NBA

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

James Harden takes his dominant play into a high-paced matchup with the Pelicans. Who else is among the top high-priced plays on the board tonight?

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: $11,500

After a slow start (for his standards at least), James Harden has exploded over the Houston Rockets' past three games. Against the Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls, the Beard has tallied 73.5, 74.5 and 75.0 DraftKings points per game. In that span, he has used 39.5% of the team's possessions (according to NBA.com) en route to 40.7 points per game on 43.6% shooting and 43.1% from three-point land. He has also assisted on 47.5% of his team's made field goals while on the floor.

For whatever reason, Harden's price is down by $300 from where it was three days ago. And that reason can't be the opponent. The New Orleans Pelicans rank fourth in pace, 29th in defensive rating and -- as a result -- 30th in opponent points per game at 122.4.

Per FanDuel Sportsbook, this game carries a 243-point over/under that provides Houston a 123.75 implied total, which ranks tops on the slate. We project Harden for 54.5 DK points in his large, play-making role.

Andre Drummond, C, Detroit Pistons

DraftKings Price: $9,800

If you're in search of a more balanced lineup, Andre Drummond might be your top guy to build around. Over the last 10 days, he has been priced at or above $10,100, and during that time he has averaged 57.9 DK points at an average value of 5.5 points per dollar.

Through the first 10 games of the season, the Detroit center has averaged 55.8 points with a double-double in every one of them, including four 20-20 performances. He's averaging a career-high 18.0 boards per game along with a career-best 3.6 assists per game. Even his 2.1 blocks are a personal-best through his first seven-plus seasons in the league.

Some will fade Drummond based on the expected return of Blake Griffin. They will look to his splits with and without Griffin as justification, which -- per NBA Wowy -- represent a difference of 0.18 DK points per game (1.46 with and 1.28 without). But it's unlikely we get Griffin for more than 20 minutes in his first game back from knee surgery. Drummond will still be the lead dog against Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

At home against the Wolves, Drummond is projected for another double-double with 1.8 blocks and 49.9 DK points -- a value of 5.09 points per $1,000.

Donovan Mitchell, PG/SG, Utah Jazz

DraftKings Price: $7,300

Donovan Mitchell isn't as high-priced as Harden or Drummond, but he provides similar upside in this matchup. On Monday, the Utah Jazz take on the Golden State Warriors in a game with a 213 over/under and a 9.5-point spread in the road team's favor. That means that oddsmakers expect Utah to score 111.25 points, or 10.25 above their season average to date.

Despite his team ranking 28th in scoring, 27th in offensive rating and 27th in pace, Mitchell has taken another step forward in his development, as he's averaging a career-high 24.8 points on much improved shooting at 48.8% from the field (42.9% from three). He is producing fantasy points efficiently, taking a workload of 19.1 shots and a 30.5% usage rate and turning them into 40.5 DK points per game.

By reaching his average, Mitchell will easily pay off his price tag. But the upside for him to do much more is there. These Warriors are very shorthanded, and injuries to Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry will force guys like D'Angelo Russell, Alec Burks, and Jordan Poole to check Mitchell. Athletically, Poole is probably the most capable, but he lacks the experience of Golden State defenses past.

The Warriors are dead last, allowing 116.6 points per 100 possessions while still playing at an above average pace. That's allowed opposing shooting guards to average the third-most DK points per game (48.55) when squaring off against them. It's a breeding ground for a big game from Mitchell so long as things don't get out of hand early. Our models have him down for 37.6 DK points over 34.3 minutes of work.


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.