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

Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Minnesota Timberwolves

DraftKings Salary: $9,100

Karl-Anthony Towns is one of the aforementioned studs, who comes at a $2,200 discount from LeBron and could easily outscore him if the Cleveland game turns into a blowout. Towns comes into this one with a price tag that requires 45.5 DraftKings points of him, which seems quite fair, considering he has a 47.5 fantasy-point average over the past two weeks. He also is part of the contest with the most appealing game script on the entire slate, as this matchup with the Houston Rockets carries an over/under that is just five points fewer than the Cleveland-Orlando game and doesn't have near the blowout risk. Towns' Minnesota Timberwolves are projected for 109 points, which is the third-highest on the slate.

On paper, the matchup isn't a strong one, as Houston has been excellent against opposing centers from a fantasy perspective this season. Hopefully that will keep some people off of Towns, because he had no difficulty exploiting this matchup last season. In four games against the Rockets, Towns averaged an absurd 66.2 DraftKings points. He averaged a video game-like 32.3 points and 19.3 rebounds and scored at least 55 DraftKings points in every single game. So yeah, the matchup isn't much of a concern here.

The fact that Towns completely obliterated Houston four times last season doesn't necessarily mean that he will do the same this time around. The dynamics of the two teams have changed some, and expecting 60-plus DraftKings points is almost always going to end in disappointment. Even so, Towns is easily one of the strongest plays on a four-game slate and is worth consideration in any format.