3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 1/17/19

Kyle Lowry, PG, Toronto Raptors

DraftKings Price: $7,400

There's just one question you've got to ask yourself: Do you think Kawhi Leonard is going to play tonight in the second game of a back-to-back set? After a road loss to the Boston Celtics last night, the Toronto Raptors return home to host the Phoenix Suns.

Kawhi -- who hasn't played in back-to-back games yet this season -- has indicated that he might do so tonight. With the 11-34 Suns on tap, however, Toronto doesn't really need Leonard tonight. As such, there's still a good chance he misses tonight's game. If he does, then you should consider rostering Kyle Lowry.

Lowry has played well enough with Kawhi on the court, but he hasn't had to shoulder as much of the offensive load in those games. He's averaging 12.3 points, 3.7 boards, 9.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 34 DraftKings points when Leonard plays. When Leonard doesn't play, those numbers skyrocket to 18.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 11.0 dimes, 1.8 steals, and 47.8 DraftKings points.

You can use Lowry even if Kawhi plays, but he's obviously a much more interesting option if Kawhi is out. We currently project Lowry for 36.4 DraftKings points, assuming Kawhi is in the lineup. If that changes, watch for that number to jump dramatically.

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.