3 NBA FanDuel Studs to Target on Friday 3/11/22

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?

LeBron James, SF/PF, Los Angeles Lakers ($10,900)

It's a pretty hefty indictment of the small forward position today that LeBron James is by far the top stud, and he's a question mark to even suit up.

With Jayson Tatum at a five-digit salary despite the Celtics back to full health and facing a large spread, James is practically all that's left above $9,000. He's worth planning for, though.

LeBron is averaging 1.42 FanDuel points per minute in March as the Lakers continue to slide. An overtime loss in Houston on Wednesday where James posted 23 points, 14 rebounds, and 12 assists was the latest do-it-all showcase.

The Wizards are a tremendous matchup if he plays. Washington has the sixth-worst defensive rating in the NBA since the trade deadline, and the 231.0-point total in Los Angeles is sublime.

Luka Doncic, PG/SG, Dallas Mavericks ($10,700)

Houston is quickly becoming a daily fantasy basketball hotbed.

The lowly Rockets have done a quality job keeping up of late, and that makes the 10.5-point spread on Friday against the Mavericks a little less scary. A blowout seems like all that can realistically stop Luka Doncic in this matchup.

The Rockets still have the worst defensive rating in the NBA since the trade deadline, and they play at the league's fastest pace. Dallas will see a number of extra possessions than normal given that Dallas is tied for the slowest pace in the NBA.

Doncic has been spectacular as the sole focus of the Mavs' offense. He's posted 1.60 FanDuel points per minute on a massive 41.8% usage rate since February 1st.

With at least 65 FanDuel points in two of his last four games, "The Luka Show" has been on display recently. Don't be surprised if he makes it three of his last five in H-Town.

Devin Booker, SG, Phoenix Suns ($10,300)

Back out of COVID-19 protocols, Devin Booker is worth considering against Toronto for reasons well beyond his beef with their mascot.

Since the All-Star Break, Booker has been forced to fill the facilitation role for Phoenix. Chris Paul is likely done for the regular season with his broken thumb. Therefore, Booker's usage rate dipping to 29.3% isn't really a surprise. You can't shoot and pass at the same time.

As a result, Booker has posted 1.42 FanDuel points per minute since the break. That's well worthy of consideration at a five-digit salary -- though the "sticker shock" is real with his mark largely in the $8,000 range this season.

Booker's production dropping next to Cameron Payne was a concern for his return on Wednesday, but it was just fine for D-Book. He dropped in 56.3 FanDuel points in 33 minutes, and Payne played 31 minutes himself.

With that concern checked off, Booker is one of several top guard options -- including Doncic, Dejounte Murray, and Trae Young -- worthy of a roster spot.