NBA

5 Daily Fantasy Basketball Value Plays for 1/12/17

Jay Kim  —  @ThirtyDimes Jan 12th, 2017
Tony Parker has been on fire, and he gets a sweet matchup tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers. Which other low-cost options are in a good spot?

One of the keys to finding success in daily fantasy basketball is uncovering potential value plays. If you're looking to roster a stud player or two, you need to consider squeezing in one of these lower-priced options into your lineup.

Let's take a look at five players who can help fill in the gaps in your lineup.

Tony Parker, PG, San Antonio Spurs

FanDuel Price: $4,800
Projected FanDuel Points: 21.4
Projected FanDuel Value: 4.46

Patty Mills has seen his role diminish lately while Tony Parker is showing that he's still got skills, scoring in double figures in seven of his last eight games. Over his last five, Parker is averaging 14.8 points, 3 rebounds, and 6.4 assists in 26.9 minutes.

According to our tools, Parker is trending as the third-hottest player among all point guards on Thursday's slate. He's playing 65.34% above his season average in terms of fantasy points per night over his last five games. As a bonus, Parker gets a juicy matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers, who are allowing the fifth-most points to opposing point guards this season.

Denzel Valentine, SG, Chicago Bulls

FanDuel Price: $3,800
Projected FanDuel Points: 16.6
Projected FanDuel Value: 4.37

The Chicago Bulls are banged up -- with Jimmy Butler and Nikola Mirotic both out -- and will likely be relying on reserve Denzel Valentine to step up. Valentine is coming off a career game in which he scored 19 points, including a 5-of-9 effort from the three-point line.

The Bulls visit the New York Knicks, who offer the best matchup to opposing shooting guards among teams playing tonight.

Marcus Morris, SF, Detroit Pistons

FanDuel Price: $4,600
Projected FanDuel Points: 24.0
Projected FanDuel Value: 5.23

Marcus Morris continues to have a sizable role on the Detroit Pistons, logging an average of 37.8 minutes per night over his last three games. Over that span, Morris is putting up numbers of 13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal.

Morris owns the highest projected value among all small forwards and could see a lot opportunities versus the Golden State Warriors, who play at the second-highest pace among all teams in action tonight.

Donatas Motiejunas, PF, New Orleans Pelicans

FanDuel Price: $3,700
Projected FanDuel Points: 22.1
Projected FanDuel Value: 5.97

Donatas Motiejunas has averaged 18 minutes per game over his last two contests. He hasn't done a ton with those minutes, but with Anthony Davis possibly out, per reports, he could be in line for a bigger role.

Motiejunas owns the highest projected value among all power forwards playing tonight, and he'll be taking on the Brooklyn Nets, who happen to offer the best matchup to power forwards on Thursday's slate.

Zaza Pachulia, C, Golden State Warriors

FanDuel Price: $4,000
Projected FanDuel Points: 20.1
Projected FanDuel Value: 5.03

Zaza Pachulia has a tough task tonight versus the Pistons' Andre Drummond, but he's been very reliable and consistent all season long. Over his last five games, Pachulia is averaging 10.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and a steal in 22.8 minutes per game.

Because he's projected to score the sixth-highest FanDuel points at his position tonight, he's worth considering as a value play.