3 NBA FanDuel Studs to Target on 10/17/17

Kevin Durant, SF, Golden State Warriors

Price: $9,800

Tonight's matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets should be a goldmine for fantasy scoring. The game has a big 230.5-point over/under, and the teams averaged a combined 229 points per game in their four meetings last year. Both teams also ranked top-4 in pace last season, and neither side looks like they're going to be slowing down any time soon.

The addition of Chris Paul should help the Rockets a bit on defense, but it also sends James Harden and his weak defense back to the wing. They allowed top-8 fantasy production to opponents at both wing positions last season, and there aren't any signs that things will change on that front this year.

Kevin Durant immediately stepped in as the top fantasy option on a stacked Warriors team last year, ranking 7th in the NBA in FanDuel points per game and 6th in FanDuel points per minute (min. 500 minutes). He also led the team with 18 50-plus fantasy point performances.

Already an elite option, his ceiling also gets a bump from the changes in FanDuel scoring this year. Blocks and steals are now worth 50% more than they were in the past, and Durant's combined 2.7 steals-plus-blocks per game last year ranked 13th in the NBA.