If you’re looking to avoid the two expensive PGs, Brandon Knight ($7,900) appears to be an excellent option today. He’s had one helluva week. He notched his first career Triple-Double last Saturday and then followed that up with his career high in scoring (38) on Friday. Knight is one of the most volatile players in the league, so I would suggest keeping him relegated to GPPs, but there is a ton of upside here against the Pelicans who rank dead last in DraftKings points allowed to opposing PGs.
Another risky option is going to be Ish Smith ($6,000). This guy can flat out score you fantasy points. He’s scored 31.75, 30.25 and 42.5 DraftKings points in the last three games. I have the concern that his value dwindles when Jrue Holiday plays, but Ish is currently seeing plenty of minutes with the NO second unit. He posted a 17-13 line on Friday night coming off the bench and earning 31 minutes. His minutes are in no way locked in when Holiday plays (which he is expected to tonight), but Smith has been an excellent performer this season.
How about a sneaky Gary Harris ($3,600) to fill in at the SG position? Harris has earned his way into the starting five for the Nuggets and he’s returned his owners some solid outings. 30, 23.5 and 23 DraftKings points over the last three games, any of which we would be happy with at his price today. I expect all the Nuggets to get a big boost from playing the Warriors. This game is posted with a 213.5 line and the Nuggets average line this season is 204.
Small Forward is the thinnest position, so I am interested in taking guaranteed points, or as close to guaranteed as I can find. That leaves me looking at Al-Farouq Aminu ($6,200). Aminu is averaging 28.9 DraftKings points per game this season and one is the more consistent players in the league. He’s coming off back to back double doubles for the Trail Blazers and earns a great matchup with the Lakers today.
The sneaky stud of the day is going to be Anthony Davis ($10,700). Sure he’s prone to injuries. The idea of watching him walk back to the locker room sends chills down my spine and I know other owners feel the same way. Davis is avoided for the injury risk and he gets slapped with the “worst matchup” on the board today against Phoenix. Many owners will stay clear out Davis, but few players have as much upside as this guy. He’s averaging a whopping 1.4 DraftKings points per minute over his last 104 minutes (4 games). He can explode at any moment and will be the least owned player above $10K.
I’ll buy low on Serge Ibaka ($6,700) who’s price is dwindling a bit. Ibaka has hit a cold shooting streak and has failed to reach double digit points in the last two games. That’s really the only concern here, but I expect Ibaka to find his way out of this slump soon and he has a great opportunity to do that against DAL today. He’s still earning 30+ minutes and taking plenty of shots, so there’s no concern about opportunity. Ibaka will get hot here shortly and outplay his price tag in a big way.
An interesting option at center will be Nikola Jokic ($3,600). As you already know, no team will benefit more than the Nuggets today in terms of matchup and pace. Expect them to play a bit over their heads and Jokic is the only center the Nuggets have available for this game. He’s an average player with the ability to get scorching hot like he did Wednesday night for 23 points, 12 rebounds and 50 DraftKings points. He only needs 21.6 DraftKings points to pay for himself, which is certainly in his range of outcomes today.
That’s all folks! Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter for more analysis as injuries and news break closer to tip-off. Commentary based on DraftKings strategy and scoring.