DraftKings NBA picks January 11: Giannis is upon us

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New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) dunks the ball (Photo by Stephen Lew/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Power Forwards:

Best Bets:

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,500): Giannis went nuts on Portland in the first meeting, racking up 80.25 DraftKings points in 36 minutes. He is capable of that in any game, but I would temper my expectations in a back to back. Giannis detests “load management,” but that doesn’t mean Milwaukee wont hold him out if they get up big. Still, this is a risk worth taking if Giannis plays. He has more upside than anyone else.

Anthony Davis ($9,800): If Davis plays, he could be in for a big game. The Lakers have played the Thunder twice so far this year. Davis has 123.5 DraftKings points in 72 minutes against them. The Thunder don’t really have anyone that can handle Davis. So long as he plays without limitations, Davis looks solid here. I just hope he doesn’t decide five minutes in that his back is too sore.

Honorable Mention:

Brandon Ingram ($8,400): Ingram abused the Knicks up front and most of the time it looked like he wasn’t even trying. Boston will provide more resistance, but Ingram has been playing so well lately that I’m not sure I care. His low mark with Holiday out of the lineup is 51 DraftKings points. Don’t be shocked if he clears 50 again here.

Jayson Tatum ($8,000): Tatum still leaves something to be desired in the consistency department, but this is a great matchup for him. Walker’s return has cut into his scoring though, which makes it harder for Tatum to clear 40 DraftKings points every night. This should be one game where it’s still easy though.

Lauri Markkanen ($6,300): I’ll be honest. I think I’m like most of you. I really hate using Markkanen this year. His production is far more bad than good. However, Markkanen has averaged 34.3 DraftKings points in the three games against Detroit in just 27 minutes per game. The numbers support using him. I just don’t know if I can bring myself to do it.

Dark Horses:

Kyle Kuzma ($5,400): This price is too high if Davis is back and Kuzma is coming off the bench. However, if Kuzma starts again, I’ll pay it. There’s still a lot of growing to do in his game, but you can say this for him. When the Lakers start him, he produces. Kuzma still hasn’t really adapted to bench life.

Jerami Grant ($4,900): We don’t have to hang on the status of Millsap tonight, which makes my job a whole lot easier. Grant put up 34 DraftKings points in 34 minutes against Dallas. Porter has pretty much been phased out of the rotation by now, which likely means he’ll get run tonight. Even if he does, I like Grant for the price. He is far safer than Porter at this point.