3 Under-the-Radar Daily Fantasy Basketball Plays for 3/23/17
Jonas Valanciunas, C, Toronto Raptors
FanDuel Price: $5,300
Why He Will Go Overlooked:
Even with the limited number of games on Thursday, there is no shortage of big name centers with Hassan Whiteside, DeAndre Jordan and Marc Gasol suiting up. Brook Lopez and Jusuf Nurkic both have killer matchups, as well.
In addition to that, the prospect of Jonas Valanciunas facing off with Whiteside will likely scare many prospective owners away.
Why You Should Use Him:
Ever since the addition of Serge Ibaka, Valanciunas has seen his minutes drop. Since the All-Star break, JV has played only 22.2 minutes per game, 4.7 fewer minutes per game than he saw in the first 55 games of the season. In the limited minutes, though, the big man has come through with fantasy points.
In seven of his last nine games, the 24-year-old has scored at least 20 FanDuel points while averaging 12.1 actual points, 9.3 rebounds, 0.9 blocks, and 25.7 fantasy points in just 24.2 minutes per game. With Ibaka suspended for Thursday's game, Valanciunas will undoubtedly see an increase in minutes.
In the 21 games the Toronto Raptors' center has played at least 30 minutes, he has scored at least 26.5 fantasy points -- the number he needs to reach 5 FanDuel points per $1,000 on Thursday -- 16 times while averaging 31.9 FanDuel points per night.
The big man's matchup with the Miami Heat and Whiteside is not as daunting as it seems, either. Miami ranks in the top five in fewest fantasy points allowed to all positions but one -- centers. There they rank in middle of the pack (15th).
