3 NBA FanDuel Studs to Target on Wednesday 3/22/23
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 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 post high scores just about every night.
While this consistency puts us in an excellent 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 will likely leave your lineup drawing pretty close to dead.
Which top players should be the focal points of your lineups today?
Nikola Jokic, C, Nuggets ($11,900)
This 10-game slate is chock full of quality options, but I think Nikola Jokic is worth highlighting at low projected popularity.
As usual, Jokic will be contrarian -- but dangerous -- at his center-only spot on Wednesday against Washington. He's quietly rounded into form down the stretch run to defend his MVP throne, eclipsing 60 FanDuel points in four of his past six games.
Notably, he's done this with a 28.3% usage rate which is quite a bit higher than his season-long rate (26.7%). Jokic, perhaps frustrated by the missed shots that have led to a 4-5 month for Denver, is taking more on himself.
He's got the right matchup to do so. Over the last seven games, the Wizards have allowed the sixth-most points to opposing centers. They've allowed the sixth-most FanDuel points to pivots over that span, too.
The menu is so deep that many contrarian studs should pop on this slate, but Jokic is one of my favorite choices.
Damian Lillard, PG, Trail Blazers ($10,300)
While "The Joker" is contrarian, these next two won't be. They should be cash-game staples due to missing teammates.
The first is Damian Lillard, who has yet again been sabotaged by a fledgling and brittle Portland roster. Specifically, from Wednesday's injury report, the team will be without Jerami Grant (quad) and Anfernee Simons (foot) for this game in Utah.
If the MVP award was voted on by its literal name rather than the pageant it has become, Lillard would command votes. He's backpacked the squad at multiple points, including when Grant and Simons have been off the floor at other points this year. On a gigantic 40.6% usage rate, Lillard has produced 60.6 FanDuel points per 36 minutes with that duo not playing.
The Jazz are also a fairly toothless matchup for point guards with their own starting backcourt injured, allowing the third-most FanDuel points to them in their last seven games.
Dame should encroach 30 shots with his two other leading scorers sitting.
Kristaps Porzingis, PF/C, Wizards ($9,000)
Kristaps Porzingis is back for more.
We wrote him up in yesterday's column with Kyle Kuzma fighting an ankle injury, and he delivered 48.7 FanDuel points against Orlando. Kuzma's sprain is apparently pretty serious, so he's likely out tonight against Denver.
In that event, Porzingis becomes one of the most important studs on the slate. With Kuz off the floor, Porzingis has posted 49.5 FanDuel points per 36 minutes this year on a 29.3% usage rate, which only trails Bradley Beal. At the same salary, though, Beal isn't also adding on 9.92 rebounds per 36 in this floor condition.
Like Jokic on the other side, K.P. shouldn't face too much resistance, either. Denver is allowing the 10th-most FanDuel points to opposing centers in their last seven games, and the Nuggets' 117.7 defensive rating in March is the seventh-worst mark in the league.
The 227.0-point total in D.C. isn't very high, but this duo of studs is the type of contrarian mini-stack you'll need to win a tournament on such a large slate. Plenty of other choices are available.
