3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 11/30/17

Ben Simmons, PG/SF, Philadelphia 76ers

DraftKings Salary: $9,300

With Joel Embiid out tonight, there are three top options worth considering paying all the way up for: Ben Simmons, LeBron James ($11,700), and Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,100). Of these, our projections prefer Simmons from a value perspective, which makes sense considering the discount in their respective price tags.

Simmons is coming off of a career-best 66 DraftKings-point performance last night, and his usage rate has risen by 5.2% when he hasn't shared the court with Embiid. He's played two games without Embiid, with mixed results. The first was a 34-point blowout loss in which he played just 33 minutes and scored 42.5 DraftKings points. The other was a 51.75-point performance against a Utah Jazz defense that still had Rudy Gobert. Combining his numbers from a blowout loss and perhaps the toughest matchup available provides Simmons with a 47.1 DraftKings average without Embiid, enough to exceed his salary-implied value at this price tag. That is good news, because Simmons has another tough matchup on tap tonight against the Boston Celtics.

Boston leads the league in defensive efficiency and this game has a 9-point spread, so there is certainly some risk. However, on a five-game slate with only two games boasting an over/under above 205 points, we are a bit hard-pressed for options. It is tough to fade Simmons at this price with Embiid out.