The NBA presents a regular season matchup featuring the Denver Nuggets and the New Orleans Pelicans. Let’s take a look at this game from a Draftkings perspective.
Before we dive into the Denver Nuggets vs. New Orleans Pelicans game let’s review the rules for Draftkings single game showdown contest.
Draftkings Single Game Showdown Contest Rules
You have $50,000 to utilize on five players from either team. However, one of those players will be designated as your team captain. The captain accumulates 1.5 times the standard fantasy points. Additionally, the captain is 1.5 times the standard cost of the flex position.
The remaining four players in your lineup will receive the standard fantasy points. Having stated that, it is highly important for you to identify the correct player for your captain position if you hope to win a large field DFS GPP (guaranteed prize pool) showdown contest.
If you have additional questions regarding the rules for the single game showdown contest, I recommend that you check out the Draftkings website for more details.
*I recommend that all readers review the starting lineups for both teams prior to setting your DFS lineup for this one game slate.
Here are my Draftkings picks for this evening’s Denver Nuggets vs. New Orleans Pelicans matchup.
Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks
Captain-Nikola Jokic, Center, Denver Nuggets $13,200
Denver center Nikola Jokic has been the leader in the paint that the Nuggets have needed to win games this season. Let’s take a look at Jokic’s game data from the 2024 NBA regular season to better shed light on my previous statement.
In the ten games that Nikola Jokic has played for the Denver Nuggets in the 2024 NBA regular season, Jokic is averaging a whopping 72.1 Draftkings points a game.
More recently, in the Denver Nuggets 122-120 victory over the Dallas Mavericks five days ago, Nikola Jokic certainly played at a high level. Jokic accumulated a massive 37 points, 18 rebounds, 15 assists, and three steals in the Nuggets win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Looking at the data just presented more closely, in the Denver Nuggets win over the Mavericks just mentioned, Denver center Nikola Jokic tallied a massive 92 Draftkings points. It has to be said, those are the type of DFS numbers I need to see from a player that I select at the captain position for a Draftkings NBA Showdown contest.
As I noted in the rules section above, selecting the correct player at the captain position for a Draftkings NBA showdown lineup is absolutely vital if you hope to win a large field GPP (guaranteed prize pool) DFS contest.
In summary, I think Nikola Jokic is the most likely player to post the most Draftkings points in this evening’s NBA regular season game. For that specific reason, I am backing Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic at the captain position for this one game Draftkings NBA Showdown contest.
Flex Plays
Brandon Ingram, Forward, New Orleans Pelicans $11,000
In the 12 games that Brandon Ingram has played for the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2024 NBA regular season, Ingram is averaging a robust 39.6 Draftkings points a game.
More recently, in the Brooklyn Nets 107-105 win over the New Orleans Pelicans four days ago, Brandon Ingram played exceptionally well. Ingram tallied 24 points, five rebounds, nine assists, and one steal in the Brooklyn Nets victory over the Pelicans.
Looking closer at the data just presented, in the Nets win over the New Orleans Pelicans, Brandon Ingram tallied 44.8 Draftkings points.
Additional flex plays I like to play well in this evening’s NBA game (Draftkings price noted): Brandon Boston Jr., Guard (New Orleans Pelicans) $8,200: Jamal Murray, Guard (Denver Nuggets) $9,200: Yves Missi, Center (New Orleans Pelicans) $6,400.