3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 2/12/19

LeBron James, SF/PF, Los Angeles Lakers

DraftKings Price: $10,500

There are three big names that stand above the rest on tonight's five-game slate: New Orleans Pelicans center Anthony Davis, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, and The King, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James. James' upside might be as high as the rest, but he certainly hasn't been as consistent as his contemporaries, at least since returning from a five-week absence.

James has played four games since returning from injury, alternating huge performances with -- for him -- mediocre ones. You don't have to look that deeply for the reasons for the fall-off, however. His two "poor" games, if you want to call them that, were both in blowouts where he played only 30 and 33 minutes, respectively. Lest you worry about his stamina after his injury scare, he played 38 and 40 minutes in his other two games against the Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics, respectively.

Tonight's game should be relatively close and high-scoring, if the oddsmakers have it right. The Lakers are just 5.5-point favorites in an away game against the Atlanta Hawks that has a total set at a ridiculous 236.0 points, 8.5 points more than the next-highest total on the slate. Those numbers indicate a James that will see closer to 40 minutes of run than 30, which is what we want. We currently project James for 51.7 DraftKings points, but don't be surprised to see him blow past that should this game stay close.