DFS: Five Under-the-Radar NBA Breakout Candidates

With the usual suspects poised to continue their dominance atop the ranks of the NBA, there are a number of other players yet to stake their claims to superstardom, or even vaunted production. Not every struggling rookie continues to struggle through years two, three and beyond.

We're going to look at five players who should see bigger roles this season and who can bolster DFS lineups. At first, these names should be considered GPP options only, but could be cash game ready at some point depending on consistency.

PG Trey Burke, Jazz

This is probably Burke's last chance in Utah. So far, not so good for the third-year guard. His per-game stats since joining the league:

The most concerning stat is his shooting percentage - 36.8%. Think of how much better he could be if he could rein that in.

Burke might also make inroads if he passed more. His assists per game were far below the top tier point guards; all he needs to do is dish to Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert with consistency. Defense is the Jazz's specialty, but increasing offensive production will be the key to making the transition into a playoff contender.

Burke is scoring well during the preseason, and he's shooting better than he has in the past.

G C.J. McCollum, Trail Blazers

McCollum should be the starting shooting guard for the Blazers, though that might not inspire confidence. The Blazers are projected to lose the most - alongside the Nuggets - in the West. McCollum, however, has had a very productive preseason, averaging 20 points per game. He's showing he has the scoring skills to complement Damian Lillard.

His shooting is a bit dicey at times - he went 6-21 in a preseason game against the Jazz - but he's capable of shooting threes with a level of consistency. If he carries the bulk of his progress from the preseason to the regular season, he will be a valuable commodity from a terrible team.

PG Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Pistons

Other than having the most fun name to say in the NBA, Caldwell-Pope has also made huge strides this offseason. He has the skills to drop threes with precision.

Caldwell-Pope works well in transition and should build on this as his season goes on for the underrated Pistons. This team can score and KCP will be a driving force for Detroit basketball as long as he can stay on the court. He suffered a left foot sprain near the end of the preseason.

PF Julius Randle, Lakers

Randle is pretty much a rookie. He played in one game last season before breaking his tibia. It was a shame, as he was poised to be a breakout coming out of college.

Randle has explosive skills, and is set to bring the next era of the Lakers to fruition alongside PG D'Angelo Russell and SG Jordan Clarkson. His preseason has been solid; he scored 14 points in only 12 minutes against the defending champion Warriors on Oct. 17th. He rebounds, scores, and will sometimes get a decent amount of assists while posting a decent FG%.

SG Jordan Clarkson, Lakers

Despite the youth movement, the Lakers are not likely to challenge for a playoff spot. It could happen, as the starting five - including Clarkson - has a lot of skill. The thin bench is what hurts.

That thin bench, though, helps Clarkson's DFS value. He scored 19.4 points per game over the final month of his rookie season. There may be some competition from Nick Young and Lou Williams, but don't count on it. Clarkson is turning into an excellent scorer and should be used often.