3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 11/4/19

While building a daily fantasy basketball lineup, it's important to make sure you find the right studs to anchor your team. As the most expensive players in your lineup, they need big-time production to match their high price tag.

You may find it hard to fit some of these guys in while staying under the salary cap, but you can check out our projections to find value players for your rosters. Let's take a look at the top high-priced DraftKings plays of the day.

James Harden, PG/SG, Houston Rockets

DraftKings Price: $10,800

Last night was a night to forget for James Harden and his Houston Rockets. In a matchup with the Heat, they were down 46-14 in the first quarter and lost by 29 points thanks to 39.2% shooting and 22 turnovers. Harden scored 29 in 26 minutes, but he took only 14 shots and turned the ball over half a dozen times. It was his first game of the year under 40 DraftKings points.

The Heat are a good defense, though, and Tuesday's opponent -- the Memphis Grizzlies -- are not so great on that end. Allowing 108.7 points per 100 possessions, they are 23rd in NBA.com's defensive rating ranks, which combined with their top-five pace has them giving up 119.4 points per game.

At FanDuel Sportsbook, the Rockets are favored by 5.5 points, and a 233.5 over/under hands them a slate-high 120 implied total. Harden is set up for a big game, especially with Russell Westbrook sitting out the back end of the back-to-back set. Per NBA Wowy, the Bearded One has a monster 49.7% usage and produces 1.76 DK points per minute (compared to 1.37 with) in 79 minutes without Brodie at his side this season.

Checking in $500 cheaper than Giannis Antetokounmpo, Harden is projected for 53.6 DK points even before you factor out Westbrook. If he logs 36 minutes, it's unlikely he produces anything lower than 60 so lock him in for any and all formats.

Damian Lillard, PG, Portland Trail Blazers

DraftKings Price: $8,900

As with most nights, there are a number of high-quality options at the point guard slot, and none are hotter than one Damian Lillard. The Portland Trail Blazers star has games of 54.75, 58.25 and 57.25 in his last three, bringing his season average to 53.1 DK points per game on a team-high 28.4% usage rate, a 33.8% assist rate and 62.4% true shooting percentage. And believe it or not, his shot was off for two of the last three.

Don't expect that to continue. Lillard should build off an 11-for-16 game on Saturday, especially against a very depleted Golden State Warriors team. Already without Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry. and Draymond Green, the Dubs could be without D'Angelo Russell. That leaves a number of young, inexperienced defenders -- Ky Bowman and Jordan Poole the most likely candidates -- to check the battle-tested Lillard.

Really, how desirable Dame is could depend on how you view this game. There is currently no line, but we will likely see Portland favored by at least eight or upwards of 12-plus. His ceiling could be limited by the potential for a blowout here.

Lillard's efficiency does keep him in play for cash games, and our projected output of 43.3 DK points says as much. If you need to choose, however, Harden is the higher upside play and worth the elevated salary.

Ben Simmons, PG/SF, Philadelphia 76ers

DraftKings Price: $8,500

Ben Simmons is another guy worth consideration at point guard. But lucky us, we can also throw him in at the small forward or forward spot due to his positional flexibility. That opens things up for us to maybe -- just maybe -- play all three of these point guard eligible players this evening, especially with Lillard and Simmons under $9,000 (and value to be had elsewhere).

At his price, Simmons offers a boatload of value because of Joel Embiid's suspension-induced absence. With the big man out last game, Simmons was the primary facilitator of the 76ers' offense, turning in 18 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists for a total of 47.75 DK points. His usage (22.3%) didn't increase much, but his rebound rate jumped to a season-high 15.1% with a 31.0% clip on the defensive glass. NBA Wowy's on/off splits tell us that in a larger sample going back to last year, with the do-it-all guard putting together a 24.1% usage rate, 21.3% defensive rebounding rate and 1.25 DK points per minute with Embiid off the floor.

Simmons' numbers came in a one-point win over the Blazers, but this evening he'll draw the Phoenix Suns, who are improved defensively but still rank 17th in rebound rate and 11th in pace. It's technically a pace-down game for Philly, yet the oddsmakers have them down for 112.25 points on the road in Phoenix. Simmons will play a big part with a projected 44.6 DK points at a value of 5.3 points per $1,000.

Brett Oswalt is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Brett Oswalt also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username BrettOswalt. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.