DraftKings NBA Main Picks March 17: Can the Rockets handle KAT?

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 12: Elfrid Payton #2 of the Orlando Magic reacts after getting fouled in the first half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on January 12, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Main Picks March 17: Can the Rockets handle KAT?

We are all Irish for a day, right? There are eight games, but only three of those make up the early DraftKings NBA tournament. The noon eastern one is lopped off in showdown, and there are four for the main slate, but we may all be too full of green beer and corned beef by that time. In the event that you aren’t, we have that one covered for you here!

All five of my lineups were over 277 DraftKings points, but with the money lineup at 306.75, only one topped that. Gobert came through, but C.J. Miles leaving early hurt. A poor game from the other C.J. and a subpar game from Bogdan didn’t help either.

deez516 took this down with 397.75 DraftKings points. He built with Beal, Booker, Conley and another triple double from Elfrid Payton and got massive value out of Oubre, Josh Jackson, Maxi Kleber, and Darius Miller.

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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ATLANTA, GEORGIA – MARCH 13: Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks shoots a three-point basket against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first half at State Farm Arena on March 13, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. 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 Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Point Guards:

Best Bets:

I’ll just go ahead and start with this: Trae Young is too cheap. If you read this regularly, you know that Orlando’s strong numbers against the point are skewed by the early season success. They are in the bottom five since the break. Young is also blistering over the last six weeks or so. He has only been under 5x value at this price twice since the beginning of February. Take advantage of this!

De’Aaron Fox put up 49 DraftKings points on the Bulls in the first meeting. I have every intention of taking advantage of the Bulls’ ineptitude at PG and Young’s hot streak. If you play Harden, it’s nearly impossible. Just call that first sentence foreshadowing then.

Honorable Mention:

The price is right on Chris Paul. Again. So is the matchup. Again. I’ll go out on a limb and say that Paul misses value tonight. Again. We have no reason to think otherwise. Unless Harden sits, then all bets are off.

Kenny Atkinson is running everyone not named D’Angelo Russell about 25 minutes per game. That includes Dinwiddie. That makes it hard to use him, but this is one of the better matchups that Dinwiddie can get here. This is one of those times that it’s worth the risk.

Dark Horses:

The matchup says that if we are ever going to trust Kris Dunn again that this should be the place. I agree. It is a great matchup. However, Dunn struggled in the first game against the Kings. D.J. Augustin has 58.25 DraftKings points in 52 minutes against Atlanta this year. Don’t pull your hair out over Dunn. Use Augustin and save money on Rogaine and for the rest of your DFS lineup .

Jeff Teague and Derrick Rose are questionable once again. If they are both out, I love Tyus Jones as a value play. If only one is out, I suppose we could use him. However, if that one is Rose, Teague is still going to play 35 minutes. In that case, it may be worth our while to see if SGA can keep up his mini hot streak against the Nets.

My pick: Young(PG), Fox(G); Fox(PG)

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – FEBRUARY 27: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets reacts after a play against the Charlotte Hornets during their game at Spectrum Center on February 27, 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 Shooting Guards:

Best Bets:

James Harden has his second strained cervix (or cervical strain, if you prefer) of the season. The first time it kept him out of a couple of games. I would imagine that it will here as well. Honestly, I wouldn’t use Harden anyway just because there are too many great mid range options to blow $11,500 on one player. He’s worth the money if he plays, but Harden’s not going for 80 with CP3 in the lineup. Chase the upside at the point instead.

The Kings clamped down on LaVine in the first meeting, and could again. At any rate, D-Russ looks like a much better play. I swore him off a couple of weeks ago, but I may have to make an exception here. Russell bombarded the Clippers for 51.25 DraftKings points the first time around. He fits perfectly in a balanced build.

Honorable Mention:

Lou Williams has cooled off and the Nets do well against shooting guards anyway. It’s tempting since LouWill’s price dropped a little. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I would much rather use Russell.I would even take Russell over Buddy Hield here, if you can believe that.

Terrence Ross and Evan Fournier have both put up over 7x value on the Hawks this year. They are both excellent plays here, and honestly, it’s hard to choose between the two. If I’m only using one, I have to go with the consistency of Fournier, but it’s a close call.

Dark Horses:

There are enough strong upside plays here that we don’t have to settle for the boring consistency of Andrew Wiggins. I would probably still use Wiggins in cash games, but Patrick Beverly’s upside has been immense since the deadline deals jettisoned Avery Bradley and Tobias Harris out of L.A. Give me the upside of Beverley instead.

If you are going to use a Hawks guard, it needs to be Kevin Huerter. Bembry and Bazemore are far too inconsistent for the brief bouts of upside that they provide. Landry Shamet is a useful value filler, but he doesn’t have the upside that he had in Philly because LouWill is essentially the same player and a better version of it.

My pick: Russell(SG), Ross(UTIL), Fournier(F); Fournier(SG)

LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 05: Danilo Gallinari #8 of the LA Clippers celebrates his three pointer during a 120-109 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves at Staples Center on November 5, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Small Forwards:

Best Bets:

Danilo Gallinari put up 38.75 DraftKings points on the Nets the first time around. The numbers say that this is a pretty difficult matchup, but Gallinari is so consistent that it may not matter. I prefer him in cash games, but on a smaller slate, we can do worse than a solid Gallo to fill our lineup.

Otto Porter really struggled against the Kings as a member of the Wizards, and struggled against the Kings last time out. He’s trying to keep me off of the bandwagon here. Still, trust the numbers. The numbers say that Otto is a strong play against Sacramento here. He isn’t in a prolonged slump, so I’m okay with this. It was only one game.

Honorable Mention:

The Rockets have already announced that Eric Gordon will start regardless of the status of James Harden. Gordon has been putting up strong numbers off the bench, and most times as a starter. It doesn’t always work out, but the matchup is right, and Gordon could break the slate if Harden is out. There is massive potential here.

Jonathan Isaac has cooled off lately, but he has had his way with the Hawks this year. Isaac has 66 DraftKings points in the two games against them. I wouldn’t play him over Gordon, but I will certainly play them both together. Probably in every lineup.

Dark Horses:

This is not a great matchup for Taurean Prince, but he has six straight games of more than 20 DraftKings points, and has topped 6x value in four of those. I don’t think he’ll hit 6x against the Magic, but he is a decent enough play if you need a lineup filler.

You can play roulette with the inconsistent minutes of the Nets if you want. I’ll take my shot with Bogdan Bogdanovic here. He is way too cheap for what he is capable of, especially in a matchup against the Bulls. Bogdan lit them up for 33.5 DraftKings points in the first meeting, which is more than Hield had in that game if you’re keeping track of such things.

My pick: Gordon(SF); Isaac(SF), Bogdanovic(F), Gordon(G)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 21: John Collins #20 of the Atlanta Hawks claps during the third quarter of the game against New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on December 21, 2018 in 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:

John Collins has been average against Orlando this year, but he is just destroying everything in his path lately, just like the rivers around here. Collins has four straight games of more than 45 DraftKings points (6x value) and has not been under 5x value since the day after the All Star break. Collins should put up another good game here.

The numbers favor Lauri Markkanen here, but he has been ice cold lately. Markkanen is just 7-25 from the floor over the last two games and hasn’t hit double digit rebounds either. Not only that, but one assist in the two games is the only other stat he has come up with. Markkanen’s upside is good here, but slumps can be tough to bust.

Honorable Mention:

Aaron Gordon has not been under 30 DraftKings points since Feburary 24th. We have been begging for this kind of consistency out of Gordon, so I kind of feel like we owe it to him to play him here. After all, Gordon has made the great effort to get back in our good graces. Who are we to refuse such a grand gesture?

There are dozens of reasons that Harrison Barnes shouldn’t be putting up the numbers that he has with the Kings, but he has bucked all of those trends. Barnes has managed to hold off heralded (but oft injured) rookie Marvin Bagley and freakishly athletic (but also injury prone) second year guy Harry Giles. I don’t really like any of them against the Bulls, but Barnes roughed them up for 38.25 DraftKings points while he was with Dallas.

Dark Horses:

The Rockets are turning into the Nuggets and the Nets. Remember how Kenneth Faried was a huge part of the Rockets for more than a month, then actually played well after Capela returned? The Rockets apparently don’t. P.J. Tucker is not only starting over Faried, but he is getting a ton of minutes as well. I love the matchup for Faried, and the price is definitely right. The problem is that Faried has only seen 20 minutes once in the last four games.

The strong play of Zubac and Harrell has relegated JaMychal Green to few minutes off the Clippers bench. This is a superb matchup, but I don’t think we can trust the minutes. We may be better off running with a strong per-minute guy in Khem Birch and hoping for a blowout.

My pick: N/A; Gordon(PF)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 25: Montrezl Harrell #5 of the LA Clippers dunks during a 121-112 win over the Dallas Mavericks at Staples Center on February 25, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Centers:

Best Bets:

Only Detroit has held Karl-Anthony Towns under 50 DraftKings points since his accident. The Rockets were the last team to play him before that, and they “held” Towns to 48.25 DraftKings points in that one. I know Capela is back, but considering how well Towns has played since, I think we can still trust him to hit value.

Nikola Vucevic has 97.5 DraftKings points against the Hawks. That seems pedestrian, right? Well, he has done it in just 63 minutes! If the Hawks manage to keep this game close, I can see Vucevic outscoring Towns. That could be a tough task though.