that there’s no way I’m chancing him here.

This is not a great matchup for Jonathan Isaac, but I’m not sure it really matters anymore. Isaac is becoming a strong component of the offense and his outstanding defense hasn’t changed a bit. There’s enough upside to use him here.

Bojan Bogdanovic is the Pacers’ leading scorer with Oladipo out. That’s not going to change anytime soon. Bojan may not do much else, but he has a great floor since he scores at least 20 real points per game.

Kevin Knox is there, and he’s played pretty well against Cleveland. The bad news is that Knox is in a Knicks uniform and really can’t be trusted.

Dark Horses:

Cedi Osman has at least 30 DraftKings points in seven of the last ten games. He was a non factor in the first game against the Knicks, but I doubt that happens again. Osman is a solid piece of this team and comes at a great price.

It was yet another solid game for Jae Crowder. Considering he has 61.75 DraftKings points in two games against Denver this year, I see Crowder as a strong value play again tonight.

My pick: Bogdanovic(SF); Bogdanovic(SG), Durant(SF)

PHILADELPHIA, PA – FEBRUARY 08: Tobias Harris #33 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts after a timeout in the first quarter against the Denver Nuggets at the Wells Fargo Center on February 8, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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 Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Power Forwards:

Best Bets:

The Thunder are less weak at the four now but that is by no means a ringing endorsement. The Philly offense should flow through Tobias Harris here because it can. Harris put up a 50 spot on the Pelicans on Monday. Don’t be surprised if it happens again.

Honorable Mention:

Kevin Love may be on limited minutes, but his is far from limited from a fantasy standpoint. His price, like Paul Millsap‘s, is far too low. Both of them are going in every build tonight. Only a stout Utah defense may push me off of Millsap if I find a better option elsewhere. Nothing is moving me off of Love.

This is one of the worst possible places to use Aaron Gordon. Thad Young is by far a better option, especially with Sabonis out. Kenneth Faried is a good option so long as the hip isn’t bugging him, but not as good as Young.

Dark Horses:

This is a smash spot for Jerami Grant. He put up 30.25 DraftKings points in the first game against Philly, and he is coming off a huge game against a good Denver front.

Dario Saric is a solid punt, but with Grant only $900 more, I don’t see why you need it. Saric’s days of crushing value are behind him. He is clearly the fourth or fifth option for this team right now. Jonah Bolden is a much better play with Embiid still out and Boban joining him.

My pick: Love(PF); Bolden(F); Harris(SF(, Love(F), Bolden(UTIL)

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:

KAT has back to back 70+ DraftKings points games. On top of that, Dallas’ front just took advantage on Indiana. Towns was solid but not great against the Pacers the first time around, but there is hope that he can cause more damage here.

I don’t know why you would run the risk against Indiana with Towns when you have Nikola Jokic against a Utah team that he has 114.75 DraftKings points against in two games this year. Even Nikola Vucevic looks like a better option considering he put up 57.5 on the Warriors the first time around.