NBA DFS: DraftKings NBA Picks March 9: Giannis for MVP

DETROIT, MICHIGAN – MARCH 06: Andre Drummond #0 of the Detroit Pistons reacts to a second half dunk while playing the Minnesota Timberwolves at Little Caesars Arena on March 06, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit won the game 131-119. 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 Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Picks March 9: Giannis for MVP

We have a pretty light Saturday with six total games, but only five for our DraftKings NBA tournaments. The Knicks and Kings tip at noon eastern, so they have their own showdown slate. That also takes all of the guesswork with the Knicks rotation out of the slate. What we do have to look forward to is a pretty strong star tier. Where do we find the value to play a couple of these? .

I moved off of George with Westbrook not suspended. 16 technicals became 15 overnight. We should all be so lucky. At any rate, the pivot to Kawhi failed. So did the value of Avery Bradley. I hit on Diallo, but with the money line at 290.25, it wasn’t nearly enough. You needed Klay.

dmega77 took this down with 388.5 DraftKings points. He built a balanced lineup a hit on everyone. Elfrid Payton was the low score with 32. He hit big with Lamb, Otto Porter, Gallo, Boogie, Klay, Marvin Williams, and a monster from Andre Drummond.

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.

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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MARCH 01: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Boston Celtics looks on during the second quarter against the Washington Wizards at TD Garden on March 01, 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 Point Guards:

Best Bets:

If Kyrie Irving plays, this is a really good spot for him against the Lakers. However, since he is listed as questionable, the Celtics could hold him out here. It’s not like they really need him against the Lakers. Keep an eye on this as it leads towards tip, but I think I would rather go with Damian Lillard anyway. The matchup with Phoenix is a great one, and Lillard is coming off of a monster against the Thunder.

Most players are worse in the second game of back to backs, but you can’t say that for Kemba Walker. Kemba is averaging 30 points 4.5 rebounds, and five assists in the second game of back to backs this year. I don’t really like the matchup against the Bucks, but Walker has averaged 41.4 DraftKings points in three games against the Bucks this year. These numbers suggest that Kemba isn’t an autofade tonight

Honorable Mention:

Trae Young is hard to fade right now, but he has not hit value since that huge game on March 1st against the Bulls. On top of that, this Brooklyn point defense is sneaky good. I’m going to save money and run Rajon Rondo back at the Celtics in a revenge game. Rondo racked up 42.25 DraftKings points on Boston the first time around.

Eric Bledsoe is solid with an explosion mixed in here and there, but I see an explosion from Jeff Teague as more likely against a poor Washington defense. Teague has 77.5 DraftKings points over the last two games.

Dark Horses:

Spencer Dinwiddie went nuts on Cleveland in the last game. This was the first time Dinwiddie had played more than 25 minutes since his return. I can’t guarantee he’ll hit 30 minutes again, but I can guarantee that Dinwiddie is going to get really good numbers against Atlanta. Tomas Satoransky is a solid pivot, but I think I would rather use Dinwiddie and Teague before him.

Value is a black hole at the point. I don’t trust Tyler Johnson or LeVert. I don’t trust Marcus Smart either, and it’s a huge drop behind that. I wouldn’t go any lower than Dinwiddie unless Irving is out. Then Terry Rozier becomes chalk that I’m happy to use.

My pick: Teague(PG), Dinwiddie(G); Teague(PG)

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MARCH 01: Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards looks on during the first quarter against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on March 01, 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 Shooting Guards:

Best Bets:

Even after a dreadfully slow start last night, Bradley Beal still got us up close to 5x value, which is about all you can hope for from high salary guys. This is another good matchup with Minnesota, and he is still easily the most accomplished scorer that Washington has. I see no reason to fade Beal tonight. He’s a 50+ waiting to happen, and he still isn’t at five figures.

D’Angelo Russell has 90.25 DraftKings points in two games against the Hawks this year, so he should be worth his price tag. I trust him a lot more than Devin Booker against Portland if you are looking to fade Beal but still spend at SG.

Honorable Mention:

I make it a habit to not use Khris Middleton in GPP’s with Giannis healthy because there isn’t a lot of upside. However, his consistency makes him great for cash games. For GPP’s, I would rather move to Kelly Oubre, who has been really good with the Suns this year. Oubre racked up 45.5 DraftKings points against Portland this year. The upside is huge here.

C.J. McCollum is a good play here too, but he was well below Oubre in the first meeting. I think I would rather chase Nicolas Batum against the Bucks. He is one of the few Hornets that I’m actually comfortable using here. The consistency of Malcolm Brogdon always warrants a look in cash games, but that kind of comfort can help in GPP’s on a slate this size.

You can ride the chalk Jeremy Lamb after his monster 50 last night, but look closer. Lamb doesn’t do that very often, and only when the matchup is great. That is one thing this matchup with the Bucks is not.

Dark Horses:

The Atlanta guard rotation behind Trae Young is getting tough to figure out. Right now Kent Bazemore is getting more of the minutes, but he’s still only playing 28 minutes. Kevin Huerter and Deandre Bembry are also picking up minutes, but I think the only one I really feel good about using here is Bazemore. Hueterter doesn’t have nearly enough upside.

I’m not a big fan or Rose, Joe Harris, or Reggie Bullock with the way they are all playing right now. You can get the same production from Mikal Bridges. The difference is that Bridges has at least showed signs that he can provide 7x value. None of the others have since the break.

My pick: Bazemore(SG); Oubre(SG), Lamb(G)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 27: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers dunks the ball against Kenrich Williams #34 of the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at Staples Center on February 27, 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 Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Small Forwards:

Best Bets:

LeBron James abused the Celtics for 72.5 DraftKings points in the first meeting. I suppose the Lakers still have a playoff shot, but it’s not a good one. Are we still going to get “playoff mode” LeBron here? The Lakers want to limit his minutes when they’re out of contention. In reality they are, but he may still believe. If the King does, he’ll rule Boston again.

Honorable Mention:

There’s a steep drop here at SF, but if Brandon Ingram is healthy, it doesn’t seem so steep. The rest of the team may have given up, but Ingram sure didn’t. Prior to his shoulder injury, Ingram had five straight games of more than 35 DraftKings points. If he’s healthy, I’ll have some exposure to Ingram here.

Trevor Ariza put up exactly 5x value against Minnesota just six days ago. He’s a freebie in cash games as in Ariza will get you exactly where you want to be. For GPP’s though, I think we need more. That could come from Jabari Parker, who has at least 34 DraftKings points in three of the last four games. That includes 37 against Minnesota in just 26 minutes.

Dark Horses:

The upside that we saw from Nikola Mirotic in Chicago isn’t coming out in Milwaukee, so that’s not a good enough reason to play him. I would much rather go with Marvin Williams, who tore apart Washington last night. He has a solid 28.4 DraftKings points per game average in three games against the Bucks this year, and is still under $5,000.

Gordon Hayward’s wild inconsistency makes it really hard to want to use him, but the upside is undeniable. Mo Harkless finally had a clunker against the Thunder, and may be phasing out again. A big piece of that is the shooting of Rodney Hood. Hood is far from a consistent scorer, but Portland likes the threat he brings just by being on the court. Hood played 32 minutes against the Thunder to 21 for Harkless. This is something to keep an eye on, and Hood is really cheap!

My pick: James(SF); Parker(SF)

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – FEBRUARY 15: John Collins #20 of the U.S. Team looks on 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 Power Forwards:

Best Bets:

This is one of those nights to pay up for Giannis. He has averaged 62.3 DraftKings points in three games against Charlotte this year. Looking at this roster, there’s no one that can stop Giannis. Pay up. He’s worth it tonight.

Honorable Mention:

John Collins is back, and he’s playing the Nets! Collins has 94 DraftKings points in two games against them this year. The Hawks kept Collins on a minutes limit on Wednesday, so if that is in effect again, I’m probably moving off of this. However, Collins can still do some serious damage to the Nets in 25 minutes.

Jayson Tatum dominated the Lakers for 46 DraftKings points in the first meeting. The issue with Tatum is the inconsistency. I tend to think that the absence of Kuzma could only help here. Tatum for $6,000 looks like a steal tonight, especially considering the other options in this price range.

Dark Horses:

Rodions Kurucs is back into minutes in the Brooklyn frontcourt, but no one on this team outside of Russell is going to see 30 minutes. That makes this really difficult. However, this is a great matchup and Kurucs is priced cheap enough to use him as a value play. He has played 80 minutes over the last three games. I’ll take that for $4,600.

Looking for bargains here is like roulette. Frank the Tank is no longer a value at $4,400. Jeff Green has zero upside. but is at least consistent. Aminu and Josh Jackson are as inconsistent as you get. Taj Gibson and Dario Saric both hit value against Washington last week with Taj going for 30, but at this point they are just cannibalizing each other’s value. When it comes down to it, I like the dart throw of Ersan Ilyasova because he is so cheap. Ilyasova has cracked 6x value in five of the last seven games.

My pick: Antetokounmpo(PF), Ilyasova(F); Collins(PF), Tatum(F), Ilyasova(UTIL)

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 only put up 55.5 DraftKings points on the Wizards last week. The Pistons proved he was still human on Wednesday. I kind of see Towns as mostly a cash game play here. He’s solid, but I would rather spend my five figures on Giannis and LeBron instead of one of them and Towns. On the other hand, I’m sure others feel the same as I do, and that could keep ownership down a bit on Towns. He’s not a bad play, and the upside is still there. This is a good way to go contrarian without taking a massive risk.