3 NBA FanDuel Studs to Target on Monday 11/7/22
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 up for someone. Even with strong value plays in your lineup, paying up and getting a dud is likely going to leave your lineup drawing pretty close to dead.
Which top players should be the focal points of your lineups today?
Luka Doncic, PG/SG, Mavericks ($11,800)
Even at the slate's highest salary, it's really difficult to argue against Luka Doncic on Monday.
The Mavericks' cornerstone is second in the NBA in FanDuel points per minute (1.73) and first in usage rate (39.0%). As a result, he's turned that massive offensive role into at least 56 FanDuel points in every single game this year. He's the first since Wilt Chamberlain to score at least 30 points in eight straight to open a season.
In tougher matchups, I'd understand making a play on game theory, but this matchup with Brooklyn is sublime. The Nets' 113.6 defensive rating -- though improved without Kyrie Irving not trying on that end -- is still the ninth-worst in basketball.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the other headliner on this slate with a salary above $11,000, but Luka's supreme role will continue to win out until we see him fall short of expectations.
Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Timberwolves ($9,600)
Even before Rudy Gobert entered COVID-19 protocol, we were getting a firm message on who the Minnesota frontcourt belongs to.
Karl-Anthony Towns has collected at least eight boards in five straight games, and Gobert has collected at least nine in every game played during this time. With Gobert out, Towns could sail into double digits; he's averaging 9.88 rebounds per 36 minutes with Rudy off the floor this season.
Plus, Towns has scored at least 24 points in three of his past four games on a team-best 26.0% usage rate. He's rounding into form at the right time facing an opponent who might struggle to stop him.
That's because the Knicks lost Mitchell Robinson to a knee injury over the weekend. Isaiah Hartenstein had 14 boards in his first start against the Celtics, but Boston was also missing Al Horford. The jury is still out on how New York will rebound and defend in Robinson's stead.
With a four-digit salary, Towns is easily the best big man on this slate given Nikola Jokic and Anthony Davis are trapped with some usage concerns at the moment.
Paul George, SG/SF, Clippers ($9,100)
Paul George has been red hot for the Clippers. He'll likely need to be even hotter if they want to win Monday.
The upstart Cavaliers are in town, and Los Angeles is a four-point home underdog with a bit of uncertainty in its backcourt. John Wall is already out to rest, and Reggie Jackson (knee) admitted stiffness after last night's battle with Utah. The two point guards would be even more missed considering Luke Kennard (chest) missed last night's game, too.
Like the Clips have done for the better part of three years, they'll probably just shift more onto George's plate. With Kawhi Leonard still out, George's usage has been superb. He's got a massive 34.1% usage rate with Kawhi off the floor this season.
He really just needs to contribute in a meaningful way in any other category to pay off this salary with that role. We saw that last Monday when six steals earned him the highest FanDuel point total of the season (78.8) thus far.
Though Giannis and Kevin Durant are also worthy options in great roles, George comes with just this four-digit salary. He's a bit of a bargain on Monday's loaded slate where scoring is sure to be sky-high.
