3 NBA FanDuel Studs to Target on 2/16/21

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-salaried 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 a heavy salary to roster someone. Even with strong value plays in your lineup, getting a dud from a stud is likely going to leave your lineup lacking.

Let's get right into it and look at which top players should be the focal points of your lineups today.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, PF, Milwaukee Bucks

FanDuel Salary: $11,200

Giannis Antetokounmpo is our model's top-projected scorer on the slate, as numberFire's algorithm has him dropping 57.3 FanDuel points on the Toronto Raptors tonight.

This pick is not just about the Greek Freak having one of the highest ceilings that the slate has to offer. It's also about the scarcity of high-end plays at the power forward position. The two-time MVP is projected to outscore the third-highest scoring power forward by a whopping 17.8 fantasy points -- that's quite a gap. If that's not enough, the other top stud at the position, Jayson Tatum, faces a Denver Nuggets defense that ranks fourth-stingiest against power forwards in 2020-21, according to numberFire's DvP tool.

Toronto hasn't exactly been a matchup to avoid for opposing frontcourts -- they rank 14th against small forwards, 23rd against power forwards, and 21st versus centers. Giannis managed 60.1 FanDuel points against this team in late January, and he posted 58.8 and 78.0 against them in two matchups last season.

The final topping on the cake is that Antetokounmpo is averaging an absurd 1.7 FanDuel points per minute this season with Jrue Holiday off the court, per RotoGrinders. He's exceeded 34 minutes in each of the four games without Holiday, and he's erupted for 68.7, 65.0, and 72.4 fantasy points in his last three.

Oh, did I mention that the Milwaukee Bucks have the highest implied total on tonight's slate? Sign me up.

Damian Lillard, PG, Portland Trail Blazers

FanDuel Salary: $9,500

Point guard is one of the more plentiful positions on tonight's slate, but that doesn't mean that we can't find value on the high-end. Once again, Damian Lillard comes in with a very fantasy-friendly salary under five-figures.

We must consider the floor that Dame brings to the table -- he has failed to top 44 FanDuel points just twice in his last 13 outings. And it's not like his ceiling is lacking. During that stretch, Lillard has topped 52 fantasy points five times.

Tonight's matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder isn't ideal, but OKC will be without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Theo Maledon, and George Hill, so they're not even close to full strength.

Fred VanVleet, SG, Toronto Raptors

FanDuel Salary: $7,500

Three consecutive underwhelming performances have led to a $1,000 drop in salary for Fred VanVleet, and we should look to pounce.

FVV has posted at least 50 FanDuel points in 5 of the 10 games with OG Anunoby out of the lineup this season, and that includes a 50-burger against the Deer at the end of January. Anunoby is doubtful for tonight's contest.

As is the case at power forward, shooting guard is far from loaded with studs tonight. In fact, the only players our model has exceeding 30.9 FanDuel points at the position are James Harden, Devin Booker, and VanVleet. However, while the other two are projected for value figures of 4.47 and 4.52 (i.e., number of fantasy points for every $1,000 in salary), respectively, FVV's projection is 5.24, which is best on the slate for any player with a salary above $6,600.

Given that the matchup between the Raptors and Bucks has the highest projected total on the slate, it's one we'll want plenty of exposure to. Rostering VanVleet is one way to get there.