3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 11/6/18

Deandre Ayton, C, Phoenix Suns

DraftKings Price: $7,500

Some rookies take a few years to develop into NBA stars; that is, if it happens at all. Some need just a game or two. Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton firmly belongs in the latter group.

Ayton has scored at least 43.5 DraftKings points in five of the first nine games of his career. He's scored below 35 DraftKings points just twice. Needless to say, he's making a mark, and tonight's matchup couldn't give him a much better chance to continue that success.

The Suns play host to the Brooklyn Nets, who -- at 4-6 -- are just 0.5 game out of the playoff race. Yeah, it's (way too) early to talk playoffs, but for a team who has finished with fewer than 30 wins in each of the last 3 years, it's a fun possibility to thing about.

The Nets, of course, have their weaknesses, and chief among them is their defense against opposing centers. They are giving up the third-most DraftKings points per game to the position, according to FantasyPros. They also have the misfortune of playing Ayton in Phoenix, where he is averaging 39.5 DraftKings points, 3.8 more than he averages on the road.

Considering these two teams' reputation for running, it's somewhat surprising to see the game with the lowest total on the slate. That said, the total is still set at a solid 219.5 points with a spread of just one, so Ayton will likely have ample opportunity to fill up the stat sheet tonight.

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.