3 NBA FanDuel Studs to Target on Monday 11/28/22

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?

LeBron James, SF/PF, Lakers ($10,200)

My favorite type of studs in NBA daily fantasy have an argument with or without key injury news on their team.

Anthony Davis is questionable to miss a second straight game for the Lakers due to a calf injury. Obviously, if he sits -- which is news we likely won't receive from Los Angeles until after lock -- LeBron James should be one of the more popular post-lock pivots on the slate. James, though, is listed with a leg injury, too.

James has a gaudy 36.1% usage rate with A.D. off the floor this season, and he channeled that into a return to form with 58.7 FanDuel points. If he goes and A.D. doesn't, you don't need me to tell you he's an excellent process play.

However, I still want to get here in tournaments even if Davis plays. His production rate (48.6 FanDuel points per 36 minutes) isn't poor overall, and this is a supreme matchup with the Pacers.

Indiana is fourth in the NBA in overall pace, and they've allowed the seventh-most FanDuel points per game to small forwards. It's easy to see why this one carries a slate-high 237.5-point total, and anyone playing for Los Angeles tonight -- including James and Davis -- should be viable in DFS as a result.

Devin Booker, SG, Suns ($9,200)

Plenty of guards saw much-needed salary reductions over the weekend, and it makes the position much easier to target here on Monday.

Devin Booker was one of them. A five-digit salary was a tough sell given he's eclipsed 50 FanDuel points just once in his past six games. This mark, given his current situation, is more than fair.

Chris Paul remains out for the Suns due to a heel issue, and Booker has produced 44.6 FanDuel points per 36 minutes with CP3 off the floor this season. That's come with his usual stellar usage rate (30.2%), as well.

Like the Pacers-Lakers clash, this game in Phoenix is one you'll want parts of in daily fantasy. There's a 232.5-point total as the Suns host the Kings, and Sacramento remains a pot of gold for fantasy basketball. They're seventh in overall pace with the sixth-worst defensive rating.

I love the notion of pairing Domantas Sabonis, fresh off a salary decrease to $8,800 himself, with Booker in mini-stacks of what's sure to be an entertaining contest in The Valley.

Zion Williamson, PF, Pelicans ($7,800)

Though he's not salaried like a star today, Zion Williamson is one of the game's most notable players, and he's a massive inclusion on this slate.

There's really not a ton of fresh injury news that's not accounted for in salary, but the Pelicans' current situation is one of them. C.J. McCollum is in COVID-19 protocols, and Brandon Ingram is doubtful to play with a toe injury tonight.

As a result, Zion's plate should be full tonight as the lone remaining star -- and stop making the joke in your head. It's mean-spirited. After all, he's going to carry your FanDuel lineup.

Williamson has a 34.5% usage rate with those two off the floor this season, which he's turned into 47.8 FanDuel points per 36. At this salary? Yes, please.

The matchup with Oklahoma City is elite, as well. The Thunder have allowed the ninth-most FanDuel points per game to opposing power forwards, and they've been pummeled on the glass, allowing the most rebounds per game (11.5) to the position.

Zion's salary isn't large, and he's the one player -- even of these three -- I wouldn't leave out of a cash-game or single-entry build.