3 NBA FanDuel Studs to Target on 12/18/18

Nikola Jokic, C, Denver Nuggets

Price: $11,100

Nikola Jokic has seen his salary surge, but he still offers some interesting tournament value as a pivot away from the likely-chalkier LeBron tonight.

Jokic has more than 52 FanDuel points in four of his last seven games, and he's averaging 51.3 in 35.0 minutes per game in that stretch.

Those minutes are maybe the most interesting part of his recent numbers. He's averaging 1.44 FanDuel points per minute on the year, but with only 30.5 minutes per game, he's been something of a boom-or-bust option, with a big ceiling but also quite a low floor.

The absence of Paul Millsap makes those minutes fairly safe, as he's averaging 35.3 minutes per game with Millsap out over the last four, warranting the increased price tag.

Tonight's matchup is admittedly a rough one. The Dallas Mavericks allow bottom-10 fantasy efficiency to opposing centers while ranking top-10 in defensive rating and top-5 in rebound rate. That helps take Jokic out of consideration in cash games, but it should also help get his ownership down, increasing his tournament appeal on such a short slate.