3 NBA DraftKings Studs to Target on 12/22/17

James Harden, PG/SG, Houston Rockets

DraftKings Salary: $11,500

The Houston Rockets will be very shorthanded for this one, with Chris Paul and Luc Mbah a Moute both out and Clint Capela doubtful, which will leave James Harden to do it all in a game in which Houston has the highest implied team total on the slate. That was no issue on Wednesday, as Harden went into takeover mode when Paul left the game, finishing with 71.25 DraftKings points.

With both Capela and CP3 off the floor this season, Harden's already ridiculous efficiency skyrockets. In over 350 of such minutes, Harden has a 42.5% usage rate and has averaged 1.79 DraftKings points per minute. If he plays the 36.4 minutes he's averaged over his past five games, a 1.79 point-per-minute pace would project him for a casual 65.2 DraftKings points. That type of production would easily pay off his salary and makes him arguably the most attractive of a large group of studs available on this slate.