3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 2/28/20
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.
Trae Young, PG, Atlanta Hawks
DraftKings Price: $10,500
On DraftKings, Trae Young pops up with that questionable tag thanks to an illness. But in spite of that, he played in Wednesday's game and produced his usual fantasy numbers. Over 38 minutes, he accounted for 37 points, 11 assists and a total of 62.5 DK points -- although he shot just 10 of 27. All that is to say that while he's questionable we should get confirmation that he's in the lineup for the Atlanta Hawks.
So long as Young is healthy enough to give it a go, he gives you a player capable of topping the 60-point threshold but at a considerable discount to guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic. He's eclipsed that mark 21 times in 54 games (a 39% rate), including six in the 70's with two of those coming in the last seven games. And he draws a solid matchup with the Brooklyn Nets.
The Nets are outside the top-10 in fantasy points allowed to floor generals, yet they have given up top-seven numbers in points (25.3) and threes (2.9). The sharpshooting youngster should have no trouble in those two areas, as he's projected for 28.4 points, 3.5 threes and 49.3 DK points on the night.
Bam Adebayo, C, Miami Heat
DraftKings Price: $8,800
There are a handful of top centers at our disposal this evening, but Bam Adebayo is only third-most expensive of the healthy options. That comes as a surprise when you consider his monster production of late, both with and without Jimmy Butler. In the four games out of the All-Star break, the big man has averaged 54.1 DK points with three double-doubles and at least seven assists in each game. His usage has skyrocketed from 20.4% to 27.7%, according to NBA.com.
Many will point to the absence of Butler, but if their last game is any indication we might be seeing more of Adebayo as the playmaker. With Butler out there against the Timberwolves, the former Kentucky standout used 28.2% of his team's offensive possessions en route to a 29.2% assist rate over 33-plus minutes. He also got to the free-throw line at least 12 times for the second time in four games.
Miami is in need of a win, having lost four of their last five and seven of nine. Adebayo will aim to get them back on track as two-point home favorites against the Dallas Mavericks. We have him down for 43.9 DK points against Doncic, Porzingis and company.
Rudy Gobert, C, Utah Jazz
DraftKings Price: $7,800
Again, great center matchups abound on Friday's 10-game slate, and they don't get much better than facing the Washington Wizards. Washington's 58.0 DK points against are second-most to centers and consist of 17.9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks a night. On the year, Rudy Gobert is averaging 14.2 boards and 1.9 blocks himself.
In his only other head-to-head with these inexperienced Wizards, Gobert went off to the tune of 21 points, 14 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 47.5 DK points. At $8,500, he returned 5.6 points for every $1,000, but he's much cheaper in this spot. That's largely due to Gobert's lower level of production of late, as he's been held under 30 DK points for three straight games. But don't overlook the larger sample in his 40.7 average and 10 games above 50.
Like Adebayo's Heat, Gobert's Jazz are in search of a get-right victory following four straight home losses. They're favored by 10.5 as they stick to their home floor, which gives Utah a 120-point implied total, or nine clear of their season average. The numbers and narrative mesh well, and our models agree, projecting Gobert for 40.5 DK points in 34.5 minutes.
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.
