3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 1/29/20
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.
Damian Lillard, PG, Portland Trail Blazers
DraftKings Price: $10,500
Tonight, we get only three players priced above the $10,000 threshold, and all three will face off in the same game. As the Portland Trail Blazers host the Houston Rockets at Moda Center, Damian Lillard will go up against Russell Westbrook and -- potentially -- James Harden. Harden is still questionable with a thigh bruised, though, so this one could come down to the showdown at point guard. And if you're going with one of them it's Lillard.
Dame has been red hot of late. He has at least 34 points in five straight games, while he has averaged 69.4 DraftKings points in that span. That includes three consecutive games with no fewer than 47 points and 70 DK points, one being a 61-point, 92-fantasy-point outburst against the Golden State Warriors. According to NBA.com, his season-long usage rate has ballooned from 29.0% to 36.8% over the last five and 37.1% in the last three.
Lillard has seen his price jump from $8,400 to $9,900 to $10,400, and now, a season-high $10,500. But with how great he's been, along with the added fuel from Kobe Bryant's tragic passing, you can't shy away here.
Domantas Sabonis, PF/C, Indiana Pacers
DraftKings Price: $9,400
Domantas Sabonis is another player that, for good reason, has had his salary jump in recent games. After a three-game run at $7,900, the big man's had his price eclipse the $9,000 mark for the first time all year. And like Lillard, he's been ballin' out his mind.
Last time out, Sabonis turned 41-plus minutes into 27 points, a triple-double and 66 DK points on the heels of back-to-back games with at least 45 fantasy points and a double-double. He's put together a total of 36 double-doubles to date, falling short of only Andre Drummond and Giannis Antetokounmpo. You can lock in that 1.5-point bonus, especially with this juicy matchup against the Chicago Bulls.
On top of the Indiana Pacers being likely home favorites (maybe by as much as 12 points), Chicago ranks fifth-worst against the center position, according to Fantasy Pros. The two primary reasons for that are rebounds and blocks. The Bulls have allowed the seventh- and third-most rebounds and blocks per game, and that includes 15.5 boards and 3.5 swats to centers alone. Our algorithm follows suit, projecting Sabonis for 12.4 rebounds, 0.8 blocks, and 41.6 DK points.
Donovan Mitchell, PG/SG, Utah Jazz
DraftKings Price: $8,000
Donovan Mitchell has been flying under the radar in Salt Lake, having a career year behind averages of 24.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. He's up to 46.2% shooting and 36.6% on his 6.6 three-point attempts a game. And even with Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic now on board, his usage rate is a mere 0.4% lower than what it was in 2018-19. He is, without a doubt, the go-to guy in Utah.
Mitchell has shown even more aggression in his last two games. The combo-guard got up 25 shots in each of those, with which he produced 25 and 36 points on his way to 46.5 and 51.75 DK points. His usage has skyrocketed to 35.0% against two playoff-caliber teams in the West, and he'll have a good chance at keeping it going versus the San Antonio Spurs.
These Spurs are 13th in pace, 22nd in defensive rating and 23rd in opponent points per game for the year. Over the last five, their defensive rating is worse as they've allowed 111.6 points during this stretch.
Mitchell should flourish in what could be a close, high-scoring game. We project him for 40.4 DK points over 34.6 minutes of work.
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.
