3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 1/23/18

LaMarcus Aldridge, PF/C, San Antonio Spurs

DraftKings Salary: $8,700

LaMarcus Aldridge is the first player we've discussed today that actually comes in cheaper on DraftKings than FanDuel. On a bit of a bizarre slate in which the studs seem a bit cheaper than normal on FanDuel, Aldridge stands out as an excellent value on DraftKings, where he comes at an $800 discount from FanDuel. At this price tag, he needs 43.5 DraftKings points to reach value, a feat he has accomplished in three of his past four and seven of his past 10 games.

The San Antonio Spurs will also be without the services of Kawhi Leonard, Pau Gasol, Rudy Gay, and Manu Ginobili, meaning the offense will flow completely through Aldridge. In nearly 800 minutes without both Gasol and Leonard this season, Aldridge has a 32.4% usage rate and a 1.27 DraftKings points per minute rate, both of which are significant improvements. At that rate, he would need to play just 34 minutes to hit five-times value in this one. He is averaging over 37 minutes in his past three games and draws a matchup that may actually boost his per-minute efficiency even further. LMA will face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are fresh off allowing 148 points to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

At this price, and in an improved role, Aldridge seems like a near lock to hit value. He is a strong play in any format.

Jacob Gibbs is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jacob Gibbs also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jagibbs23. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.