NBA

3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 10/29/19

Luka Doncic is off to a scorching start but remains affordable for his upside. Which other players can you build around on this short slate?

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.

Anthony Davis, PF/C, Los Angeles Lakers

Draftkings Price: $10,300

Slowly but surely, Anthony Davis is learning to play alongside LeBron James in L.A. After shooting 15-for-38 (39.5%) in his first two games in Lakers gold, Brow broke out with 29 points on 10-of-19 shooting (52.6%), while totaling 59.5 DraftKings points against the Charlotte Hornets.

The Horents are far from a stiff test, as they rank 29th in defensive rating, per NBA.com. However, Tuesday's opponent -- the Memphis Grizzlies -- won't offer much more resistance on the defensive end. The days of grit-and-grind are gone, and the young Grizzlies are 20th in defensive rating, not to mention fourth in pace (108.56 possessions per game).

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, that all leads to a 219.5 over/under with the Lakers sitting as 11.5-point favorites. Their implied total of 115.50 is second on the slate, so the game script plays right into the narrative of a big game for AD.

He's the highest-priced player on the board, but our models project him for a slate-high 54.0 DK points on the evening.

Luka Doncic, PG/SG, Dallas Mavericks

DraftKings Price: $9,100

It would be an understatement to say that Luka Doncic is off to a hot start in 2019. The Dallas Mavericks superstar is averaging a double-double early on -- 29.3 points and 10.3 rebounds -- and has dished out 7.3 assists per game with one triple-double to his credit.

After all is said and done, Doncic has at least 52.75 DK points in each game en route to 59.3 a night. His 30.6% usage rate and 37.3% assist rate position him 22nd and 18th in the NBA, respectively.

The Denver Nuggets are seventh in the league in defensive rating after ending last year ranked 10th. Luka's going to have to be at his best, but he should also benefit from facing a Denver team fresh off a game in Sacramento on Monday night.

A 216.5 over/under is enough to supply the underdog Mavs with a 105.25 total -- a number that could climb in the lead-up to tip -- and Doncic has a projection of 42.0 DK points with the upside for much more off the double-double (or triple-double) bonus.

Jimmy Butler, SG/SF, Miami Heat

DraftKings Price: $7,700

Dipping down in price a bit, we get to Jimmy Butler, who will finally make his Miami Heat debut after taking time off for the birth of his son. His squad, as eight-point home favorites, possess the single highest total on the slate (116.00 points) in the contest with the highest over/under at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Butler will enter the starting lineup and likely play 32-35 minutes (we project him for 32.9) versus a young Atlanta Hawks team allowing 107.7 points per game through three. That number should only rise with time.

In his time with the Timberwolves and 76ers last year, Jimmy Buckets averaged 36.1 DK points over 33.6 minutes a game, meaning he ended the year at 1.07 per minute. But we should see his usage skyrocket from last season's mark (22.3%), and with it his fantasy production as the focal point of the Miami offense. He's projected for 39.0 DK points at a value of 5.06 points per $1,000.



Brett Oswalt i
s 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. 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.