NBA

4 NBA FanDuel Studs to Target on 3/2/21

Basketball is the most consistent sport for daily fantasy purposes.

A top slugger in baseball will have his fair share of 0-for-4 days, and an elite fantasy football player is at risk of having games where his team's offense as a whole is shut down. A high-salaried NBA stud is generally going to get his, though. With so many possessions in a game providing opportunities to produce, top fantasy basketball options will be posting high scores just about every night.

While this consistency puts us in a good position to identify top plays, it also means you can't afford to miss when you're paying a heavy salary to roster someone. Even with strong value plays in your lineup, getting a dud from a stud is likely going to leave your lineup lacking.

Let's get right into it and look at which top players should be the focal points of your lineups today.

Chris Paul, PG, Phoenix Suns

FanDuel Salary: $7,900

Devin Booker gets a lot of the attention for the Phoenix Suns, but Chris Paul has showcased an impressive fantasy ceiling over his last five weeks or so.

In his last 18 games, CP3 has posted at least 42.9 FanDuel points 11 times, including 8 outputs of 47.3-plus. That ceiling has also come with a respectable floor, as the veteran has recorded fewer than 36.7 fantasy points just 5 times in his last 19 outings.

Tonight's matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers is not one to shy away from. Throughout their last 15 games, the champs have ceded the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing point guards, according to FantasyPros. During that stretch, LA has allowed the 6th-most rebounds, 5th-most assists, and 12th-most steals to the position. This matchup is right up Paul's alley.

At a salary just under $8,000, Paul should be a staple in lineups tonight.

Jimmy Butler, SF, Miami Heat

FanDuel Salary: $9,500

Speaking of floor/ceiling combinations, Jimmy Butler has been an elite fantasy player this season when healthy. The 31-year-old has managed at least 41.5 FanDuel points in 16 of his 19 games at full health and has put up more than 45 in 13 of those efforts.

Tonight, Butler and the Miami Heat will face an Atlanta Hawks squad that's been eighth-worst defense against small forwards over their last 15 games.

With LeBron James drawing a Suns team that is the stingiest in the league against small forwards, Butler looks like the better spend at the position -- especially at a salary that's $1,300 lower.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, PF, Milwaukee Bucks

FanDuel Salary: $11,300

It would be fair say that the league's MVP is on a bit of a hot streak...and that's the understatement of the century. In his last 10 games, Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging 33.5 points, 13.4 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.7 blocks, and an absurd 66.3 FanDuel points per contest. That'll play.

Don't expect this train to slow down tonight, and Giannis and the Milwaukee Bucks are taking on a Denver Nuggets team that's second-worst against small forwards and eighth-worst against power forwards over their last 15 games.

Given Milwaukee's slate-best implied total of 121.25, it's damn-near impossible to fade Giannis tonight, especially given his recent form.

Nikola Jokic, C, Denver Nuggets

FanDuel Salary: $11,000

When he's not on the same slate with the likes Joel Embiid and Nikola Vucevic -- as was the case yesterday -- it's going to be tough to match the floor and ceiling that Nikola Jokic brings to the center position.

Jokic and Antetokounmpo are neck and neck for the fantasy scoring title, with both coming in averaging a bit more than 56 FanDuel points per game -- that's a good 7-plus points more than the next closest player on tonight's slate. The two will face off against each other in a matchup that's bound to see plenty of scoring.

The Deer are nowhere near as tough on the interior as they were last season. In fact, over their last 15 games, Milwaukee has given up the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing centers.

If you can afford to pay up for Jokic, do it -- he's worth it.