3 NBA FanDuel Studs to Target on 3/29/19

Damian Lillard, PG, Portland Trail Blazers

Price: $10,900

For about an average-sized slate, tonight's player pool has a lot to offer at point guard. Russell Westbrook is the top-priced floor general, per usual, but Damian Lillard might just be the top-scoring play at a $400 discount. And after a 27.7-point dud on Wednesday, we could get the added bonus of low ownership.

Prior to that poor game against the Chicago Bulls, though, Lillard averaged 55.5 FanDuel points in the five games prior. He put up two games of 60 or more, thereby commanding the price hike. Now, his price is back down a bill on Friday, but it's a whole new ballgame with the Portland Trail Blazers dealing with the absence of both C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic.

Lillard is a top dog with no true sidekick right now. Portland's built to feed off of its top two playmakers, but they do so even more when they're limited to one. According to NBA Wowy, in the 1,211 possessions Lillard has played without McCollum, his usage jumps from 27.4% to 37.2% and his assist rate goes from 27.9% to 37.0%. He averages 1.49 FanDuel points per minute, which see a slight increase to 1.50 in the 359 minutes Nurk has been off, too.

Chicago wasn't a particularly tough matchup and led to a blowout, but the Atlanta Hawks -- the NBA's leader in pace -- are the single best one for opposing point guards, allowing 51.1 FanDuel points per game. So it makes sense that in a game with a slate-high 234.5 total we have Dame projected for exactly 51.1 fantasy points, though his upside much higher.