3 NBA FanDuel Studs to Target on 12/5/18

Anthony Davis, PF, New Orleans Pelicans

Price: $12,800

The Dallas Mavericks rank well in both rebound rate (7th) and defensive rating (10th), but at this point even a tough matchup isn't necessarily enough to take Anthony Davis out of play.

The quality of the Mavs' play means that the New Orleans Pelicans are six-point favorites, so the game should stay relatively close and Davis should be called upon for big minutes. Dallas is also on the road on the second half of a back-to-back here, making the matchup a bit softer than it would usually be.

In games that finished with a margin of victory of 10 points or less, Davis has averaged 39.0 minutes per game since returning from his most recent injury, with 67.8, 78.8 and 62.1 FanDuel points in those contests. Those games were against teams that ranked 15th, 16th and 12th in defensive rating, as well as 19th, 18th and 12th in rebound rate, showing that we don't need to be too concerned about mid-tier matchups like this.

Davis' fantasy production is really just on a different level from the rest of the NBA. He's averaging 61.3 FanDuel points per game, while nobody else is averaging even 57.0. He has hit the 60 FanDuel point mark in 62% of his games (13 out of 21), while nobody else has hit that mark in even 40%. He has two of the five highest single-game fantasy scores of the season, while nobody else even has two games in the top 10.

Whether you're looking at floor or ceiling, Davis' is the best in the NBA, and if you can fit his salary tonight he's still worth paying up for.