NBA

3 NBA FanDuel Studs to Target on 2/4/16

Jason Schandl  —  @JasonSchandl Feb 4th, 2016
The volatile Anthony Davis is one of the best high-priced options of the night. Who else should you target?

There are only four games on tap in the NBA today, meaning your options are somewhat limited when putting together your daily fantasy lineups.

The top end of the lineup, the studs, are where you're getting your biggest point totals. When you're paying top dollar for a roster spot that could end up giving you 60-plus fantasy points, you can't afford to miss on a slate this short.

Today, I'm going to break down the studs you should be considering as the cornerstones of your lineups.

Kyle Lowry, PG, Toronto Raptors

Price: $8,600

Kyle Lowry has put together one of the best stretches of his career over the past month, averaging 21.7 points, 6.7 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game. He has also posted a .605 True Shooting percentage in that span and is averaging 40.8 FanDuel points per game.

His matchup with Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers is a good one. Lillard has struggled defensively this year, with a 109 Defensive Rating that's the worst on the team. Portland is forcing the fourth-fewest turnovers in the league, generating only a 12.1 percent Turnover Rate, and they're giving up the seventh most fantasy points to opposing point guards. Additionally, they're allowing the 11th highest True Shooting percentage to opposing point guards at .537.

James Harden, SG, Houston Rockets

Price: $11,000

While James Harden doesn't have the absurd potential he did on Tuesday when he went for 70 FanDuel points with Dwight Howard out, he's once again one of the top plays on the slate tonight.

Harden has produced 44.9 fantasy points per game over the past month, averaging 26.8 points, 7.3 assists and 6.8 boards in 35.9 minutes per game. He's also posting a 32.1 percent Usage Rate, the third highest among players seeing at least 15 minutes per game, while maintaining a .619 True Shooting percentage.

This game is likely to be the fastest one of the night, as the Suns' 97.9 and the Rockets' 97.1 possessions per 48 minutes are the two highest on the slate and both rank top 10 in the league. The Suns have really struggled defensively this year, with a 108.6 Defensive Efficiency that ranks 26th. They're also getting lit up from downtown, allowing the second highest three-point percentage in the league at .377.

Harden is always a threat for a huge game, having scored 60-plus fantasy points six times this season, and in a matchup against the Suns, that's certainly not off the table.

Anthony Davis, PF, New Orleans Pelicans

Price: $10,100

The fall from daily fantasy grace for Anthony Davis has been well documented. He was a virtual must-play often last season, and this year, he has given owners more than their fair share of headaches. After a big game last night, he can try again to recapture some of last season's magic tonight against the Lakers.

The Brow hasn't exactly been bad lately either. Since January 1st he's averaging 41.5 FanDuel points, posting 22.7 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. He has put up at least 40 points in 10 of 13 games in that span.

The Lakers have been awful this year, especially against opposing bigs. Their 110.6 Defensive Efficiency is dead last in the league, and they're in the bottom-10 for fantasy points allowed to both power forwards and centers. Their 22.7 percent Offensive Rebound Rate is the ninth-worst in the league, while their 73.8 Defensive Rebound Rate is the third lowest.