DraftKings NBA Picks March 11: Drummond up business for George

DENVER, COLORADO – MARCH 02: Elfrid Payton #4 of the New Orleans Pelicans plays the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center on March 02, 2019 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 March 11: Drummond up business for George

We have a solid six game slate for our DraftKings NBA tournaments tonight. There are two stars on the slate, and several more that could perform like stars. Who do we want to build our lineups with? Let’s take a look!

I had a strong score of 291.75 last night, but it still came in under the 295.75 money line.

Perm521 took this down with 380.75 DraftKings points. He built with Doncic, Vucevic, LMA, and Klay and got the triple double from Elfrid Payton and the huge value from Keita Bates-Diop, Frank Jackson, and Taj Gibson.

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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OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – DECEMBER 25: Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook #0 reacts after the Thunder scored against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half of a NBA game at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on December 25, 2016 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Thunder defeated the Timberwolves 112-100. 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 J Pat Carter/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Point Guards:

Best Bets:

Russell Westbrook‘s huge game against Utah on February 22nd is skewing the season numbers, but the Jazz are down Rubio and Neto again. Who is going to guard Russ? This is one of those times where it looks like a priority to pay up for Westbrook. He could have another huge game here.

Kyrie Irving only played 14 minutes against the Clippers in the first meeting, so we can’t really draw too much from that. All that we really know for sure is that Irving has a great matchup here and hasn’t been below 40 DraftKings points since February 26th. I don’t know that the upside is as high as Westbrook, but it’s strong for the price.

Honorable Mention:

Kemba Walker torched Houston for 55 DraftKings points in the first meeting, and that was with Paul in the lineup. Paul put up 40.5 for himself, but Kemba’s upside is higher. The bad news is that Walker has only hit 5x value once in March.

Kyle Lowry was huge yesterday, and put up 45.25 DraftKings points on Cleveland earlier this year. Lowry has topped that mark in four of the last five games. Toronto is trying to establish their dominance in the East, and Lowry is spearheading that movement. I like him a lot at this price.

De’Aaron Fox showed against the Knicks that he can put up huge games when the matchup is right. There are a lot of good point guards in favorable matchups tonight, so even though it’s hard to fade Westbrook, I can see why you would. Lowry, Fox, and Irving are legitimate threats to hit 50 tonight, and even though Russ is likely going for 60+, the rest of them are enough cheaper that you still come out ahead.

Dark Horses:

Spencer Dinwiddie has back to back 40+ DraftKings point games, and is facing a Detroit team that has allowed 74.5 DraftKings points two him in two games. Dinwiddie could crush value at this price, and so could Tomas Satoransky, who has a great matchup with the Kings.

Reggie Jackson is a solid play here, but his upside has vanished since Ish Smith is one of the best backup point guards in the league. Yesterday was the first time that Ish has missed value in March, and it was only due to his poor shooting from the field. If I’m using a Pistons guard, I think it’s still Ish though the price has made it a tougher decision. I could even see using both here if you need to go cheap.

This is the definition of smash spot for Dante Exum. He is the only truly healthy point guard on the roster, but he himself is in his first game back from injury. I kind of expect Utah to limit him, but Exum should still play at least half the game. That makes him completely worth a flier here.

My pick: Dinwiddie(PG), Exum(G); Exum(PG), Smith(G)

DraftKings NBA /

DraftKings NBA Shooting Guards:

Best Bets:

James Harden was just 7-25 from the floor last night, so forgive me if I’m still leery about his wrist. Add to that the fact that Harden barely hit 50 DraftKings points in his first game against Charlotte, and this is an easy fade for me. I had no exposure to Harden last night, and wont tonight either.

Surprisingly, the Kings have defended the wings well. I don’t care. Bradley Beal is all that Washington has. If I’m spending up on a guard, it’s hard to justify why I’m not using that money on Beal. He has been outstanding lately. Only Charlotte has held Beal under 50 DraftKings points this month.

Honorable Mention:

Donovan Mitchell was a strong bet with Rubio and Neto out on Friday, and he should be here again. The usage alone is enough to shift me here over Russell. That and Russell hasn’t had near the upside with Dinwiddie doing work in that backcourt.

Washington doesn’t play a lot of defense, and Buddy Hield hasn’t been under 30 DraftKings points since January. Sign me up! I trust Hield a lot more than Lou Williams in his tough matchup with Boston.

Dark Horses:

Jeremy Lamb rocked Houston for 50 DraftKings points in the first meeting, so if he is able to start and play his normal compliment of minutes, I really like the upside here. Nicolas Batum is a nice play as well, but is more of a cash game guy. Though Batum has consistently put up right around 6x value, hit doesn’t have near the upside of Lamb.

Dennis Schroder has at least 20 DraftKings points in every game since the All Star Break. So does Bogdan Bogdanovic. Actually he does in every game for the last five weeks and he has higher upside. Most attention is on Schroder, but Bogdanovic continues to play very well even with Barnes there.

Patrick Beverley‘s production is all over the place, but he did put up 37.5 DraftKings points in the first game against Boston. Still, Luke Kennard has been far more consistent. Kennard is the cash game play. If you need to go even cheaper, David Nwaba is back on the radar. He has cracked double digits in 11 straight games, and is now seeing around 20 minutes per game.

My pick: Kennard(SG); Mitchell(SG)

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 13: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors runs down the floor in the first half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on January 13, 2019 in Washington, DC. 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 Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Small Forwards:

Best Bets:

Westbrook’s huge outing on the 22nd of February overshadowed what George has done to Utah all season. I was on PG13 over Russ in that game, and I’m sticking to it because the logic is strong. George still went for 71.25 DraftKings points in that game and has averaged 68 DraftKings points per game in three games against Utah. And the price….oh, the price. DraftKings dropped the ball here. George is a HUGE bargain!

Kawhi Leonard should be back against Cleveland, a team that he has averaged 48.9 DraftKings points against in three meetings. I expect a nice game from Leonard here, but I’m not fading George for him. I could get on board with using both though.

Honorable Mention:

Danilo Gallinari went for 39 DraftKings points in the first meeting with Boston. This is a good spot for him to go off again. Gallo really hasn’t put up the big numbers that we were hoping for when Harris was traded, but he is always a solid play for the price. He has adequate upside tonight.

Trevor Ariza has not been nearly as consistent as we would like, and a lot of that comes from the strong play of Jabari Parker lately. Ariza seems to have more upside, but Parker has been far more consistent.

Joe Ingles has at least 27 DraftKings points in every game since the break and has gone over 32 in seven of the eight. 32 is exactly his average against the Thunder this year. Ingles is the kind of consistency we want from cash games. I don’t see the upside we want for GPP’s, but if I have $6,000 left after constructing the rest of my roster, Ingles will wind up in a GPP for me as well.

Dark Horses:

I like Cedi Osman and Marvin Williams, but I find it hard to trust players that aren’t superstars in tough matchups like this. Gordon Hayward is as inconsistent as they come, but he has a strong matchup against the Clippers here. I would almost rather go that route. Almost.

Royce O’Neale is going to get extended run again tonight, but it didn’t do him much good on Friday. Gerald Green looks like a more reliable pick, even with Houston at full strength.

My pick: George(SF), Leonard(F); George(SF), Gallinari(F)

DETROIT, MI – OCTOBER 23: Blake Griffin #23 of the Detroit Pistons celebrates a 133-132 overtime win over the Philadelphia 76ers at Little Caesars Arena on October 23, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. 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 Power Forwards:

Best Bets:

Well, here we go again. A struggling big is front and center against the Nets. Blake has 82.25 DraftKings points on the Nets in two games this year. For the price, that looks pretty good. However, Griffin has only hit 40 DraftKings points three times in the last ten games. We can do better (I hope).

Honorable Mention:

I don’t really like the matchup for Kevin Love against Toronto, but I think I might run Pascal Siakam back at him. Siakam has a pretty high floor now, and the arrival of Gasol has actually helped his production. I’m not sure I understand it, but I’m just here to report the facts and trends.

Derrick Favors just destroyed the Thunder up front a couple of weeks ago. He’s still producing good numbers, but I really like the upside here. With all of the average options at this position in general and this tier in particular, Favors stands out more than usual.

Dark Horses:

Harrison Barnes has only faced Washington once this year. He erupted for 45.5 DraftKings points in that game. With Bagley already ruled out again, the minutes are going to be there for Barnes. He has proven to be a really good fit for this team. Barnes fits nicely in our lineups tonight as well.

Jae Crowder is a strong value play, but mostly for cash games. I kind of want to chase the upside of Kenneth Faried. Faried was hurt against the Hornets on February 27th and hasn’t played since. How poetic would him destroying this team be in his return be?

The bottom of this tier is just like SF. It’s littered with average and solid options. Rodions Kurucs has played well lately, but this is a tough matchup and the Nets rotations leave a lot to be desired. Nemanja Bjelica has played well, but it clearly behind Barnes. The same is true for Jeff Green and Frank Kaminsky. Harry Giles has massive upside, but sees only about 22 minutes a game.

My pick: Faried(PF); Favors(PF)

SAN ANTONIO,TX – APRIL 1 : Clint Capela #15 of the Houston Rockets hangs on the rim after a dunk against the San Antonio Spurs at AT&T Center on April 1 , 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. 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 Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Centers:

Best Bets:

Sweet Jesus, Andre Drummond is playing the Nets! A lot of people are going to be on Westbrook. Many will be on Blake as well. Hell, I think we’ll even have 10% on Harden. However, my two favorite plays are George and Drummond. Every build I have will center around those two. I don’t really see a reason to move off of that core.