We’re back with a six-game NBA slate on Friday. Using Stokastic’s NBA DFS Boom/Bust tool, let’s dive into the player pool to discuss the best NBA DFS contrarian picks on DraftKings this evening, which include De’Aaron Fox and Chimezie Metu.
NBA DFS Contrarian Picks — Plays For Today
Contrarian Stud — De’Aaron Fox: Phoenix Suns-Sacramento Kings
De’Aaron Fox is the top contrarian stud on DraftKings at $9,600. He is coming into tonight’s action averaging 30.1 points, 6.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, putting together his best all-around season as a pro while leading the Kings to a 16-10 record. Though he was much maligned as a 3-point shooter in years past, Fox is averaging 3.3 3-pointers made per game this season, and he’s seen his fantasy production spike as a result.
Despite his tremendous nightly contributions, Fox is getting forgotten about by the field tonight, as only 6.80% of lineups are projected to roster him on DraftKings. However, his 11.90% optimal percentage makes him an elite contrarian spend-up option at $9,600. Matched up with Devin Booker, expect the best Fox has to offer tonight, and it is easy to get over the field on him in GPPs.
Contrarian Mid-Tier — Keegan Murray: Phoenix Suns-Sacramento Kings
Sacramento looks like the most under-owned team on DraftKings, and Keegan Murray is the top contrarian mid-tier play at $6,500. After a hot start to his second season, Murray had seen his production tail off a little towards the back half of November and into early December. Whatever sophomore slump he was experiencing, however, seems to have come and gone, with Murray having his best game as a pro en route to dropping 70 fantasy points on Utah in a win against the Jazz on Dec. 16.
Although Murray’s $6,500 price tag is a bit high for his median projection, there’s no denying his upside, as evidenced by the 70 DraftKings points he scored against Utah and the 41.3 he put up the very next game against Washington. Despite that, the masses aren’t interested in getting to Murray today, as Stokastic’s tools have him projected to be only 4.20% owned. With an optimal percentage of more than double that at 8.80%, Murray looks great as a differentiator on a lineup otherwise filled with popular players.
Contrarian Value — Chimezie Metu: Phoenix Suns-Sacramento Kings
Pivoting to the other side of the Suns-Kings game for the top contrarian value, Chimezie Metu is currently the highest-graded leverage play on DraftKings at $3,500. With Jusuf Nurkic out tonight for personal reasons, Metu should have a clear spot in the Suns rotation, and it’s surprising he isn’t picking up more ownership at only $3,500 with power forward eligibility.
As of this writing, Metu is projected to be 12.80% owned on DraftKings. With an optimal percentage of 21.00%, however, it makes sense why Metu is the top leverage play on the entire slate. His cheap price tag also creates avenues to roster construction that otherwise would be closed off.
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