3 NBA FanDuel Studs to Target on Monday 12/6/21

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?

Nikola Jokic, C, Denver Nuggets ($10,900)

I don't recall a floor situation change that's stayed as productive as Nikola Jokic this season without Michael Porter Jr.

In a sample that's now 330.8 minutes, Jokic is still averaging 1.82 FanDuel points per minute in that situation. He's also got a team-high 34.9% usage rate, and it will stay that way likely until Jamal Murray returns late in the season to shift the rotation.

At that production rate, Jokic is on 60-burger watch just about any time his Denver Nuggets can manage to keep it close. With just a 4.5-point spread in Chicago tonight, it's at least safe to project that Jokic will be on the floor enough to take advantage.

A personal injury to Jokic and a blowout on Saturday against the Knicks have this salary suppressed, but Jokic should be closer to $12,000 in salary soon if his production without MPJ continues to stick long-term. I'd buy back in now.

Dejounte Murray, PG/SG, San Antonio Spurs ($9,900)

Increasingly, Dejounte Murray is becoming the only practical way to access the San Antonio Spurs. And it's a good one.

Even with players returning from injury, Murray has maintained a 1.45 FanDuel points per minute rate of production the past two weeks. He's done that with team-high marks in minutes (214.1) and usage rate (28.9%) in that span.

There is nothing special about Murray's matchup with a tough Phoenix team. It is encouraging, though, that the spread between the high-powered Suns and lowly Spurs is just 7.5 points. The game also has a solid 218.5-point total -- second-best on the slate.

Murray is the top option at guard when crossing off Stephen Curry. Curry is obviously in play at just a $10,700 salary, but personally, the 14.5-point spread against the Magic is terrifying given that Golden State has blown plenty of teams out this season without a ceiling game from Steph.

Jimmy Butler, SF/SG, Miami Heat ($8,800)

Paul George is an awesome alternative at nearly the same salary, but the reduction of Jimmy Butler's salary can't be ignored on Monday.

By most accounts, Butler should return for the Heat for their contest against the Grizzlies. Butler had a bruised tailbone, so it was just more of a rest and precaution absence in the first place, and he likely faces no restrictions as a result.

Butler's role could be better than ever. With Bam Adebayo still out -- and he will be for a while -- Butler's already-healthy role will get even better. In 225.1 minutes this season without Adebayo on the floor, Butler sees a 3.4 percentage-point increase in usage. He also sees a jump of 0.21 FanDuel points per minute.

Butler is under-salaried as a starting point given his 1.27 FanDuel points per minute mark for the year in all floor conditions. Add in Adebayo's absence, and he could be a monstrous value as he returns.

Given that Butler is still listed questionable at this moment and has missed several games with his injury, he likely won't be extremely popular in his return game. He's an under-the-radar option with a sky-high ceiling.