NBA

NBA FanDuel Studs to Target on Thursday 3/10/22

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 ($11,400)

If FanDuel were positionless, there'd be no debate on Nikola Jokic as the top star of the day.

Jokic continues to defy basketball math in his hefty role for Denver. He's averaged 79.5 FanDuel points during his latest three-game hot stretch, and one of the opponents (Golden State) is the repeat matchup he'll have in the Mile High City once again on Thursday.

Now, Jokic is a more difficult proposition solely because of the other positions on the slate. Both small forward and point guard are extremely devoid of reliable, 30-plus minute options due to the way Denver and Brooklyn manage their rotation.

That should make Andre Drummond the most popular option at center today by a country mile for some salary savings. However, the top producer of FanDuel points by a wide margin is expected to be Jokic, and that's a ridiculously simple way to get a bit different from the start of your lineup.

James Harden, SG/SF, Philadelphia 76ers ($10,200)

The higher total of this two-game slate is in Philadelphia, though. It's a better game despite no individual player holding a role as good as Jokic's.

Of the four five-digit options available in Philly, James Harden certainly has the highest floor and lowest opportunity cost. "The Beard" has posted at least 43 FanDuel points in every single game with the Sixers. The Nets' duo can't believe that's even possible.

Harden's role does provide some security. His usage rate isn't terribly high (24.2%), so he functions as the facilitator in this offense. Therefore, he's less reliant on how his shot is falling. Either way, his 1.42 FanDuel points per minute with the 76ers would absolutely work in his projected full-time role tonight.

Oh yeah, Harden is also in a revenge spot after an ugly fallout in Brooklyn last month. This game certainly means more to him than Joel Embiid, and if that tilts the shot volume in his direction even so slightly, it could be the difference on this small slate.