3 NBA FanDuel Studs to Target on Friday 1/28/22

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 ($11,300)

Floor is such an underrated component of NBA daily fantasy.

Nothing went right for Nikola Jokic in the first half Wednesday against Brooklyn. His totals for points (13), rebounds (3), and assists (3) were the lowest he's had this month at halftime. Still, using the absurd 30.5% usage rate in January he has as the pivot for Denver, he bounced back in the second half to a respectable 51 FanDuel points.

Even with DeMarcus Cousins now in the fold to trim off a couple of minutes, Jokic is a fine option at this reduced salary. He's posted 1.63 FanDuel points per minute this month and has cracked 60 FanDuel points in five of his last six.

The Pelicans are not a matchup to be feared. Their estimated defensive rating (110.6) is sixth-worst in the NBA, and they just surrendered 42 points and 14 boards to Joel Embiid. Jokic will get his crack at New Orleans on Friday as he and Embiid continue to battle for the MVP award.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, PF/SF, Milwaukee Bucks ($11,000)

In a game that will tip at 9:10 p.m. local time, Giannis Antetokounmpo might be worth the late-night ticket.

Antetokounmpo's recent downturn has overshadowed what has been a tremendous month of January -- and it's lowered his salary. Giannis has still posted 1.65 FanDuel points per minute this month overall, and the return of Jrue Holiday really hasn't impacted his role.

In fact, Giannis' usage rate since Holiday returned is actually higher (40.3%) than his rate overall this month (37.7%). He's just had some poor luck in terms of assisting recently, posting just three assists in back-to-back contests. With Antetokounmpo averaging 5.48 assists per 36 minutes this season with Milwaukee's current starting five, I'll take the over on that mark tonight.

The Knicks aren't the best matchup in the world considering their slow pace (27th in the NBA) and strong 106.4 estimated defensive rating (10th-best in the NBA), but Giannis still navigated his way to a 20-point triple-double in a blowout win over New York earlier this season.

With LeBron James' health in question, Giannis is the clear standout way to spend salary on the wing.

Chris Paul, PG, Phoenix Suns ($8,800)

As ESPN's Mark Jones appropriately said during Wednesday's game, Devin Booker was hotter than fish grease against Utah.

He dropped in 43 points, and it squashed most other Suns' fantasy options as a result. Chris Paul was no exception. He was denied at least 47 FanDuel points for the first time in four contests. That dropped his salary to a mark that feels like a bargain -- not something that has recently been said about it CP3's salary, for certain.

Phoenix has key injuries to Deandre Ayton, Jae Crowder, and JaVale McGee. With those three off the floor this season, Paul's usage rate (20.1%) is always going to lag behind Booker's (35.6%) because of the wide gap in shot volume, but the production hasn't.

In those floor situations, Paul and Booker have both averaged 1.26 FanDuel points per minute. However, one of those comes at a lower salary and likely significantly lower popularity on Friday, and that's the "Point God."

The 229.5-point total as the Suns host the Timberwolves is the second-highest of the day, so in a good game to target, Paul stands out amongst a top tier of guards that is a little strange on Friday.