3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 10/25/19
While building a daily fantasy basketball lineup, it's important to make sure you find the right studs to anchor your team. As the most expensive players in your lineup, they need big-time production to match their high price tag.
You may find it hard to fit some of these guys in while staying under the salary cap, but you can check out our projections to find value players for your rosters. Let's take a look at the top high-priced DraftKings plays of the day.
Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Minnesota Timberwolves
Draftkings Price: $10,800
Karl-Anthony Towns opened up his 2019-20 season with a bang. On the road against the Brooklyn Nets, his Minnesota Timberwolves pulled out the win behind 36 points (on 50% shooting), 14 rebounds and 7 three-pointers from the star big man. Per Basketball Reference, KAT used 29.1% of the offensive possessions and turned his 22 field goal attempts into a total of 72.3 DraftKings points after the double-double bonus.
Towns' price is up, but the matchup is as good -- if not better -- than Wednesday's. On Friday, Minnesota heads to Charlotte to take on the rebuilding Hornets in a game with a 229 over/under, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. And as five-point favorites, the Wolves' 117 implied total is tied at the top of this packed nine-game slate.
The Hornets were 22nd in defensive rating last year, and in their opener, they allowed 125 points to the Chicago Bulls. They operated at a reasonable pace (101.6) and primarily played Cody Zeller -- a 111 defensive rating last year -- at the center spot. That's not frightening, nor is the prospect of seeing rookie PJ Washington slide over to take on Towns at the five.
If Towns doesn't replicate Wednesday's performance, he should get awfully close. In the plus matchup, our models project him for a double-double and 50.4 DK points.
Nikola Jokic, C, Denver Nuggets
DraftKings Price: $9,100
If you'd like to roster two elite centers, or if you don't feel like investing so much in KAT, there's no need to worry. Nikola Jokic offers the same double-double, 60-point upside and at a reduced cost.
Joker's ownership could be relatively low, too, after logging just 24 minutes in the Denver Nuggets' opening win over the Portland Trail Blazers. But you have to consider Jokic was in foul trouble early on and still managed a double-double and 40.25 DK points. That's the type of floor he brings on a regular basis, and that's with him tallying just two assists. A year ago, the smooth-passing center dished out 7.3 helpers per game on a 37.0% assist rate and 27.4% usage rate.
The betting lines only amplify the chances of a monster Jokic night. Denver is an 11.5-point favorite at home against the Phoenix Suns, who look to be improved defensively through one game but will be without the suspended Deandre Ayton moving forward. At center, they'll be forced to play guys like Aron Baynes, Cheick Diallo and Frank Kaminsky
We have Jokic down for 52.3 DK points on the night.
Kemba Walker, PG, Boston Celtics
DraftKings Price: $7,800
Unlike Towns and Jokic, Kemba Walker failed to live up to expectations in game one -- the first in a Boston Celtics uniform. He was held to 12 points on 4-of-18 shooting while the Philadelphia 76ers limited him to 16.5 DK points. But he won't play every game against the long and defensively-minded Sixers. Walker should bounce back quickly as Boston hosts Toronto.
The Raptors present some size in OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam, but Kyle Lowry -- at 6'1" -- is no Ben Simmons or Josh Richardson; he shouldn't have the same impact on Walker's shot. In fact, Kemba has enjoyed a good deal of success in head-to-heads with the Toronto point guard. In 21 career games, he has averaged 21.0 points, 5.9 assists and 5.1 rebounds (44.0 DK points) against Lowry, including averages of 23.3 points, 9.7 assists and 6.3 rebounds a year ago.
Walker comes off a year in which he posted an average of 43.5 DK points on a 31.5% usage rate and 43.4% shooting. He only requires 39 points for value, but we project him for 44.7 in tonight's Eastern Conference showdown.
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 BrettOswalt. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her 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.
