3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 3/5/20
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: $10,700
Tonight presents a difficult task as far as locking in surefire plays at high prices. While Joel Embiid is questionable, Russell Westbrook has struggled against Patrick Beverley and the Los Angeles Clippers. And that, by default, causes us to aim higher with James Harden, who has surprisingly dominated the Clips through three meetings.
Over 41 minutes per game, the Beard has put up 37.3 points, 9.7 assists and a total of 64.6 DraftKings points against Los Angeles. He has no fewer than 51.25 in any of the three, including two beyond the 70-point mark. In the only game in Houston, he managed 47 points and 71.5 DK points in 44-plus minutes. With the Rockets rolling ahead of what should be a close game (Houston -0.5 at FanDuel Sportsbook), and the Clippers shying away from pitting him against Kawhi Leonard, expect him to play big minutes and produce similar numbers.
Over a projected 37.0 minutes, our algorithms peg Harden for 57.2 DK points at a value of 5.34 points per $1,000.
Nikola Jokic, C, Denver Nuggets
DraftKings Price: $9,500
Nikola Jokic is shaping up as one of the best point-per-dollar cash plays on the slate. The big man is away from the friendly confines of Pepsi Center, but he draws a plus matchup versus the Charlotte Hornets and is in the middle of a solid mini-run of sorts. After besting the Toronto Raptors with a triple-double, 67.5-DK-point line two games ago, the Joker turned in 16 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists and 47.75 DK points in a loss to the Golden State Warriors.
The Hornets are a great opponent to look for a Denver bounce-back against, as they rank 24th in defensive rating and 26th in rebounding rate, according to NBA.com. That combination bodes really well for the star center, especially with his squad favored by seven points. After all, in wins Jokic is averaging 47.8 DK points to his 44.8 in losses this season.
We have Jokic at an expected 48.4 DK points in 32.5 minutes.
Paul George, SF, Los Angeles Clippers
DraftKings Price: $7,400
On the opposite side of that showdown in H-Town, the Clippers are in search of their sixth straight win and third straight on the road. They are barely road underdogs, while a 237 over/under tags L.A. with a 118.25 implied total. Paul George is in play for that reason, and he makes for a fine tournament play despite admitting he's still "a work in progress".
George's hovering around $7,000, so at his price, he is the type of salary relief you'll need on a four-game slate like this. Plus, he is a must-have if you are stacking the high-scoring affair between the Clips and Rockets. In his two appearances against Houston, he's gone off for 51.4 DK points per game with a 28.6% usage rate and 60.6% true shooting percentage.
George's upside is tied to his minutes, meaning if he sees 30 or more minutes, he could end up as the guy you need to cash in your lineups. For now, we project him for 29.7 minutes and 38.3 DK points tonight.
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.
