3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 1/9/18

Lonzo Ball, PG, Los Angeles Lakers

DraftKings Salary: $7,300

The first two studs we examined are more on the chalky side of things, so we're gonna take a bit of a contrarian approach with this one. Lonzo Ball ordinarily would be a very popular option against a weak Sacramento Kings defense on a four-game slate, but with so many guard options available, he might fly under the radar a bit tonight.

The likes of Westbrook, C.J. McCollum, Shabazz Napier, Delon Wright, De'Aaron Fox, and Fred VanVleet should all soak up their fair share of ownership at the guard spot, and that's not even mentioning dudes such as DeRozan and Josh Richardson, who could be highly owned and may occupy the shooting guard spot in some lineups.

As a result, Ball checks all the boxes as one of the strongest tournament options on the slate. He is in a beautiful matchup, should see lower ownership, and has one of the highest ceilings of any player at any position on this slate.

This is just Ball's third game back from injury, but he has looked plenty comfortable in his first two games back, averaging 33.5 DraftKings points in that span. Coach Luke Walton was comfortable enough with Ball's health to run him out for 30 minutes in a game that the Los Angeles Lakers won comfortably. It would not be surprising to see Ball back near the 35-plus minutes per game he was seeing prior to his shoulder issue -- the type of run that allowed him to average 40.9 DraftKings points in the six games leading up to his injury.

Don't prioritize getting Ball in cash-game lineups ahead of some of the guards previously mentioned, but definitely get some exposure in tournaments.

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.