3 NBA FanDuel Studs to Target on Wednesday 12/8/21

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?

Joel Embiid, C, Philadelphia 76ers ($10,400)

Joel Embiid is just insane right now.

Since returning from the COVID-19 protocols with a variety of supporting casts, Embiid is averaging 1.59 FanDuel points per minute on a 34.9% usage rate. The only big man in his ballpark right now is Nikola Jokic, and both of those figures best Jokic in that span.

Embiid bludgeoned the Hornets for 43 points, 15 boards, and 7 assists on Monday in Charlotte. The 76ers get that exact rematch on Wednesday, as well. Charlotte is without Mason Plumlee due to COVID-19 protocols, and they're just badly lacking the size to compete with Embiid on the defensive end.

Those totals on Monday were inflated by overtime, but Embiid doesn't have to encroach anywhere near that stat line to be well worth a FanDuel roster spot tonight. He's the clear top stud on the board overall.

Luka Doncic, PG/SG, Dallas Mavericks ($9,900)

A four-digit salary on the Slovenian triple-double threat can definitely work.

Luka Doncic appeared to feel no ill effects of the ankle injury that had him listed as questionable initially for Tuesday's battle with Brooklyn. He dropped in 30.8 FanDuel points in just the first half before the Mavericks' overall dysfunction ended most of their fourth-quarter production.

While always worth monitoring on a back-to-back, if Doncic is good to go, he gets a workable matchup with the Grizzlies. Memphis is allowing the sixth-most FanDuel points per game (45.33) to combo guards.

We haven't seen the 60-point ceiling on FanDuel for Luka much this season, but he's quietly stabilized a floor for this salary with at least 47 FanDuel points in four of his last five games.

The hefty spreads for Stephen Curry's Warriors and James Harden's Nets make Doncic easily the priority at guard this evening.

Miles Bridges, SF, Charlotte Hornets ($8,400)

I'm always down for Paul George, but Miles Bridges is an interesting way to spend salary that likely won't be popular in tournaments.

Charlotte is, of course, missing LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, and others due to COVID-19 protocols. At this same salary on Monday, Bridges was just 8.4% rostered in FanDuel's $3 contest despite the obvious lift in production. The field must have known Bridges would shoot just 37.5% from the floor -- one of his worst games of the season.

As an efficient, 46.5% shooter this season, his fortune on Wednesday might change. Gordon Hayward, Kelly Oubre, and PJ Washington saw massive salary bumps from Monday, but Bridges stayed the same despite a rock-solid 22.8% usage rate in floor situations without Ball and Rozier this season.

At 1.08 FanDuel points per minute in those situations, Bridges only trails Oubre (1.09) on the team. He's fully capable of the 35-point outburst Oubre put forward on Monday with a very similar profile.

In fact, this salary still remains close to his marks with LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier, so he still is a top option at a muddy small forward position for Wednesday.