3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 2/26/21
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.
Stephen Curry, PG, Golden State Warriors
DraftKings Salary: $9,700
If you're counting LeBron James, there are four elite point guards to consider above the $9,000 threshold tonight. Among them, Stephen Curry is somehow carries the lowest salary despite sitting third on the slate in DraftKings points per game to this point. He is begging to be heavily rostered.
On his way to 50 fantasy points a night, the two-time MVP has scored 30 points on 47.9% shooting and 41.6% from three -- all the while he is the only player in the league putting up five triples on a nightly basis. According to NBA.com, his 30.9% usage rate is 5.9 percentage points higher than anyone else's on Golden State, and it is 1.7 percentage points above his clip from his last full year in 2018-19. What's not to like?
A matchup with the Charlotte Hornets is certainly not something to dislike. Per Basketball Reference, the Hornets' defense ranks second-worst in allowing 15.2 three-point makes a game on the second-most attempts. Curry should enjoy a big night against the inexperienced LaMelo Ball.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, PG, Oklahoma City Thunder
DraftKings Salary: $8,800
As if there weren't enough point guards with 50-point upside, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finds himself close to the $9,000 mark with the chance to keep pace with Curry and others at the position. The young Thunder star had a stint on the injury list of late, but since returning, he's ramped up to his best form all year.
Over the last five games, SGA is posting 27.6 points on 54.5% shooting and 55.6% from three. He's added 5.8 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks-plus-steals, which has come to 43.6 DK points in the final line. In the last three alone, that's up to 51 DK points over a heavy 36.3 minutes a night.
In yet another point-guard showdown, SGA draws Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks on his home floor, where he has shot more than 10 percentage points better from the field in 11 games. Against a squad being hit up for the fifth-most real-world points and DK points per game by floor generals, the OKC point man is one of the best point-per-dollar plays for his ability to fill up the box score.
Paul George, SG, Los Angeles Clippers
DraftKings Salary: $8,600
Paul George is our nightly riding-a-hot-streak play. The seven-time All-Star has scored at least 26 points in four of the last five, which has translated to 46.9 DK points a game and 1.47 per minute in that span. That per-minute figure is the more notable of the two, because in two of the last three, PG has failed to reach 30 minutes.
If George is back to his usual 33 to 36 minutes, he's in line for a final output somewhere between 48.5 and 52.9 DK points at his recent per-minute production clip -- and in case you weren't doing the math, that's well above his salary-implied total of 43.0 DK points. Add in the fact that he's surpassed 43 DK points more frequently than not, and it makes it hard to believe he won't return five-times value.
Although Memphis has done well against shooting guards, they are 17th in defensive rating this year and 23rd in the last 10. Part of that boils down to the absence of Dillon Brooks, and while he is returned Thursday, Brooks could sit out the back-to-back in Memphis on Friday. Fire up George in all formats.
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.
