FanDuel Price: $5,100
Why He Will Go Overlooked:
Cody Zeller has played well recently, but most of those numbers were put up with Frank Kaminsky sidelined. Well, Frank the Tank is back in action, and there are several centers in the same price range as Zeller that are likely to pull ownership away from him.
Pau Gasol, Alan Williams, Clint Capela, and Ivica Zubac are all around the same salary as Zeller and likely will be more popular daily fantasy plays.
Why You Should Use Him:
Zeller has played quite well since returning from an extended absence, averaging 25.3 FanDuel points over his past six games, highlighted by a 29.4 point performance in 34 minutes of action in the most recent Charlotte Hornets game, one which Kaminsky did suit up. Kaminsky played just 24 minutes off the bench and shot an inefficient 2-for-7 from the floor, so it seems likely Charlotte continues to ease him back into action. Zeller should be able to continue to enjoy solid production during that few game stretch, which makes him an excellent salary saving option at his price.
The opponent tonight, the Indiana Pacers, should help Zeller continue his recent string of productive play. While their struggles against bigs isn't overly apparent at first glance (allowing the 12th-most FanDuel points to opposing centers), a deeper look at the numbers suggest that Zeller could find success in this matchup.
Indiana has allowed more points to opposing big men in the pick and roll than any other team, while also allowing the fourth-most points in the post. They also have the fifth-worst rebounding rate in the league. Specifically, starting center Myles Turner, has struggled on the glass this season, ranking 46th among qualified centers with a rebounding rate of just 12.9%. Zeller showed the ability to exploit this matchup in their most recent meeting a little over a week ago, in which he put up 33.2 FanDuel points.
There is at least some chance that Kaminsky takes on a larger role tonight, which could cut into Zeller's role. With some of the appealing options listed earlier, Zeller might be a stretch for cash games, even with his consistent level of production. However, the matchup fits so well in this one that he is definitely worth taking a shot on in tournaments, where he should carry miniscule ownership.