3 NBA FanDuel Studs to Target on 1/19/18

Nikola Jokic, C, Denver Nuggets

Price: $10,000

Nikola Jokic is another volatile fantasy producer, but with the way this slate lines up, you're just not going to find a stud with a top ceiling that also has a strong floor today, meaning his upside makes him well worth the risk coming with his high price-tag.

The Joker has shown off his excellent ceiling recently with a pair of monster games among his last six, going off for 58.9 FanDuel points in a game last week and for 65.1 on Tuesday. He is also the owner of the 14th-highest single-game fantasy score of the season -- a 73.9 fantasy-point game that has been topped this year by only one other player in action Friday.

The Phoenix Suns rank 29th in defensive rating this season, which combines with their top-five pace to have them allowing by far the league's most points per game to opponents. The Suns also allow top-six rebounding numbers, making it no surprise that they give up above-average fantasy production in the front-court.

Making this matchup especially appealing is that Marquese Chriss remains sidelined here, and Dragan Bender will likely draw another start. Bender won't be the man guarding Jokic -- that will likely be Tyson Chandler whenever he's on the floor -- but the Suns have a defensive rating 1.2 points better with Chriss on the floor compared to off this season, while their defensive rating gets worse by 1.8 points if we look at their splits with Bender on the court compared to off.

Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.