3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 1/8/20

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: $12,800

James Harden is expensive -- I mean, really expensive -- on Wednesday night. His price tag is $500 beyond even Luka Doncic and $1,900 more than where it stood last he took the floor. The Houston Rockets star will command 25.6% of your cap, but that's all worth it considering the upside.

The biggest reason for the price jump stems from the fact that Russell Westbrook will sit for rest purposes. That makes the Bearded One the 1A and 1B as Houston travels to face Atlanta. According to NBA Wowy, he has averaged a ridiculous 1.91 DraftKings points per minute on a 47.1% usage rate in the 474 minutes Westbrook has been off the floor this season. That would suggest that if Harden logs 35 minutes, he's due for 66.9 fantasy points.

The game environment points to a ceiling game, as well. The contest carries a massive 235.5 over/under, per FanDuel Sportsbook, and with the visitors favored by 8.5, they draw an unrivaled 122-point total. We project Harden for 65.6 DK points, though it's more likely he tops 70 or makes his way to 80-plus tonight.

Nikola Vucevic, C, Orlando Magic

DraftKings Price: $9,000

If it wasn't for Harden, Nikola Vucevic would be the most obvious smash play on this nine-game slate. The big man has everything in his favor from recent form, to venue, to head-to-head matchup.

With Jonathan Isaac sidelined for the last seven games, Vooch has found a high level of consistency in the fantasy department. He has, in that time, averaged 19.6 points, with five double-doubles, and 45.7 DK points per game, all while using up 25.5% of the offensive possessions, according to NBA.com. He's averaged exactly 45.7 in his five home games during that same span.

The home success is nothing new for the big man, though. He's putting up 45.6 per at home compared to only 37.8 on the road, where he's shooting over 13% below his mark at Amway Center.

The icing on the cake is that he squares up with a Washington Wizards team ranked dead last against centers. Vucevic has obliterated Washington throughout the year, accounting for 53.1 DK points a game in a pair of matchups thus far.

Brandon Ingram, SF/PF, New Orleans Pelicans

DraftKings Price: $8,800

Brandon Ingram is a player we have been targeting throughout the year, but only recently has he climbed up from the $7,800 to the $8,200 range. In fact, his $8,800 cost is the second-highest of the season (he was $9,200 on December 1) and $400 richer than the price he would have ran you two days ago. Yet again, the play and situation justify the price hike.

For the New Orleans Pelicans, they will operate without Jrue Holiday for a third straight game on Wednesday, so Josh Hart will likely start in his stead. But it's Ingram who has largely benefited, to the tune of 1.33 DK points per minute and a 31.2% usage rate in Holiday's stead.

Ingram has shown the ability to hit or blow past 44 DK points this year, doing so 16 times to date. And his chances of accomplishing that again are only increased by the Chicago Bulls' defense. Lauri Markkanen and others have allowed opposing power forwards to put up the single-most DK points (54.3) a game, including a combined 3.5 steals and blocks. We project Ingram for 41.4 DK points.

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__14. 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.