3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 10/22/18

LaMarcus Aldridge, PF/C, San Antonio Spurs

DraftKings Price: $7,800

After a monster first game of the season, in which he dropped 21 points with 19 boards (56.25 DraftKings points), LaMarcus Aldridge took a step back (33.5 DK points) as the San Antonio Spurs lost to the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday. He'll look to rebound tonight as the Spurs travel south along the West Coast to the Staples Center to face the Los Angeles Lakers.

Aldridge has had mixed success against the Lakers in the past. He scored a respectable 48.75 DraftKings points in his last meeting against them but failed to crack 30 in his previous four against them. He has, however, averaged a solid 1.13 DraftKings points per minute against them since playing with the Spurs, which is intriguing given his 39 minutes per game average so far this season -- a number which leads the league.

When looking for games to target in NBA DFS, a great rule of thumb is to look for games predicted to be both close and high-scoring. Tonight's matchup between the Spurs and Lakers is expected to be both. The Lakers are one-point favorites in a game set with a total of 222.5. As such, we should see Aldridge flirting with that 39-minute average tonight, giving him plenty of opportunity to rack up the fantasy points for those who choose to roster him.

We have him projected for 45.8 DraftKings points tonight, our fifth-highest projected output on the slate. His projected value of nearly 5.9 DraftKings points per $1,000 is the highest for any player with a salary higher than $6,300. His salary won't stay below $8,000 for long. Take advantage while you can.