NBA

3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 11/18/19

Brett Oswalt  —  @bRo14thekid Nov 18th, 2019
Pascal Siakam is flourishing as Toronto's go-to man and draws a plus matchup against the Hornets. Who else is worth the high cost on Monday night?

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: $12,000

With or without Russell Westbrook, James Harden is burning up a trail. While averaging 62.6 DraftKings points per game, the Bearded One has upped his per-game average to 70.5 DK points on 43.0 points, 7.9 assists, and 6.7 rebounds. And according to NBA.com, his 40.3% usage rate is actually up from a year ago (39.6%).

Harden's workload is as consistent as they come, and tonight's matchup with the Trail Blazers raises his ceiling another level. Per FanDuel Sportsbook, the Houston Rockets carry an implied total of 118.75 points into a game with a 231.5 over/under. Portland allows 114.1 points per game on the combination of a 109.3 defensive rating and a pace that ranks 10th in the Association.

The Beard's lofty price tag commands 60 DK points for five-times value, but he is worthy of cash and tournament consideration. Due to the tighter spread, that gives him the slight edge over Giannis Antetokounmpo against the Chicago Bulls with our models projecting him for 57.4 DK points.

Pascal Siakam, PF/C, Toronto Raptors

DraftKings Price: $9,000

Down in the second or third tier of elite options, Pascal Siakam checks in at a $3,000 discount to Harden despite his price being higher in two of his last three games. That plays well for Monday's game at home against the Charlotte Hornets.

So far this year, Charlotte is 23rd in defensive rating, 19th in opponent points per game and -- per FantasyPros -- 24th in DK points allowed to the power forward position. But if you thought that was a perfect storm for Siakam there's more.

Toronto is still without the services of Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka -- both of whom are down with injuries. That will put more on Siakam to perform, as we've seen with him playing 42, 44, 41 and 41 minutes in the four games without them. He's averaging 23.5 shots and 44.3 DK points in that span even with a 38.3% shooting percentage.

Siakam should return to his shooting efficiency with time, and it will likely start here. Our projections have him attempting 13.6 shots en route to 19.0 points and 35.6 DK points, but with upside for much more in this matchup.

Domantas Sabonis, PF/C, Indiana Pacers

DraftKings Price: $7,300

With what we have in front of us at this time, Domantas Sabonis is considered questionable to play Monday with a right hip contusion suffered in Saturday's game. He could come down to a game-time decision against the Brooklyn Nets, but we should know more after shootaround. If he's in, fire him up.

For starters, Sabonis is cheap -- so cheap that he is on the borderline of a stud play. But just last game the big man was listed at $8,500 and before that $8,700. Even his 43.7 DK-point average would call for a salary around $8,700 assuming five-times value. That's the kind of fantasy player he has proven to be.

And just in case you thought Myles Turner will limit him, think again. All along the plan was to play the two together, and at least in their 112 minutes together Sabonis is averaging 1.03 DK points with a 24.8% usage rate, 62.5% true shooting percentage and team-high 25.0% rebound rate, according to NBA Wowy.

Against a Brooklyn defense ranked 21st in defensive rating, Sabonis is just too cheap to pass up. In the event he plays, we have Sabonis going for 45.4 DK points over 34.0 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.