NBA
3 Under-the-Radar Daily Fantasy Basketball Plays for 2/7/17

Damian Lillard, PG, Portland Trail Blazers

FanDuel Price: $8,600

Why He Will Go Overlooked:

It's important to keep in mind that on a slate of this size, it's going to be hard to find any players with "low" ownership. So, when you can potentially get one of the few elite players on this slate in Damian Lillard at relatively lower ownership, it's worth taking note.

Kemba Walker is the far more likely stud point guard to see high ownership, as he is in a much better matchup and isn't dealing with an ankle injury like Lillard. Yogi Ferrell also figures to be a fairly popular option at point guard. All in all, with a tough on-paper matchup and the Portland Trail Blazers possessing the second-lowest implied team total on the slate, it is unlikely that Lillard is a popular play tonight.

Why You Should Use Him:

After a slow return from injury, Lillard appears to be rounding into form, averaging 39 FanDuel points over his past five games. Assuming he is able to take the floor at full health tonight, he should be able to build on his recent production against the Dallas Mavericks.

Dallas has defended the point guard position well this season, thanks in large part to their slow pace. However, new point guard Yogi Ferrell, for as impressive as he has looked on the offensive end, has struggled on defense. He ranks 76th out of 86 point guards in defensive real plus-minus (DRPM), and if he is forced into 35-plus minutes again tonight, he'll likely have a tough time staying in front of Lillard.

Our projections love Lillard tonight, listing him as the highest scoring player at any position not named James Harden.

While this game doesn't carry the huge over/under that the other two on the slate do, it is the only one that is expected to remain competitive. Just based on the fact that Walker could only play three quarters tonight and will carry much higher ownership than Lillard, it is worth taking a shot on Lillard as a pivot in tournaments.

Even if the Charlotte Hornets game isn't blowout, Walker has shown some real volatility in his game recently, with four of his past eight games going for less than 35 FanDuel points. If he busts and Lillard has a productive game, you'll could be at a huge advantage over the field in tournaments.

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