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

Damian Lillard, PG, Portland Trail Blazers

DraftKings Price: $8,400

While most will look to build around either Giannis or LeBron, Damian Lillard's price tag is so low that it could allow you to fit him in alongside one of the two or go with a more balanced lineup in tournaments. The Portland Trail Blazers' star point man has had his cost go from $9,200 to $8,800 before falling another $400 to where it is now. Usually one of the two highest-priced point guards on a slate, Dame is third behind Kyrie Irving and D'Angelo Russell.

Many will point to a less-than-ideal matchup against the Toronto Raptors. Allowing the sixth-fewest fantasy points to the position, Kawhi Leonard and the Raps are seventh in defensive rating and allow only 107.7 points per game on their home floor. Still, Portland's expected to blow past that for 111.25 points despite checking in with the lowest implied total of all 14 teams on the slate.

It will take a great effort for Toronto to kill Lillard's buzz. Over the last 10, the All-Star is averaging 47.1 DraftKings points over his last 10 -- enough for a return of 5.6 points per $1,000 at this price. He's also been very good in head-to-heads with Kyle Lowry, producing 44.8 DraftKings points a game behind 26.7 points and 46.7% shooting in 10 such matchups.

Our models expect Lillard to keep it rolling in Friday's game. We project him for 43.5 DraftKings points and 5.17 points per $1,000, with a ceiling north of 55.

Brett Oswalt is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Brett Oswalt also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username BRO14THEKID. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.