3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 3/10/20
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.
Russell Westbrook, PG, Houston Rockets
DraftKings Price: $10,100
After a quiet, three-game night on Monday, we turn around with a jam-packed nine-game slate featuring two players above $11,000 and another three (at least healthy) at or above the $10,000 threshold. At the very bottom of that list is Russell Westbrook, who is healthy and checks in averaging 51.3 DraftKings points per game on the season.
Westbrook has been a beast over the last three-plus months, and though his fantasy numbers are slightly down since the break his efficiency has only increased. En route to 50.2 DK points a night, the All-Star point man has hit 52.2% of his total shots and 40.0% of his attempts from downtown in this seven-game span. Westbrook's usage rate has increased by 2% as well, so the fact that his price has remained stagnant is enough to say he's a bargain in this spot.
At home, the Houston Rockets are favored by 12.5 over at FanDuel Sportsbook, and when combined with a 244.5 over/under they draw a monster 128.5 implied total. You might lean toward James Harden at his higher cost, but Westbrook shouldn't hurt as much in the event of a blowout. We project him to log 35.9 minutes and tally 50.2 DK points against the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves.
Hassan Whiteside, C, Portland Trail Blazers
DraftKings Price: $9,000
A quick look at the slate reveals a fantasy-friendly game with a number of upper-echelon offers between the Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers. One one side, Damian Lillard has been more shaky than usual since returning from injury, and C.J. McCollum has had his price stick at $7,900 even with Dame back out on the floor. That situation is reason enough to look down low at teammate Hassan Whiteside.
Whiteside's time is running out as the top dog at Portland's center position. Jusuf Nurkic is planning to make his season debut on Sunday, so this marks the team's second-to-last game without his services. But for now, and until Nurk gets his feet under him, we can expect Whiteside to get all the minutes. He's averaged 31.2 over the course of 60 games, and that includes 32.5 on the floor at Moda Center. He's also played 32.5 in his last six games during which time he's averaged 48.0 DK points with three 20-point outings and a 21.5% usage rate. He's grabbed 21.9% of available boards and contributed 3.3 blocks -- 80% of his team's in that sample.
In salary, Whiteside falls between fellow big men like Anthony Davis, Kristaps Porzingis and Domantas Sabonis, and that could spell reduced ownership for Portland's man in the middle. Given both that and the high-ceiling game he brings, Whiteside is a prime tournament target.
Devin Booker, PG/SG, Phoenix Suns
DraftKings Price: $8,800
Opposite Lillard, Whiteside, and company, Devin Booker is someone who we'll need to have a big night if Phoenix is to keep it competitive the whole way through. After all, the 23-year-old has been asked to do just about everything for his squad, particularly of late. Without the injured Kelly Oubre and Deandre Ayton, Booker has shouldered the load with 51.7 DK points per game over the last three. He's used 26.4% of his team's possession while handing out 10 helpers on a 37.5% assist rate. He adds a 66.3% true shooting rate in that time.
The matchup couldn't get much better for Booker, either, as the Blazers have failed to lock up opposing guards. While they're 11th against shooting guards, Fantasy Pros tells us that Lillard and others have been hit up for 49.6 DK points per game by opposing floor generals -- a per-game rate that bests only Golden State and Cleveland. A combo guard as skilled as Booker should have no problem capitalizing at this price.
In a close game, we project Booker for 41.3 DK points in his 36.1 minutes of work.
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.
