DraftKings NBA picks: Who kills your lineup on Friday the 13th?

DraftKings NBA Small Forwards:

Best Bets:

LeBron James ($10,000): I’m not running Giannis because even if he plays, he’s not seeing anywhere close to 30 minutes against the Grizzlies. LeBron had a pedestrian line against the Heat in L.A., and that defense is capable of forcing him into another lackluster performance. The only question is whether we think the King is going to turn it up a notch back in Miami. If you think the answer is yes, he’s pretty much a lock. If not, there are plenty of other places to spend your money.

Kawhi Leonard ($9,000): Kawhi will likely take one night of their Friday-Saturday set off. I really hope it’s not here since this is one of the few teams that I would consider running both Kawhi and George out there against. Minnesota scores a ton of points, but they also give them up at an alarming rate. True scorers like George and Kawhi are capable of having huge nights here.

Honorable Mention:

Tobias Harris ($7,200): Harris continues to be the most consistent force on the team, regardless of the output of Simmons or Embiid. Everyone notices Embiid because he makes sure that he’s hard to miss. Harris is the workmanlike engine driving this team. He’s probably my favorite cash game play so far this year, but he still has ample upside at this price considering that he has more than 40 DraftKings points in four of the last five games.

Khris Middleton ($6,800): I know some were disappointed with Middleton’s line with Giannis out on Tuesday. He still topped 40 for right around $6k. What more do you want? The Bucks don’t need Giannis, especially at this point of the season against a team like Memphis. They will likely either rest him or play him around 25 minutes, which should leave Middleton open for another 40 DraftKings points at a very reasonable price.

Evan Fournier ($6,400): Forget about Fournier’s slightly disappointing line from Tuesday. It was against the Lakers. It’s going to happen from time to time. This is not one of those times. Houston is going to run and miss a ton of shots. Fournier is going to get plenty of open looks and askew rebounds. He should be back to flirting with 40 DraftKings points here.

Dark Horses:

Joe Ingles ($5,800): Ingles is pretty much a lock with Conley out. He has turned in 108 DraftKings points in the last three games without Conley while pretty much running the point. The role suits him, and the Jazz have barely missed a beat besides an embarrassing loss to the Thunder. Ingles is a steal at this price.

Denzel Valentine ($4,300): I know this counts as a price hike, but is anyone else paying attention to what Valentine is doing? I ran him in all of my lineups on Tuesday and he was still just 1.1% owned. I want to keep my secret, but my few loyal readers deserve my best, so here he is again. Valentine has at least 16 DraftKings points in six straight and exploded for 32.75 against the Hawks. He gets a defense that is nearly as bad tonight.

Matisse Thybulle ($3,700): Thybulle looks like the only player besides Harris on this team that plays hard. His value will evaporate once Richardson is no longer on a minutes limit, but it shouldn’t Thybulle has at least 20 DraftKings points in three straight and five of the last six despite limited minutes. He deserves to be out there, and I’ll keep running him until Richardson is back to full strength.