3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 10/17/18
LaMarcus Aldridge, PF/C, San Antonio Spurs
DraftKings Salary: $7,300
While his salary may be quite a bit lower than guys like The Beard or The Brow, that doesn't mean you should consider LaMarcus Aldridge anything less than a stud for tonight's contest against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
After two years of playing second-fiddle to Kawhi Leonard,
Aldridge busted out last season, increasing his points per game by 5.8 to 23.1. You could easily argue that he didn't have a lot of help
last year either, which makes his 51.0% field goal percentage mark all the more impressive on 18.0 shots per game, which were the second-most he's ever averaged in a season.
This year he should get more room to work as opposing teams will have to focus on DeMar DeRozan and a healthier Rudy Gay, who is one more year removed from a torn Achilles. Aldridge eased into the 2018-19 preseason, as one would expect from a Pop-coached veteran player. He showed his upside in the San Antonio Spurs' fifth preseason game, however, when he posted 13 points, 15 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals, and a block in 30 minutes of run.
He is very familiar with tonight's opponent, Minnesota, against whom he has scored at least 40 DraftKings points in 5 of his last 6 games, including a 59.5-DK-point effort in their last meeting in March.
We don't have Aldridge projected that high tonight, but our models indicate that he's priced too low and will provide solid value. We have him down for 24.6 points, 8.8 boards, 2.3 assists, and 2.0 steals plus blocks. That all boils down to 42.4 DraftKings points, making Aldridge the best projected value of any player priced above $7,000.
Ian Goldsmith is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Ian Goldsmith also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zoidbergs_revenge. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
