DraftKings NBA Picks October 26: Hooked on Westbrook

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HOUSTON, TX – October 24 : Russell Westbrook #0 of the Houston Rockets looks on against the Milwaukee Bucks on October 24, 2019 at the Toyota Center in Houston, 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Point Guards:

Best Bets:

Russell Westbrook was the best fantasy asset for Houston in the opener because he worked at getting others involved and caught fire in the fourth quarter. I like Russ at $9100, but it’s hard to pass on Trae Young just behind him after the game he had. Orlando is a solid defensive team, but I don’t know if Gary Payton could have stopped Trae on Thursday. He was that good.

Ben Simmons is someone who is going to find his way into a lot of my lineups if Embiid is out. It was Simmons who took over the game with Embiid in foul trouble (or injured) on Wednesday. If Embiid plays though, I think the upper tier goes well beyond what Simmons can give and the price isn’t much different.

As expected, Kyle Lowry has taken on a larger role with Kawhi gone. It’s not just him though. This whole Raptors team has adapted and looks pretty good in doing so. I like Lowry at this price. I know LouWill is around the same area, but he’s so scoring dependent that if he’s cold, you’re sunk. Lowry can help in many other ways.

Honorable Mention:

This is one place where I don’t fully trust Rubio. I think Malcolm Brogdon against Cleveland is a much better matchup for about the same price. I also really like Fred VanVleet against Chicago. This is the second night of a back to back for Toronto though, so keep an eye on resting players even though it is early. It’s never too early for “load management.”

It looked as though Dejounte Murray picked right up where he left off in the spring of 2018. He was huge for the Spurs in opener, showing no ill effects from an ACL tear. You aren’t going to do much better than Murray for the price, especially with the subpar point play from Washington thus far.

You never know just how the Knicks point guard minutes are going to go, but Elfrid Payton has got most of them and done quite a bit with it so far. Payton is worth a look on volume alone, but there are guys under him who should perform at a higher level.

Dark Horse:

Derrick Rose is back. Not Chicago Bulls league MVP Derrick Rose, but still something special none the less. Rose’s knees wont let him be the athletic beast that he was in his younger years, but this version of Rose is no slouch. He can still score at an elite level, is a great passer, and in general a terrific leader of the offense. That’s something Reggie Jackson hasn’t quite grasped yet. The Pistons are thinking playoffs, so I wouldn’t be shocked if Rose took over the starting gig sometime soon. As it sits now, Rose still garners more minutes than most starters and has been a whole lot better than Jackson, all for just $100 more.

I can’t really make heads or tails of the Bulls point guard situation. It’s like the Bulls hope that by running three of them 16 minutes a game that they’ll end up with one complete guard. It hasn’t quite worked out that way, but one thing’s for sure: Satoransky has been the worst of the three. Rookie Coby White can score, and Kris Dunn is still an outstanding passer. Do with that what you will.

My pick: Young(PG), Murray(G), VanVleet(UTIL); Westbrook(PG), Murray(G)