NBA

NBA FanDuel Studs to Target on 2/16/17

Jason Schandl  —  @JasonSchandl Feb 16th, 2017
Isaiah Thomas has been on fire over the past month, and he draws a good matchup against the Bulls. Who else is worth the big investment on Thursday's two-game slate?

While building a daily fantasy 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.

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.

Options are limited on tonight's two-game slate, which will bring us into the All-Star break, but let's take a look at the top high-priced plays of the day.

Isaiah Thomas, PG, Boston Celtics

FanDuel Price: $10,000

Isaiah Thomas' scoring numbers have been ridiculous over the past month. He's scored 30-plus points in 10 of his 16 games in the past 30 days, and he is leading the league with 33.6 points per game in that span. His offensive volume has also been second to only Russell Westbrook in that time, averaging 21.4 field goal attempts per game. Sporting a 35.7% usage rate in 35.8 minutes per game, he's a safe bet to keep putting up that serious volume on a nightly basis.

The Chicago Bulls rank 18th in defensive rating over the past month, and they have also allowed top 10 fantasy production to opposing point guards this season, making this a really nice spot for Thomas.

Jimmy Butler, SF, Chicago Bulls

FanDuel Price: $9,700

With Dwyane Wade questionable for Wednesday's game against the Boston Celtics, Jimmy Butler stands to once again see another huge workload. It looks like Wade will be a game-time decision, so make sure you check on his status before locking Butler in. But Wade has yet to practice in full since suffering his wrist injury, and with this being the last game before the All-Star break, there's a good chance he sits.

Butler also still offers some fantasy value even if Wade does suit up, though that value would take a significant hit with Wade active.

The sample size isn't huge, but Butler has played a massive 37.9 minutes per game in five games without Wade this year. In those games, he is averaging 30.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 2.6 steals -- good for 53.1 FanDuel points per game. He has also seen his usage rate jump from 24.2% with Wade on the floor to 33.7% with Wade off this season, per NBAWowy.

The Celtics rank 20th in defensive rating this season, making this a promising spot for Butler on the offensive end, and Boston's 26th-ranked rebound rate also gives Butler's value a boost, as well.