4 NBA FanDuel Studs to Target on 2/2/16
It's a fairly short slate for NBA daily fantasy tonight, with only five games.
Value is hard to come by, though both Dwight Howard and Hassan Whiteside are out tonight, and there aren't a ton of high-priced options.
That means you can't afford to miss when you're picking the studs for your lineup.
I'm going to break down the four best top-end options on FanDuel for tonight, players who can put up huge numbers and carry your lineups.
Kyle Lowry, PG, Toronto Raptors
Price: $9,000
Lowry had an off night against the Nuggets yesterday, but a lot of the reasons I was high on him hold true today, and some factors are even better.
Over his last 15 games, Lowry is averaging 20.9 points, 6.4 assists, 5.3 rebounds and a league-high 2.4 steals per game, good for an average of 39.4 FanDuel points (which ranks 13th in the league). He also has a 24.6 percent Usage Rate over that span.
Denver was a good matchup, but Phoenix is an even better one. The Suns rank 25th with a 108.5 Defensive Efficiency, are allowing opponents a league-high .529 Effective Field Goal percentage, and are giving up 106.5 points per game, the third highest in the league. Guards have shredded them all season, and they're allowing the second-most fantasy points to opposing point guards.
James Harden, SG, Houston Rockets
Price: $10,900
As alluded to earlier, Dwight Howard is suspended for Tuesday's game. Time to open the floodgates and fit James Harden into as many lineups as possible.
In the 10 games that Dwight Howard has missed this year, Harden is averaging 51.8 FanDuel points, putting up 27.6 points, 8.4 assists and 7.9 rebounds in 37.9 minutes per game. He has gone over 60 points on FanDuel in two of those games, while only going under 45 twice, his first two of the season. He has posted 45-plus in eight straight games without Dwight with an average of 54.86 points.
Our projections have Harden going for 25.5 points, 6.3 assists and 5.6 rebounds tonight, and even against a strong Miami Heat defense, it would be no surprise to see him hugely outperform those numbers -- especially without the rim protection from Whiteside.
DeMar DeRozan, SG, Toronto Raptors
Price: $8,200
Surprise, another guard against Phoenix. Like I mentioned for Lowry, Phoenix is a mouth-watering fantasy matchup. Their 108.5 Defensive Efficiency is awful, their 106.5 points per game allowed is awful, and their .529 Effective Field Goal percentage allowed is awful. They struggle with wing players just as badly as they do with point guards, giving up the third-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards and fourth-most to small forwards.
DeMar DeRozan has been playing a huge role for the Raptors recently. He has a 30.7 Usage Rate since January 1st, the fifth-highest among players averaging at least 15 minutes per game. He's averaging 35.1 FanDuel points per game in that span, posting 23.9 points, 4.0 boards and 3.8 assists per game.
Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Minnesota Timberwolves
Price: $8,500
Karl-Anthony Towns has been hugely impressive as a rookie. He's averaging 16.6 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game as a rookie. His 19.2 percent Total Rebound Rate ranks 10th among qualifying players, and his 5.0 Block Rate ranks 8th.
He's also been on a tear lately, averaging 19.4 points and 12.4 boards with a 25.6 percent Usage Rate over his last 10 games.
He's up against the Lakers today, who have been a total mess. Their 110.4 Defensive Efficiency ranks dead last in the league, and they rank bottom-10 in both Offensive Rebound Rate (22.7) and Defensive Rebound Rate (73.8). They're giving up the third-most fantasy points to opposing centers.
Things are aligned perfectly for Towns tonight. He's playing his best basketball of the season, and he has as good a matchup as you can ask for.
