3 NBA FanDuel Studs to Target on Tuesday 11/9/21

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 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.

Which top players should be the focal points of your lineups today?

Giannis Antetokounmpo, F, Milawaukee Bucks ($11,300)

A salary of $12,000 would be fair for Giannis Antetokounmpo, so he makes sense at $11,300.

If that seems bizarre, Giannis has exceeded 60 FanDuel points in 5 of his 10 games this season. Quite literally, his median outcome has been a 60-burger. That's 5.0 points per $1,000 at a $12,000 salary. Therefore, his floor is stellar in this spot as the Bucks are 5.5-point road favorites over the ailing Philadelphia 76ers.

Even with Jrue Holiday back and Bobby Portis starting, Giannis is still averaging 1.77 FanDuel points per minute on a 36.4% usage rate. Both of those marks are actually higher than his season-long numbers. He is the undisputed top-dog on the Bucks.

There is enough value on the slate that Giannis is the first plug, and then we need to make work from there.

Paul George, G, Los Angeles Clippers ($10,800)

I pick on Paul George because of his ceiling next to Giannis's ceiling, but Tuesday's slate, there's room for both.

George is my personal MVP choice thus far (not that I have a vote or anyone cares). Behind a 34.0% usage rate, George is backpacking the dysfunctional Clippers roster with 1.33 FanDuel points per minute, and he has turned losses to wins by doing it all on both ends.

His environment is set up well for Tuesday. Both the Clippers and Blazers are top-10 squads in terms of pace, and their 220.5-point total is friendly. George is averaging a Giannis-like 1.73 FanDuel points per minute in two games versus Portland this season. Portland is also allowing the second-most FanDuel points per game (49.08) to players with a primary position of small forward.

The matchup is pristine, and there's plenty of value to make lineups with both George and Giannis work.

Rudy Gobert, C, Utah Jazz ($9,000)

I roster the studs I write up on a nightly basis, so I want to put out this disclaimer -- I may not get to Rudy Gobert this evening.

Andre Drummond is the no-doubt, slam-dunk play at the center spot this evening with Joel Embiid set to miss time due to COVID-19 protocols. Therefore, the only spot for the Jazz center might be in tournament lineups hedging against injury, foul trouble, or just an off night for Drummond.

Gobert is very worthy of that consideration. Although Bam Adebayo held him to just 8 rebounds against Miami, Gobert's 16.1 boards per game still pace the NBA. Exceeding 45 FanDuel points in 4 of his 10 contests this season, Gobert is finally salaried appropriately at this number

"The Stifle Tower" just posted 13 points and 15 boards on the Atlanta Hawks last week, and that was a disappointing effort on FanDuel due to no blocks in the game. He averages 1.9 blocks per game, and a pair would make the difference on FanDuel this time around.

Unlike many of the other stars on this small slate, he's worth his salary, but he's just not a priority.