NBA

3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 2/24/20

Brett Oswalt  —  @bRo14thekid Feb 24th, 2020
Joel Embiid will look to lead the 76ers in the absence of Ben Simmons. Which other players are worth their high salaries on Monday night?

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.

Luka Doncic, PG, Dallas Mavericks

DraftKings Price: $10,500

Luka Doncic was held out of Saturday's game because of ankle soreness, but he's considered probable for Monday's matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He also dominated in his two previous games following the break, and the Dallas Mavericks should be favored at home. So, what gives?

By that, we are of course talking about Luka's price tag. It has decreased for a third straight game after Doncic ended his first half at $12,000. When he's in the lineup, he is a guy that needs to be priced up above $11,000 with the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden. He's averaging 57.5 DraftKings points, which is more than Trae Young (also $10,600), and only 3.1 and 2.9 shy of the Freak and the Beard.

Doncic is a particularly great play this evening. His Mavs are hosting a Wolves team that is playing for the second time in less than 24 hours after a loss in Denver on Sunday night. According to Basketball-Reference, Minnesota has surrendered 113.7 points per game on no rest and 117.3 in the three games that have taken place on the road.

Our models project Doncic for 55.5 DK points at a value of 5.29 points per $1,000.

Joel Embiid, C, Philadelphia 76ers

DraftKings Price: $9,500

As with Doncic, Joel Embiid also finds himself in a plus head-to-head at home versus the Atlanta Hawks. The young, rebuilding Hawks are 28th in defensive rating -- according to NBA.com -- and have allowed 3.1 more points per 100 in their last five. They have also been destroyed by opposing centers, having been hit up for 23.6 points and 57.8 DK points per game. And Embiid isn't far off, either, averaging 56.9 in the two games against Atlanta.

But one key injury boosts the big man's already high floor and ceiling even more. Ben Simmons exited Saturday's game and will not participate in Monday's matchup due to a lower back injury. That opens up things for Embiid, who will act as the focal point in the offense, as he's done all year with Simmons off the floor.

According to NBA Wowy, Embiid is averaging 1.59 DK points per minute compared to 1.41 with Simmons all while using 36.9% of the team's offensive possessions in that time (only 30.2% with). We have him down for 47.7 DK points in 30.6 minutes.

Bam Adebayo, C, Miami Heat

DraftKings Price: $8,500

This could be another night where you want a second center in your utility spot on DraftKings. After all, Bam Adebayo will also be without his co-star Jimmy Butler, who is away from the team due to a personal issue. That leaves Adebayo more play-making duties from his spot down low, and he too should benefit.

The Cleveland Cavaliers aren't the juiciest of matchups for bigs, yet they are in the middle of the pack and give up the second-most assists (3.9) per game to the position. That, in addition to a favorable line and total, should push him past what he did in these two team's previous meeting just two days ago when Adebayo was limited to 33.75 DK points in 26 minutes. The Miami Heat pulled away to win by 19 on their home floor.

Away from Miami, the Heat could see more resistance from the Cavs, but that could only lead to more minutes for Adebayo. When the 22-year-old has played 30 to 39 minutes he's averaged 42.9 DK points, which would be more than enough for five-times value at this tag.

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.