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.
All injury updates are via the NBA's official injury report or numberFire's player news.
Terry Rozier, PG, Charlotte Hornets
FanDuel Salary: $7,800
Point guard has a number of options in the upper-tier tonight, though none appear to offer more potential for value than Terry Rozier.
In his last four games, Scary Terry has dropped 40.4, 48.2, 54.4, and 65.6 FanDuel points, and three of those came against teams that are among the seven stingiest versus opposing point guards. Tonight, he'll face a Chicago Bulls that ranks 23rd against floor generals over their last 15 games, according to FantasyPros.
Rozier only needs 39 FanDuel points to accrue five-times value (or 5.0 fantasy points for every $1,000 in salary), and given his matchup and recent form, he should be able to surpass that number with ease.
Brandon Ingram, SF, New Orleans Pelicans
FanDuel Salary: $8,400
Small forward doesn't any other studs in good spots (Khris Middleton has a tough draw in the Philadelphia 76ers), which means Brandon Ingram could very well be our best bet at the position.
Tonight, Ingram and the New Orleans Pelicans will take on the downward-spiraling Orlando Magic. So far in 2020-21, Orlando has ceded the second-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards.
In nine matchups versus teams that are bottom-six against the position, Ingram has averaged 42.2 FanDuel points, including outputs of 47.2, 54.2, 57.9, and 58.9. The 23-year-old has also racked up 41.8 or more fantasy points in four of his last six efforts.
The Pels have a 114.75 implied total tonight, which is second only to the Milwaukee Bucks on tonight's slate, according to numberFire's Matchup Heatmap. Getting exposure to those by points by rostering Ingram is highly recommended.
Jayson Tatum, PF, Boston Celtics
FanDuel Salary: $9,500
Admittedly, paying up for Jayson Tatum against the Phoenix Suns tonight is a risky move, albeit one that could certainly pay off.
When they take on the Suns, there's a good chance that the Boston Celtics will be without Jaylen Brown, who is currently listed as doubtful.
According to RotoGrinders, with Brown off the court this season, Tatum utilizes a team-high 35.4% of possessions while averaging a healthy 1.35 FanDuel points per minute. In fact, in the five games Brown has missed this season, Tatum has averaged 53.7 FanDuel points.
Tatum has amassed totals of 53.3, 64.5, and 69.0 FanDuel points in three of his last six games, so the ceiling is definitely there. The matchup with the Suns is a tough one, but we'll need to take some risks on a six-game slate.