There are seven games tonight and currently not much value to choose from. This, once again, makes it very difficult to prioritize any of the most expensive players. A few of them look better than the rest, however, so we will take a look at them in this article. Using Stokastic’s NBA DFS projections, let’s break down the player pool to find the NBA DFS high-priced studs and see if Joel Embiid is viable for DraftKings and FanDuel lineups.
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NBA DFS Studs: Joel Embiid and LeBron James
Stud No. 1 – Joel Embiid: Philadelphia 76ers at New Orleans Pelicans
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $11,800/ FanDuel: $12,300
- Stokastic’s Point Projections: DraftKings: 62.4/ FanDuel: 61.7
- Stokastic’s Ownership Projections: DraftKings: 5.0%/ FanDuel: 4.0%
It is difficult to find the salary for Embiid, and there are plenty of other good center plays as well, but he is one of the top pay-up options if you can find a way to make it work. He has produced 1.79 DraftKings points per minute this season in 34.5 minutes per game. It is a pace-up spot for Philadelphia, as the Pelicans currently rank eighth in pace.
Stud No. 2 – LeBron James: Los Angeles Lakers at Detroit Pistons
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $9,900/ FanDuel: $10,100
- Stokastic’s Point Projections: DraftKings: 50.0/ FanDuel: 49.0
- Stokastic’s Ownership Projections: DraftKings: 8.9%/ FanDuel: 10.4%
Assuming that James is able to suit up (he is currently questionable), he looks like one of the better pay-up options thanks to a lower opportunity cost at the forward positions than the center or point guard positions. James has averaged 1.47 DraftKings points per minute in 34.0 minutes per game this season and draws a favorable matchup against Detroit. The Pistons rank in the bottom 10 in defensive rating and have played at a top-10 pace.
Stud No. 3 – Anthony Davis: Los Angeles Lakers at Detroit Pistons
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $9,800/ FanDuel: $10,600
- Stokastic’s Point Projections: DraftKings: 53.1/ FanDuel: 54.5
- Stokastic’s Ownership Projections: DraftKings: 9.6%/ FanDuel: 11.4%
Davis is slightly less expensive than James on DraftKings and slightly more expensive on FanDuel, but he projects better on both sites. On DraftKings he is center only, so he does come with a higher opportunity cost. On FanDuel, he is more expensive but has power forward eligibility, so the opportunity cost is a bit lower. Davis has averaged 1.40 DraftKings points per minute in 34.9 minutes per game in the 16 that he has played with James active this season. If James were to sit, Davis would become an even bigger priority.
There are seven games tonight and we are still waiting on plenty of injury news. Be sure to check out Stokastic’s Deeper Dive and Live Before Lock shows.
