3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 4/3/18

Ben Simmons, PG/SF, Philadelphia 76ers

DraftKings Salary: $9,600

Ben Simmons has posted back to back 50-burgers (in DraftKings points) with Joel Embiid sidelined, which shouldn't come as much of a surprise. He's averaged 45.1 DraftKings points in 13 games without Embiid on the year. Tonight, the Philadelphia 76ers will be playing without both Embiid and Dario Saric. In 423 minutes with both bigs off the court, Simmons has seen his per-minute efficiency skyrocket. His usage rate has climbed from 23.0% to 29.1%, while his DraftKings points per minute have risen from 1.22 to 1.39.

Given the 34.1 minutes Simmons is averaging this season, that type of increase (+0.17 DraftKings points per minute) is a boost of about 5.8 DraftKings points to his projection. That doesn't even factor in the matchup against the Brooklyn Nets, which could further boost Simmons' efficiency.

Of all 26 teams on tonight's slate, none has a higher implied team total than the Sixers, who are expected to outscore their season average by seven points. That is crazy impressive, considering they will be playing without two of their top four scorers. Embiid and Saric have accounted for 34.7% of Philly's scoring on a per-game basis, so someone is going to have to pick up the load if they are going to reach Vegas' lofty expectations.

As long as Simmons' price tag remains below $10,000, he is a strong target in all formats. The matchup against Brooklyn is just icing on the cake. He is the first stud you should look to anchor your lineups with.