3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 1/17/20
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.
Luka Doncic, PG, Dallas Mavericks
DraftKings Price: $12,400
By now, we well know that Luka Doncic is virtually unstoppable. While teams might slow him down, he's still going to make a big impact on the game and turn in a very good -- if not great -- fantasy performance. After all, according to NBA.com, Doncic is first in the league in offensive rating, third in usage rate, and second in assist rate. He has been even more of a focus with the Dallas Mavericks operating without Kristaps Porzingis, but he's posted elite per-minute numbers either way.
Per NBA Wowy, Luka has averaged 1.68 DraftKings points per minute with Porzingis at his side -- only 0.2 below his 1.88 per minute with him out. Doncic' sidekick is officially questionable heading into Friday's game, so be sure to monitor his status before lock. His absence would give Doncic an even higher ceiling in this matchup against Portland.
Speaking of Portland, they don't really boast a defender that could lock down Luka. The Blazers are allowing point guards to score 25.5 points per game en route to the third-most DK points at 50.9, according to data at FantasyPros. With Porzingis' status up in the air at this time, we project Doncic for 54.8 DK points in 33.3 minutes.
Ben Simmons, PG/SF, Philadelphia 76ers
DraftKings Price: $9,300
Like Luka, Ben Simmons is another big, versatile point guard with a skill set that leads to some monster fantasy games. He's done it all, particularly in Joel Embiid's stead. Since the big man went down, Simmons has averaged 18.5 points and 43.6 DK points through four contests.
During this stretch, the 23-year-old has enjoyed big scoring games, as well as others in which he has piled up rebounds or assists. However, he hasn't done both like he has three times this year when he's gone off for triple-doubles. Well, that's on the table tonight against the visiting Chicago Bulls.
The Bulls come into play ranked 10th in defensive rating, yet they are 28th in rebound percentage and 22nd in defensive rebounding. They also surrender 24.5 assists per night, including 7.8 to point guards and 3.9 to small forwards. With Philadelphia favored by 7.5 at home, it doesn't matter which way you look at it -- Simmons is a great cash play.
Bradley Beal, SG/SF, Washington Wizards
DraftKings Price: $7,600
On the opposite end of the cash-versus-tournament spectrum, Bradley Beal makes for a great tournament play at his low price. While his current tag doesn't yell "stud," it was only two games ago that the Washington Wizards' star would run you $9,200. The reason being a bad matchup on a paper and two OK games in his return from injury.
Since returning two games ago from a five-game absence, Beal has been limited to 27 minutes in each, producing only 32.75 and 34.0 DK points. Those are solid marks, but for Beal's usual level of production, it's nothing. Plus, that's not far off the 38 he would require for five-times value on Friday.
The head-to-head with Toronto isn't an obvious smash spot. The Raptors are second in defensive rating -- however, the over/under is set at 229. Even with Washington as 10.5-point 'dogs, they have a respectable 109.25 implied total.
With that, Beal remains in play with an average of 45.7 DK points per game this year. He tallied 57.3 in his prior outing against Toronto. He's no cash-game lock, but Beal is a prime tournament option with a projected output of 45.6 DK points.
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__14. 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.
