DraftKings NBA picks January 9: All aboard the Russ bus

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DraftKings NBA Shooting Guards:

Best Bets:

James Harden ($12,200): I’m never going to sit here and tell you that Harden is a bad play. Even if Russ takes over, history says that Harden is still dropping 50 DraftKings points at the least. Will he hit 61? Maybe not, but he may be the only one on this slate that can. You have a pay a premium for the best floor of any elite player, but it’s not as if the upside doesn’t come with it.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($7,100): SGA put up 40.25 DraftKings points in the first meeting with Houston. His production has dipped a little recently, but the minutes and shots are still there. The Thunder provide plenty of chances for all three guards. SGA is still a solid play at this price, but his chances of more than 6x value are pretty slim now.

Honorable Mention:

CJ McCollum ($6,800): CJ put up 42 DraftKings points in the first meeting with Minnesota. He can Lillard can both have a good game here, but CJ has struggled with his shot a few times since the calendar flipped. Dame is the better bet, but money is going to be tight here. CJ’s upside makes him appealing, but there are safer options if playing cash.

Derrick Rose ($6,500): Rose just put up 39.25 DraftKings points on the Cavs in Cleveland on Tuesday night. His output likely wont go down from then. It may even go up a little. Rose is still a strong play at this price. His days of dropping 50 are long gone, but Rose still finds himself in the low 40’s often enough to warrant using him.

Dark Horses:

Josh Richardson ($5,600): Yes, Richardson is boring. I get it. That said, I would rather take boring Richardson hitting 6x value regularly at this price than Schroder barely hitting 5x at his price. Richardson’s price has flatlined for the last few weeks, but he still has between 28 and 36 DraftKings points per game in all but two of his last dozen outings. Give me boring. It can help me win in this case.

Jarrett Culver ($5,100): The Timberwolves have a little three-headed guard thing going on up there too. Culver has emerged with the most minutes and the best production lately. He has 71.5 DraftKings points over the last two games in 56 minutes. I’ll take that over the roulette situation at the point.