I expect many owners to roster Steph Curry or chase points with John Wall. That leaves me pining for Reggie Jackson ($7,200). Jackson is in the ideal matchup with Phoenix, who rank dead last against PGs this season. Jackson is coming off a massive 31-8-5 line against HOU, good for 53.75 DraftKings points. That’s now his second 50+ point game in his last eight games while averaging 36.4 DraftKings points per game in that span. He appears to be one of the safer options for 5x value which a dash of upside.
Massive concerns over Ish Smith ($7,100) has me running for the hills. Smith is at an all-time high salary, but it looks like his production is about to disappear. Jrue Holiday is getting healthier everyday and Tyreke Evans/Norris Cole both made their return to the Pelicans lineup last night. That resulted in Smith only seeing 14 minutes of action. It’s reasonable to think the Pellies would be cautious with their returning guards, but Smith appears to be the odd man out. EDIT: It looks like Jrue Holiday will sit tonight and Smith will start. I still have concerns but he’s back in the GPP discussion.
Bradley Beal ($7,000) just keeps chugging along for the Wizards and has cemented his role as their main scoring threat. He’s posted back to back games of 40+ DraftKings points and has stuffed the stat-sheet in both. I expect Beal’s ownership to take a hit as owners chase John Wall’s points from last night and technically the Lakers rank 6th in the league versus opposing SGs. I don’t put too much value in those stats, especially for SGs. This is still a matchup with the pitiful Lakers in a game with a healthy 205.5 line.
Jeremy Lamb ($4,800) is carving out a nice role with the Hornets. He’s scored double digit real points in nine of ten. Lamb has hit at least 5x value in the same amount of games in that span. The Hornets get a nice boost from playing the Warriors tonight as this game is listed at a 212 line, the highest on the slate.
A very deep SF position boasts excellent options in Paul George ($10,200), Kawhi Leonard ($8,700) and Carmelo Anthony ($8,300) just to name a few. I will be looking for as much exposure to these players as possible.
If you’re looking for a cheaper option, Demarre Carroll ($5,900) should be in line for a nice night. Carroll is finally padding the stats like we expect when he was acquired by the Raptors this offseason. He’s now earned 35+ DraftKings points in three of his last six games, which would be 6x value this evening. He’s a hard-working player who can earn you points on both ends of the court. If you want to play the narrative game, he will be returning to Atlanta to battle his former team tonight in a much anticipated matchup.
I’ll admit, I was all-in on Anthony Davis ($10,700) last night but was concerned when we heard that Tyreke Evans and Norris Cole would be back in the lineup. Things that shake up the rotation usually worry me, but AD was excellent as always. He threw up a 17-14 line with NINE blocks. This is a great sign that Davis’ role/usage went virtually unchanged in the shakeup. This game has the second highest line of the night with a small point spread, so we can assume this stays close to the end.
Plenty of value at the center position tonight. Clint Capela ($5,500) has cemented his role for the Rockets, starting alongside Dwight Howard. He’s a double-double threat every night he received minutes. Three straight games of 10+ shot attempts has resulted in 30, 40.75 and 25.75 DraftKings points.
With similar upside, Marcin Gortat ($5,600) has scored 33+ DraftKings points in four of his last five! Gortat is playing a large role in the Wizards offense while hammering the boards and sprinkling in some blocks. Another excellent matchup with the Lakers who are the 2nd worst team towards centers this season.
That’s all folks! Be sure to follow me on Twitter for more player analysis as news and injuries break closer to tip off. Commentary based on DraftKings strategy and scoring.