3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 1/26/21
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.
Bradley Beal, SG, Washington Wizards
DraftKings Salary: $9,900
Are the Washington Wizards playing a game? In a normal year that would come down to about a 33% to 50% chance, but this one -- especially of late -- has been far from normal. On Sunday, the Wizards played their first game since January 11th, when they were first struck by a string of COVID concerns and players placed on the health and safety protocols list. But what hasn't changed is Bradley Beal tearing things up.
Following the hiatus, Beal returned to the floor to hit 13 of 29 shots for 31 points and 45.25 DraftKings points. His minutes were held to 32 due to the 20-point loss, but all in all, it was more of the same. The All-Star guard has averaged a league-high 34.5 points per game, leading to 52.2 DK points on a massive 36.3% usage rate, per NBA.com.
There's precisely zero reason to expect Beal to slow down against the Houston Rockets. They may be 13th in defensive rating, but their top-10 pace has them allowing 111.4 opponent points per game -- 26.4 of which have gone to the shooting guard spot. Accounting for that, as well as peripherals, FantasyPros tells us that they are giving up 45.2 DK points per game to Beal's position.
Donovan Mitchell, PG/SG, Utah Jazz
DraftKings Salary: $8,400
It might be hard to fit Beal and Donovan Mitchell in your lineup, given the way roster construction might work out. However, without the likes of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard on this slate, they are two of the most likely candidates to hit 50-plus fantasy points. And, obviously, you're getting Mitchell at a lower salary tier.
The reason to believe in the upside is certainly there. Using 31.2% of his team's offensive possessions, he is more than 5% clear of the next Jazz player. And while his 33.2 minutes a game are nowhere near elite volume levels, he is only one of two Utah players averaging north of 30 because of their depth and a number of blowouts.
The New York Knicks are a top-five defense in terms of efficiency, but they have fallen to the middle of the pack over the last three games, a stretch in which they've given up 106.7 points a night. Averaging 113.2 a game, Utah should take advantage.
Rudy Gobert, C, Utah Jazz
DraftKings Salary: $7,200
Whether you opt with Mitchell or not, Rudy Gobert is a good source of upside at mid-tier salary. The Utah big man is averaging 37.7 DK points per game on the year behind a double-double average and 2.7 blocks a night.
Gobert has a double-double in all but five games this year, and has contributed three or more blocks in exactly half of his 16 contests. In his only game against New York he posted 14 points, 11 rebounds and 5 blocks as he finished the night with 42.3 DK points -- a return of 5.9 points for every $1,000.
The block upside could get Gobert back to that level of fantasy production tonight, as the Knicks are giving up 3.6 blocks and 55.3 DK points to opposing centers. A Gobert/Mitchell mini-stack might just be the play in cash.
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.
