NBA

5 Daily Fantasy Basketball Value Plays for 3/16/17

Jay Kim  —  @ThirtyDimes Mar 16th, 2017
Marreese Speights will be the leading big man for the Clippers tonight. Which other low-cost options are in a good spot for Thursday's NBA DFS action?

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.

Jamal Murray, PG, Denver Nuggets

FanDuel Price: $4,000
Projected FanDuel Points: 23.9
Projected FanDuel Value: 5.99

Jamal Murray seems to be making a late push for Rookie of the Year honors, as he's been scorching-hot over his past four games. During that span, he's averaged 16.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2.8 three-pointers. With both Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler already ruled out for today, Murray will have more opportunities on offense.

Murray has the second-highest projected value among all point guards on tonight's slate.

Courtney Lee, SG, New York Knicks

FanDuel Price: $5,000
Projected FanDuel Points: 21.7
Projected FanDuel Value: 4.34

Courtney Lee has played well over his past five games, as he's scored consistently and contributed in other categories. During that span, he's averaged 13 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. In three games versus the Brooklyn Nets this season, Lee has put up 11.7 points, 3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists.

Lee shares the best defense-versus-position matchup among all shooting guards with Justin Holiday on Thursday night.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, SF, Brooklyn Nets

FanDuel Price: $4,400
Projected FanDuel Points: 23.0
Projected FanDuel Value: 5.24

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson could see an uptick in minutes with news that Sean Kilpatrick will be out on Thursday. Over his past two games, Kilpatrick is averaging 10 points, 7.5 rebounds, a steal, and a block in 24.7 minutes.

He is projected to net the fourth-most FanDuel points among all small forwards playing tonight. The Nets play the New York Knicks in a matchup with the highest over/under total of the night at 222 points.

Marreese Speights, PF, Los Angeles Clippers

FanDuel Price: $3,500
Projected FanDuel Points: 28.6
Projected FanDuel Value: 8.18

The Los Angeles Clippers' frontcourt duo of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan will not play tonight, so veteran Marreese Speights will see a significant bump in playing time. Over eight games in which Speights has logged 20-plus minutes this season, he has averaged 16.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists.

Speights owns the highest projected value among all players on tonight's slate. The Clippers play against the Denver Nuggets, who have the worst defensive efficiency among all teams playing tonight.

Kyle O'Quinn, C, New York Knicks

FanDuel Price: $4,200
Projected FanDuel Points: 21.7
Projected FanDuel Value: 5.17

The Knicks have been sporadic with their distribution of minutes to their centers, but whenever Kyle O'Quinn sees time on the court, he is sure to produce. Kristaps Porzingis has been ruled out for tonight's game, so there is a chance that O'Quinn will rebound from his recent slump. His per-36 averages this year are 14.5 points, 13.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 3 blocks.

O'Quinn has the second-highest projected value among all centers and shares the second-best defense-versus-position among all centers with teammate Willy Hernangomez.