3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 1/24/20
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.
Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Minnesota Timberwolves
DraftKings Price: $10,200
There are quite a few high-total matchups on Friday's 10-game bill, but the Timberwolves and Rockets carry the highest over/under at 234 points, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. A five-point line in Houston's favor gives Minnesota a 114.5 implied total on their home floor, where Karl-Anthony Towns will look to build off of his last two performances.
Over the last two games, KAT has had his minutes limit lifted, logging 35 and 31 en route to back-to-back 50-fantasy-point nights. On Wednesday, he scored 40 points on 66.7% shooting and amassed 51.5 DraftKings points. That's despite falling below his season averages in every other statistical category, including just six rebounds.
Against Houston, we can expect a near 50-point floor and a ceiling of 60-plus. Per NBA.com, Houston is averaging the second-most possessions per game (104.01) with Minnesota back at seventh (103.14). That, along with an average rebounding rate, has led teams to the ninth-most rebounds per game -- 14.9 going to the center position.
After going for 56.3 in his lone head-to-head with these Rockets, we project Towns for 52.7 DK points at a value of 5.17 points per $1,000.
Devin Booker, PG/SG, Phoenix Suns
DraftKings Price: $8,700
Devin Booker could go overlooked on this sizable slate, and recency bias could play a big part. Against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night, he was held to 12 shots, 16 points, and 23.0 DK points. It was his first game under 41 since January 12th. But that's a good thing.
Prior to that one, Booker flashed big-time consistency with and without Ricky Rubio at his side. As part of his scoring streak, the Phoenix Suns' star guard put up 52.75 DK versus the San Antonio Spurs, while he knocked down 13 of 23 shots (four three-pointers) on his way to 37 points. His 30.9 points per game are tied for third in the league in January, and his 52.1% shooting is tops among the top five scorers in that span.
The Spurs are unlikely to slow Booker this time around. They are 23rd in defensive rating and 25th for the month of January, allowing 114.4 points per 100 possessions and 114.2 points per game. Accordingly, the oddsmakers have Phoenix down for 112.5 points on the night -- more than enough to make Booker worthwhile at this price. He's projected for 41.4 DK points in 35.9 minutes.
Pascal Siakam, PF/C, Toronto Raptors
DraftKings Price: $7,700
Like Bradley Beal has been of late, Pascal Siakam is the new buy-low guy in the upper echelon of DFS plays. While his minutes have been somewhat limited since his return from injury, it looked like that was old news when he played 34 minutes against the Philadelphia 76ers. And that unlocked Siakam's fantasy game, allowing him to go for 18 points, 15 rebounds, and 44.25 DK points.
Siakam's price has increased by $800, but it's just not enough to capture his upside. On top of averaging 42.4 DK points per game, the first-time All-Star starter has exceeded 45 fantasy points in 13 games and at least 50 in eight of them. With his minutes on the rise, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him pop off for 50-plus and return better than six-times value. After all, he is facing the lowly New York Knicks.
New York has struggled all year and currently stands 24th in defensive rating. Now, a lower pace could have a negative impact, but Toronto's implied total is still north of 111. Because of that, we expect Siakam to turn 35.0 minutes into 22.9 points and 40.8 DK points.
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 BrettOswalt__14. 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.
