3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 1/15/21
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 salaries.
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-salaried DraftKings plays of the day.
Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Minnesota Timberwolves
DraftKings Salary: $9,900
To say Karl-Anthony Towns is the model of fantasy consistency might just be an understatement. The superstar big man has racked up a double-double and tallied 46.5 DraftKings points in all four of the games he's played this season. He's broken 50 in three of the four, averaging 24.0 points per game. Since his return from injury, he's scored 25 points in each game for an average of 53.4 DK points over 35.5 minutes of work.
His last time out, he faced these same Memphis Grizzlies, who allowed him to pop off for 25 points, 14 boards, 3 assists, and 2 blocks. But that should come as no surprise. According to FantasyPros, Memphis is the fourth-worst team against opposing fantasy centers, allowing 56.6 DK points a game.
A three-point spread and somewhere around a 224 over/under figures to land Minnesota a 113.5 implied total that is 4.9 points above their season average. Towns will be sure to take advantage.
Paul George, SG, Los Angeles Clippers
DraftKings Salary: $9,400
If you thought the game environment for Wolves/Grizz looks good, then you're in for a treat with the Los Angeles Clippers facing the Sacramento Kings. A 230.5 over/under at FanDuel Sportsbook is a big enough line for 118.25 points on the side of the Clips. The question is, do you go with Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, or both?
No one can fault you for accommodating both studs, but at a slightly lower salary, George is the superior play. At 45.5 DK points per game, he's not only a half-point shy of Kawhi's season average, but his 28.1% usage is only 1% lower, according to NBA.com.
George has also been the far better DFS producer away from Staples Center. Over his six road games, he's averaging 27.7 points and 47.9 DK points on 52.8% shooting and 54.7% from three. His per-game fantasy output is 6.8 points better than his teammate. PG-13 is a fantastic play in all formats.
Jaylen Brown, SG/SF, Boston Celtics
DraftKings Salary: $8,900
In the second or third tier of top-dollar options, Jaylen Brown might be the best play of the night. The Boston Celtics' budding star is already averaging 44.2 DK points a night, a number that he's increased to 52.1 DK points in home matchups like this.
One thing to note is that Brown is considered questionable to return as a result of the league's health safety protocols. However, running mate Jayson Tatum has been ruled out due to a positive test, which pushes Brown into the unquestioned number-one spot offensively. In fact, NBA Wowy's data shows that Brown has upped his usage rate from 27.9% with Tatum to 32.8% when he's been off the floor.
Also helping Brown's case is that Orlando ranks 6th-worst against shooting guards and 16th in the league in defensive rating. Without a stiff matchup, he's about as much of a clear-cut play as you can get.
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/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.
