3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 2/14/18

Julius Randle, PF/C, Los Angeles Lakers

DraftKings Salary: $7,400

A somewhat overlooked part of the Isaiah Thomas trade was the fact that Julius Randle finally has a clear path to big minutes. While Thomas essentially fills Jordan Clarkson's role, the Lakers didn't bring in anyone to fill Larry Nance Jr.'s role, which hopefully will lead to big minutes for Randle and Kyle Kuzma. That is notable because Randle has been incredibly efficient from a fantasy perspective, averaging 1.18 DraftKings points per minute on the year.

Randle has played 65 minutes in two games since Nance was traded -- one of which was a blowout. He logged a season-high 37 minutes his last time out, and if we can expect even close to that type of playing time going forward, his current price tag is a huge bargain. Randle has played at least 30 minutes just 10 times this season. In those 10 games, he has averaged 42.1 DraftKings points, which is way more than he needs at this price tag.

The additional minutes aren't the only thing working in his favor tonight, though. Randle should also benefit from one of the best game scripts on the slate, as his Los Angeles Lakers are projected to outscore their season average by over five points. That shouldn't come as much of a surprise in a matchup against a New Orleans Pelicans squad surrendering the second-most points per game. The 229.5-point over/under in this one is higher than any other game on the slate.

Randle also draws a terrific matchup against a Pels squad that has been destroyed by opposing bigs since losing DeMarcus Cousins. They have a 47% rebounding rate during that span, which would rank dead last over the course of the full season. They've allowed a 40-DraftKings-point performance to at least one big in eight of their past nine games.

Given the way he has played recently and the minutes he could receive if he stays out of foul trouble, it is tough to envision Randle not exceeding value in this spot. He is one of the strongest plays on the board and is viable in any format.

Jacob Gibbs is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jacob Gibbs also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jagibbs23. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his 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.