3 NBA FanDuel Studs to Target on 11/9/17

James Harden, SG, Houston Rockets

Price: $11,200

Having exploded for 76.9 FanDuel points in what was supposed to be a tough matchup against the Utah Jazz, there's no question that James Harden continues to offer one of the highest fantasy ceilings in the NBA. He combines that with one of the highest floors, too, having topped 40 fantasy points in all but two of his games -- with marks of 36.0 and 39.8 in the two outings that he didn't hit 40. In all, he's averaging 49.9 FD points per game.

Harden's offensive role for the Houston Rockets has increased from the already big one he had last year, and he's sporting career-high clips in both usage rate (35.3%) and assist rate (41.7%), while his 8.0% rebound rate is his highest since his first season in Houston.

His playing time is down slightly -- 35.5 minutes per game -- but part of that has been caused by a high number of blowouts, with 6 of the Rockets' 11 games having been decided by at least 14 points. They're 5.5-point favorites tonight against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Harden will likely play above-average minutes in this one.

The Cavs have also been a great matchup to attack in fantasy. Their 112.4 defensive rating is not only the worst mark in the NBA, but it's not even close. The next-worst clip is nearly 3 points better, at 109.5. The Cavs have allowed top-five fantasy production to opponents at both guard positions, and Harden should have no trouble turning his minutes into big production here.