3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 12/12/17

LeBron James, SF/PF, Cleveland Cavaliers

DraftKings Salary: $11,800

LeBron James' ridiculous season just continues, as his most recent triple-double brings his DraftKings point average up to 57.1 on the year and 68 over the past week. At his elevated price tag, he needs 59 DraftKings points to reach value, which is absolutely within reach in this spot.

James and the Cleveland Cavaliers draw a home matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, who rank 28th in defensive efficiency. James has averaged 60 DraftKings points in 14 home games this season and has averaged 57.6 in two previous meetings with Atlanta. The Hawks had Dewayne Dedmon for one of those games and John Collins for both, who will be replaced by Ersan Ilyasova and Miles Plumlee in this one. They have proven to be significantly worse on both the glass and as a whole defensively with Dedmon and Collins off the floor and have no answer for James at the rim.

The Cavs have a slate-leading implied team total (114 points) thanks to Atlanta's current deficiencies on the defensive end, and James should play a huge part in reaching that number. Cleveland also could be without Kevin Love in this one, which would further boost James' outlook. If Love is out, James takes on a larger scoring role and becomes the team's primary rebounder. In that scenario, it'd be hard to see James not posting double-digit rebounds against an Atlanta squad that really struggles on the glass without Dedmon and Collins. He is a strong play in any format even if Love plays, but he becomes a must-play if Love is out.