NBA

3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 2/20/20

Brett Oswalt  —  @bRo14thekid Feb 20th, 2020
Tonight, Bam Adebayo is set up for success against the shorthanded Hawks. Who else is worth paying up for?

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: $11,300

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Thursday's six-game slate includes only one game with a double-digit spread, and that's in favor of the Milwaukee Bucks against the Detroit Pistons. There is the type of blowout potential that could keep Giannis Antetokounmpo's minutes between 25 to 28, but at just $200 more James Harden is almost certain to see 35-plus minutes as his Houston Rockets take to the road against the Golden State Warriors.

So far this season the Bearded One has averaged his most minutes (37.1) since 2016, which has been boosted by eight games of 40 or more. Headed into the break he logged back-to-back 39-minute games en route to 66.5 and 67.0 DraftKings points. He's running hot ahead of a game with an inferior defense but a close enough spread to see him play a full complement of minutes.

A spread of 9.5 keeps Harden's 60-plus ceiling in play, and that is worth the $1,100 over teammate Russell Westbrook. Already with performances of 57.5 and 74.5 against this Golden State squad, he is projected for 58.5 DK points in 37.1 minutes of work.

Joel Embiid, C, Philadelphia 76ers

DraftKings Price: $9,000

Joel Embiid is another player who should benefit from a favorable yet competitive spread, as the Philadelphia 76ers are favored by 8.5 over the Kyrie Irving-less Brooklyn Nets. That, combined with a 217 over/under, provides Philly with a 112.75 implied total -- 4.15 above their average to this point.

Ben Simmons is certainly in play, however, he is surprisingly $500 more than his fellow star because of his recent play. Plus, the big man draws a much better head-to-head with Jarrett Allen and DeAndre Jordan. Brooklyn is not only allowing the seventh-most blocks per game, but 2.7 of those goto opposing centers, accounting for 5.4 of their 57.4 DK points per game (third-worst, according to Fantasy Pros).

Embiid has been talking a lot about turning his game around and putting the Sixers in the right direction, so the narrative is in his favor along with the back-to-back wins. Our models have him down for 48.1 DK points at a value of 5.34 points per $1,000.

Bam Adebayo, C, Miami Heat

DraftKings Price: $7,800

Speaking of top-tier value plays at center, Bam Adebayo has to be on that list tonight. His price is the same as last game, but it is down $400 from 10 days ago and far below his season-high of $8,900 for a full slate. And like Embiid, his defense-versus-position outlook couldn't get much better.

In their return to the regular season grind, the Miami Heat are on the road at State Farm Arena, where they are favored by 6.5 against the new-look Atlanta Hawks. But even with their deadline moves Atlanta is without a center to combat the likes of Adebayo. Clint Capela is out for some time, meaning we will see a lot of Dewayne Dedmon or John Collins at the five. It wouldn't be surprising to see them continue as the fourth-worst team against the center position.

Fresh off his Skills Challenge win, not to mention a great first half, Adebayo is no longer flying under the radar in Miami. The thing is, there's no one to stop him on a night like this. He is both cash and tournament viable with a projected output of 41.2 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.