NBA

3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 1/14/21

Brett Oswalt  —  @bRo14thekid Jan 14th, 2021
Doing more playmaking of late, Pascal Siakam finds himself in a prime spot against the Hornets. Which other elite players should be in your lineups tonight?

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 salaries.

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-salaried DraftKings plays of the day.

Nikola Jokic, C, Denver Nuggets

DraftKings Salary: $11,000

It's a bit early, but it's clear that through the first 11 games Nikola Jokic is having an MVP-caliber career year. From last year to this year he's increased his per-game production by 4.4 points, 3.5 assists and 1.2 rebounds, which has resulted in an average of 59.5 DraftKings points a game.

Jokic has been lights out all year, but he's been a step better on his home floor. Through a half-dozen matchups he's posting 63.8 DK points per game with more rebounds and assists, and fewer turnovers. He's also shot 20% better from three, while he's used 29.1% of his team's offensive possessions at Pepsi Center, per NBA.com.

In Denver, the Nuggets and Warriors are expected to tally a combined 230 points, according to the over/under at NBA Finals odds. A five-point line for Jokic's quad gives him a very juicy 117.5 implied total to work with. Why look elsewhere with value all around?

Pascal Siakam, PF/C, Toronto Raptors

DraftKings Salary: $8,500

Pascal Siakam started the year on an off note, but since then he's picked up a lot of steam. Since eclipsing 30 points for the first time this season back on January 6, he's averaging 24.0 points and 51.5 DK points per game over the last four. And he seems to be taking charge on the offensive end.

In that same four-game span Siakam's assist totals are 3, 12, 3 and 10 on the back of a 28.3% assist rate and 25.9% usage rate. Those two figures rank first on the team, ahead of guards Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet.

The Raptors will be back at their temporary home in Tampa to host the Hornets, who are playing in their second game in two days and rank dead last against power forwards, according to FantasyPros' defense-versus-position data. Siakam could be in store for another 50-point fantasy outing on Thursday night.

Malcolm Brogdon, PG, Indiana Pacers

DraftKings Salary: $8,300

Wednesday's blockbuster trade involving James Harden also did some damage to the Indiana Pacers in the short-term. Guard Victor Oladipo was shipped to the Houston Rockets as part of the trade, with Caris LeVert coming back from Brooklyn Nets. It would be unlikely to see LeVert suit up, and with Oladipo gone and T.J. McConnell out Domantas Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon will be forced to do a lot in big minutes.

Regardless of the trade, Brogdon has been impactful all year for Indiana. On a usage rate that is only 1% lower than a year ago, the 28-year-old has averaged a career-high 22.5 points per game on 47.4% shooting and 45.3% from three on his 6.8 attempts. That three-point shot has done a lot for his game, as has his playing time, which has ballooned to 37.1 minutes a night. In games he has played at least 37 minutes, the floor general has averaged 48.7 DK points -- a return of 5.9 points per $1,000.

Think of that as the upper baseline tonight. Brogdon's matchup with Portland is almost as good as it gets. Damian Lillard and the Blazers rank in the bottom five against opposing point guards, allowing more than 31 points and 53.4 DK points per game. Brogdon should have no problem racking up numbers in extended run.

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 BRO14THEKID. 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.