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
Daniel Theis, PF, Boston Celtics ($4,900)
Another day, another chance for Daniel Theis to be a great value play.
The Boston Celtics have center Enes Kanter listed as questionable for this game, which would put Theis in the starting lineup for the fourth straight game. In these prior three games, Theis has posted 25 FanDuel points or more in each game, a level of production he can reach tonight.
He is up against the Charlotte Hornets, who are allowing 65.7 FanDuel points per game to centers this season, which is the most in the league. We also see the Celtics come in with an implied team total set at 112.25 -- the second-highest on the slate.
Dwayne Bacon, SG, Charlotte Hornets ($4,200)
Dwayne Bacon is coming off a horrible game, but he is in a good spot to bounce back tonight.
Bacon was a bit chalky the other night, and he finished with -1 FanDuel points. Yes, negative points in 13 minutes, which were both season lows for him. That's not great by any measure, but he is still cheap tonight and comes in as our fourth-best value play at shooting guard tonight, per our projections. If there is any amount of recency bias against him due to that horrible performance, it could be a time to jump back on board.
We have him projected for nearly 30 minutes on the court and a total of 19.4 FanDuel points. That is fewer than one fantasy point per minute, but he can certainly reach higher if he is able to get his scoring going. He is taking slightly more than three three-pointers per game this season, which gives him a bit of upside.
Trey Lyles, PF, San Antonio Spurs ($4,000)
The San Antonio Spurs are hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight, and the over/under is only 211.0 points, lowest on the slate.
Even with that low total, we can find some value here, and we want to start with Trey Lyles, who has been in the starting lineup the past few games. While he is listed as a starter, he isn't playing the traditional starter minutes, which can be concerning. Lyles has also been a bit inconsistent in recent games, which is another knock against him.
But in the other games, he has been very efficient and exceeding 5-times salary-based expectations. In this case, Lyles would need 20 FanDuel points to reach value, a level Lyles has hit twice in his last three games.
Meyers Leonard, C, Miami Heat ($4,800)
If you are looking to roster multiple players from the top tier tonight, you will need salary relief, which is where Meyers Leonard comes into play.
It should be noted that Leonard is splitting time at center for the Miami Heat with Kelly Olynyk, which cuts into his potential ceiling. That isn't great, but then again, there aren't many players who are under $5,000 and playing 35 minutes. We take what we can get, and what we are getting in this spot is a fantastic matchup for Leonard, who is up against the Phoenix Suns in a game in which the over/under is 218.5 with a 1.0-point spread.
This is a great matchup in terms of pace and not being a blowout, which should allow the players to reach their upside. It's also helpful for Leonard that the Suns are allowing 55.5 FanDuel points per game to centers, which is the eighth-most in the league.
Kent Bazemore, SF, Portland Trail Blazers ($4,000)
With a 229.0-point over/under the Portland Trail Blazers-Los Angeles Clippers game is the fantasy clash of the night.
The highest over/under on a four-game slate is a clear spot to target for fantasy production, but it also has the two most expensive players on the slate, Kawhi Leonard and Damian Lillard. In an effort to get exposure to this game but not pay the premium price tag, we can look at value options, such as Kent Bazemore. He comes in as our third-highest value play at small forward, projected for 22 minutes and 19.0 FanDuel points.
That isn't the highest projection, but Bazemore's ability to consistently rebound the ball and help out in the scoring department can push him past value if this game turns into a high-scoring shootout.