3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 1/14/20

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: $13,000

It couldn't get much better for James Harden tonight. He will be the sole focal point of the Houston Rockets' offense with Russell Westbrook sitting this one out, and the matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies is more than favorable.

The young Grizz have battled into the 8 seed for the time being, but they're still 22nd in defensive rating, and with the third-highest pace in the league, they allow the fourth-most points per game to their opponents. For opposing backcourts, that has amounted to big-time fantasy production to the tune of the fourth- and fifth-most points to the point guard and shooting guard positions, according to Fantasy Pros.

In his only matchup against Memphis, Harden went for 73.5 DraftKings points with 44 points and a double-double. Last time out on the floor, he racked up 62.0 DK points on 32 points, another double-double, and eight assists. And just three games ago, he topped both of those having put up 81.0 DK points with a 40-point triple-double against the host Atlanta Hawks.

Thanks to our friends at NBA Wowy, we have come to know that the Beard's numbers -- 47.5% usage and 1.93 DK points per minute -- are out of this world when Westbrook sits. That and a favorable matchup gives him a projection of 62.1 DK points in 37.3 minutes of work.

Kawhi Leonard, SF/PF, Los Angeles Clippers

DraftKings Price: $10,000

Kawhi Leonard is another stud that stands to benefit from the absence of his fellow star and teammate in Paul George, who is out for a third straight game. His usage rate sees an increase of 5.2 with him off the floor, and that's helped him to 2.7 more fantasy points per minute. He increases both his free throw rate and assist rate, so he is more than happy being the primary playmaker for the Los Angeles Clippers and their offensive attack.

Leonard has enjoyed a couple of big games over the last two, turning 50 field goal attempts into 66 points while totaling 61.25 and 47.75 DK points, respectively. He has provided better than 5.0 points per $1,000 at his salary points.

At home against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Clips are massive 14.5-point favorites over at FanDuel Sportsbook. It might not be super-competitive, but we should see Los Angels pile up points. Given that, we project Kawhi for 47.0 DK points, though he could do a lot more under the circumstances.

Devin Booker, PG/SG, Phoenix Suns

DraftKings Price: $8,200

If you're looking for something closer to a well-rounded lineup you have a few good options in this price range. But, for my money, Devin Booker has the highest ceiling for your tournament consideration. The Phoenix Suns' combo-guard is just coming down from a scoring spree over the past week, having tallied 30-plus points in seven of his last nine and at least 24 in eight of those. But the Charlotte Hornets held him to 12 points, 7 turnovers and 31.5 DK points on Sunday.

There is a reason for optimism around Booker, though. He obviously has the potential to go for 30-plus real-world points and 50 DK points, but he's also been very sneaky with his assist numbers. Averaging 6.5 helpers on a 29.9% rate, according to Basketball-Reference, Booker has assisted on at least eight buckets 13 times and seven in 21 of his 36 games (58.3%). He's averaged 6.8 a game with a 31.5% assist rate in the last five appearances.

The Suns are favored by three in a game with a 224.5 over/under versus the Atlanta Hawks, giving Phoenix a 113.75 implied total -- just above their season average. They'll benefit from a pace-up spot with Atlanta averaging 3.5 more possessions per game over the last 10, and Booker will without a doubt be the number-one beneficiary.

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.