3 NBA FanDuel Studs to Target on 12/11/19
Basketball is the most consistent sport for daily fantasy purposes.
A top slugger in baseball will have his fair share of 0-for-4 days, and an elite fantasy football player is at risk of having games where his team's offense as a whole is shut down. A high-priced NBA stud is generally going to get his, though. With so many possessions in a game providing opportunities to produce, top fantasy basketball options will be posting high scores just about every night.
While this consistency puts us in a good position to identify top plays, it also means you can't afford to miss when you're paying up for someone. Even with strong value plays in your lineup, paying up and getting a dud is likely going to leave your lineup drawing pretty close to dead.
Let's get right into it and look at which top players should be the focal points of your lineups tonight.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, SF, Milwaukee Bucks ($12,000)
We've got a decision to make between James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the $12k range again tonight, and on this slate, it's Giannis that gets the edge.
They're averaging nearly identical per-game fantasy numbers this year (59.0 FanDuel points per game each, top two in the NBA), and their teams are both favored by more than 10 points, giving both some blowout risk. The Milwaukee Bucks draw a more fantasy-friendly matchup than the Houston Rockets, though, and reflected by a 3-point edge in implied total.
The New Orleans Pelicans are playing at the NBA's fifth-fastest pace, while the Bucks check in at first. This game is going to include a ridiculous number of possessions, and with Giannis' ability to contribute fantasy stats on every possession (offensive and defensive, with 30.9 points, 13.2 boards, 5.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per game), this is a dreamy spot for him.
(Editor's note: Giannis (quad) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Pelicans.)
Clint Capela, C, Houston Rockets ($8,800)
Clint Capela has had an outstanding start to the year, averaging 14.3 points and 14.8 rebounds in 32.6 minutes per game. Since 2010 only nine other players have averaged at least 14 points and 14 boards per game in a season, and Capela is one of only two players doing it this year.
This has him averaging a career-best 39.8 FanDuel points per game, and he's topped 50 twice in his last five games and five times in his last 12.
His matchup tonight puts him in a good spot as well, with the Cleveland Cavaliers allowing top-10 fantasy production to opposing centers while ranking below average (17th) in total rebound rate and bottom five (28th) in defensive rating.
Pascal Siakam, SF, Toronto Raptors ($8,700)
Pascal Siakam is in the midst of a bit of a fantasy slump, but it looks to be mostly variance. His last four games have seen him shoot an effective field goal percentage of only .417, which is well below his season average of .514. He's still played 37.6 minutes per game in that stretch.
He should have no trouble getting that kind of run again tonight in a marquee matchup with only a 1.5-point spread separating the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers as the Raps welcome Kawhi Leonard back to Scotiabank Arena.
The Clippers are an outstanding defensive team, but they haven't been an overly tough fantasy matchup for opposing forwards. They sit 12th against small forwards and 16th against power forwards in terms of fewest fantasy points allowed per minute, and Siakam shouldn't have too much trouble parlaying his huge workload into a bounce-back fantasy performance.
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.
