DraftKings NBA picks February 26: Another big night for Embiid
By Mike Marteny
![ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 28: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts after hitting a three-point basket against the Atlanta Hawks in the second half at State Farm Arena on October 28, 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) ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 28: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts after hitting a three-point basket against the Atlanta Hawks in the second half at State Farm Arena on October 28, 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)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/5376f4498260e89df44795e56438304cf1742893391e7cb699e4f992b2eee5af.jpg)
DraftKings NBA Shooting Guards:
Best Bets:
James Harden ($11,300): Harden just keeps dropping 60’s wherever he goes. He has 135 DraftKings points in two games against the Grizzlies this year, so it seems likely that his streak of five games with 60 or more DraftKings points stays intact. However, Russ missed both of those games. Harden is still a strong play, but he may not be the most likely to hit 60 tonight. I understand a fade for Luka here.
Brad Beal ($9,700): It looked like a dud for Beal on Monday, but a huge second half and overtime made him the first person since Kobe with more than 50 actual points on consecutive days. Now he gets a Nets team that Beal put up 56.5 DraftKings points on in the first meeting. If Bertans is out again expect Beal to do more than the lion’s share of scoring.
Honorable Mention:
Devin Booker ($7,900): Booker actually seems a little underpriced here. He put up 47.5 DraftKings points on the Clippers the first time around. The Clippers are a good defensive team, but Booker has at least 40 DraftKings points in four straight and six of the last seven games. He’s worth using when he’s on this kind of a hot streak.
Jaylen Brown ($6,700): It was a third straight game of 38 or more DraftKings points for Brown with Kemba out. Smart is a decent pick, but Brown is putting up much bigger numbers for only a few hundred more. Utah isn’t nearly as tough on the perimeter as they used to be. Tatum could be in for a slightly tougher night. That could push Brown up above 40.
RJ Barrett ($6,000): Monday showed the exact reason why I don’t play Barrett. He opened the game hot and scored about 70% of his 33.5 DraftKings points in the first quarter. Then the Knicks being the Knicks, they just quit passing him the ball. No sense winning when you don’t have to, right? That’s always going to be the risk with Barrett. He has good upside and would be a staple in my lineups if he were anywhere else but the basketball purgatory that is the Knicks.
Dark Horses:
Shabazz Napier ($4,700): We could see the Wizards go small and insert Napier in the starting lineup. Even if they don’t, Napier played the most minutes of any guard on the team on Monday and came up with 47 DraftKings points against a solid Bucks team. Napier is a risk no matter how you look at it, but you can’t argue how high the upside is.
Mikal Bridges ($4,400): As per usual, Bridges is all over the place with his production. I don’t like the matchup with the Clippers, but the price is low and Oubre is out. There’s some usage out there to pick up and Bridges should see a lot of it. The opponent is the only thing that makes this a risky proposition.
Eric Gordon ($4,100): it sounds like Gordon will play. This isn’t a great matchup for him, and honestly I’m a bit worried that he only had 22 DraftKings points with Westbrook out on Monday. Still, if Gordon gets hot, he’ll hit 10x value. Not many can claim the necessary usage to even have a shot at this.