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 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 post high scores just about every night.
While this consistency puts us in an excellent 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 will likely leave your lineup drawing pretty close to dead.
Which top players should be the focal points of your lineups today?
De'Aaron Fox, PG, Kings ($9,300)
As much as I'd love to write up Kyrie Irving, he's potentially in line to miss a second straight game with a foot issue.
It appears De'Aaron Fox is good to go for the marquee game of the day in fantasy basketball. There's a 244.5-point total on deck in Sacramento as the Bucks visit the Kings. These two squads are top-12 in pace and should produce fireworks.
Fox isn't a salary-based value but has eclipsed 50 FanDuel points in three of his past six games. He's got a ceiling in a matchup that can unlock one.
Since the trade deadline, this team has largely become Fox's offense. In that period, his usage rate gap to Domantas Sabonis (10.6 percentage points) is even wider than the season-long gap (8.1), as the two both have seen increased usage rates. It's almost playoff time.
Fox and Sabonis are two studs to target from the Sacramento side we know now. The other side will all depend on Giannis Antetokounmpo, who may or may not play with his ongoing hand issue.
Anthony Edwards, SG/SF, Timberwolves ($9,000)
Beyond navigating Giannis' status, the rest of the studs at wing aren't easy decisions, either.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown's Celtics are 12.0-point road favorites in Houston. Jimmy Butler and Lauri Markkanen are likely getting back starting point guards, decreasing their touch count. The one key fixture appears to be Anthony Edwards as he was Friday.
The 244.0-point total in Atlanta can go toe-to-toe with Sacramento's, and we know Edwards will be involved. He comfortably leads Minnesota's rotation in usage rate (30.6%) since the trade deadline, and the matchup is sublime here, too.
The Hawks allow the seventh-most FanDuel points per game to small forwards, and they've allowed the fifth-most paint points per game this season. Edwards scores 41.7% of his points from the interior.
While Giannis -- if miraculously ruled in before lock -- would still be the key priority, I can't turn down Ant in tournaments, either.
Jaren Jackson Jr., PF/C, Grizzlies ($8,800)
Jaren Jackson Jr. is my favorite type of stud to target in these "baseball series" matchups the NBA is producing more of as they hope to reduce travel.
Jackson bombed on Saturday. He only put in 14 points and collected 7 rebounds in a full 33 minutes of action against Dallas. That was largely due to 3-for-12 (25.0%) shooting, and he posted a bagel on five attempts from deep. Plus, Triple J had just 2 stocks (steals plus blocks) despite posting 5.41 per 36 minutes this year.
He should rebound tonight. The Mavs are allowing the sixth-most points and sixth-most rebounds per game to centers in their last 30 contests, which is no surprise for a team that lacks quality size on its roster.
Grizzlies-Mavericks doesn't have the same gaudy game total (224.0) as the previous two studs, but it still could be an ideal place to mini-stack stars. As mentioned, Irving has a shot to play in Luka Doncic's absence, and Jackson has positive regression coming his way in a matchup this solid.