NBA

3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 11/1/19

Brett Oswalt  —  @bRo14thekid Nov 1st, 2019
On the heels of a triple-double performance, Russell Westbrook is in line for a big night against Brooklyn's low-caliber defense. Which other high-priced hoopers are in play?

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.

Russell Westbrook, PG, Houston Rockets

Draftkings Price: $9,800

On Wednesday, James Harden had his monster breakout game of the early season, posting 79.25 DraftKings points in a high-scoring win over the Washington Wizards. And because of that, his price is up to $11,000 from $10,100. But the same can't be said for Russell Westbrook.

Against Washington, Westbrook played second fiddle to the Bearded One, but he enjoyed a big game of his own. En route to a triple-double, Brodie hit 7 of 16 shots for 17 points and 56.5 DK points. It marked his fourth straight game of 50 or more fantasy points to open the season. His price has increased by just $200 as a result.

Westbrook's price is not high enough to capture the 30-point triple-double upside he possesses. While he is in a new environment, he's still the same high-usage player, and the matchup is a plus to boot.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Houston Rockets are 3.5-point favorites with a 122.0-point implied total versus the Brooklyn Nets, who are 21st in defensive rating and 9th in pace, per NBA.com's data. They won't do much to bog down the high-paced (second) Rockets offense, so why not start your build here. Westbrook is projected among the top players on the board for a total of 55.6 DK points.

Andre Drummond, C, Detroit Pistons

DraftKings Price: $9,500

Andre Drummond is off to a hot start of his own this year. The Detroit Pistons are just 2-3 in the absence of Blake Griffin, but the big man has done work, boasting averages of 21.0 points, 17.4 rebounds and 51.9 DK points. He's added two blocks a game with a 25.2% usage rate and 24.6% rebounding rate.

After opening up with a 78.25-point performance, Drummond has games of 48.5, 34.0, 44.5 and 54.0 DK points. He's put together two 20-20 showings and is a virtual lock to get you the double-double bonus on a nightly basis. Tonight, if possible, he is even more likely to do so.

The Chicago Bulls rank 23rd in the NBA in defensive rating (109.6), and their 45.2% rebounding rate is dead last. It's a matchup made in heaven for a guy like Drummond.

The Pistons are underdogs, but if they are going to fulfill the 3.5-point line, they'll need Drummond to be at his best. And don't pay any mind to this game's mediocre 216 total. Drummond's done just fine for himself so far, and his team has averaged 107.8 points across the five games. We have him projected for 47.0 DK points at a value of 4.94 points per $1,000.

DeMar DeRozan, SG/SF, San Antonio Spurs

DraftKings Price: $7,200

On a limited workload and with the San Antonio Spurs playing their first back-to-back, Dejounte Murray was ruled out for tonight's game quite early. That means that Derrick White will likely start, but DeMar DeRozan is one of the key beneficiaries.

Per NBA Wowy, DeRozan owns a 23.2% usage rate in 56 minutes with Murray, while that balloons to 28.3% in nearly 3,000 minutes without Murray. He'll operate as the clear number-one playmaker against the Golden State Warriors on Friday. That elevates him to stud status even at a higher mid-tier price.

With Murray early on, DeRozan is averaging 35.4 DK points with three games of at least 37.3 points, including 39.3 last night against the Los Angeles Clippers. If that's all he gets to, he will have surpassed a rate of five points per $1,000.

The Spurs' wingman will be unchallenged by the youthful faces of guys like Jordan Poole, Eric Paschall or anyone else on the Warriors for that matter. Our models have him down for 36.5 in a game with a 225.0-point over/under.


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.