NBA

5 NBA FanDuel Value Plays to Target on 11/18/19

Thomas Vecchio  —  @Tom_Vecchio1 Nov 18th, 2019
Aaron Holiday is set to be the starting point guard again tonight and is under $5K. Is he the top value play on the slate?

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.

Aaron Holiday, PG, Indiana Pacers ($4,100)

The Indiana Pacers have an insane number of injuries for this time of the year, and that means plenty of value opening up.

Currently, the Pacers have Malcolm Brogdon, Jeremy Lamb, and T.J. McConnell all listed as questionable for tonight's game versus the Brooklyn Nets. Their guard situation is very thin right now, which has caused them to put Aaron Holiday into the starting lineup, playing 27 minutes or more in three straight games. This matchup is ideal for him tonight since this is a pace-up spot, as the Pacers come in as the 23rd-fastest team in the league, while the Nets are 2nd-fastest. Extra possessions will give Holiday the chance to rack up fantasy points and reach value.

The Nets are allowing 52.4 FanDuel points per game to point guards this season, which is the second-worst in the league. The easy defensive matchup, the fast pace of this game, and the price tag on Holiday should make him popular tonight.

Donte DiVincenzo, SG, Milwaukee Bucks ($4,100)

Donte DiVincenzo has grabbed the starting shooting guard role for the last two games, but what can we expect from him tonight?

With Khris Middleton out for a number of weeks due to a leg injury, the rotation for the Milwaukee Bucks has changed, and that is something we want to jump on tonight because the matchup is great against the Chicago Bulls.

DiVincenzo has played 24 minutes in each of his last two games and was very productive in one game and fell flat in the other. That inconsistency isn’t too shocking when a bench player jumps into the starting lineup, since the production is often spread around to multiple players. It’s also no surprise that Giannis Antetokounmpo takes a bit more of the offensive usage, as you would expect the former MVP to do. But, with that said, DiVincenzo holds a 19.6% usage rate and is producing 0.95 FanDuel points per minute this season when Middleton is off the court.

All of this points in the right direction considering the Bulls are allowing 39.6 FanDuel points per game to shooting guards this season.

Jake Layman, SF, Minnesota Timberwolves ($4,500)

With Andrew Wiggins set to miss a third straight game, Jake Layman could be in the starting lineup again.

Wiggins has been on fire to start the year, but he is listed as doubtful for tonight's game against the Utah Jazz due to a personal reason. Layman got the start in the Minnesota Timberwolves' most recent game, playing 36 minutes and posting 34 FanDuel points in that time. Nearly one point per minute from a player who is under $5K can be hard to come by, and if we find out Layman is in the starting lineup again tonight, we want to go right back to him.

This is a significant pace-down spot for the Timberwolves, but we don't need a massive ceiling game from Layman. At his $4.5K price tag, Layman would need to post only 22.5 FanDuel points in order to reach 5x value. The Jazz are allowing the fourth-fewest FanDuel points per game to small forwards -- 36.1 to be exact -- making this a tougher matchup, but it's doable if Layman continues to shoot with the volume he did in his most recent game (14 field goal attempts).

Terance Mann, SG, Los Angeles Clippers ($3,500)

The Los Angeles Clippers are going to be an issue all season when it comes to injuries, so let's take a look.

We know that Kawhi Leonard will always be a question mark when it comes to playing heavy volume, but they also have Patrick Beverley, who is listed as questionable after missing two straight games. This goes on with Landry Shamet, who has also missed a number of games, all of which leads to Terance Mann playing 24 and 33 minutes in his last two games. Those are some big numbers when it comes to a player who is the absolute minimum salary tonight. As of now, there is no indication on the status for Leonard or Beverly, which makes this situation all the more difficult.

If either or both of those players are out, Mann should see a good amount of minutes. If they are both in, Mann might not even see the court tonight. This is one to monitor throughout the day.

Dario Saric, PF, Phoenix Suns ($5,000)

At a very modest $5K price tag, Dario Saric could be the play of the night.

The Phoenix Suns look good to start the season, and they are getting production from all over the place after Deandre Ayton went out due to a suspension. Saric comes in with a 16.9% usage rate this season while posting 0.89 FanDuel points per minute. He is seemingly reaching towards his upper-end of production recently, posting 23, 28, and 32 FanDuel points over his last three games.

He is hitting a nice stride at the perfect time considering he gets to face the Boston Celtics tonight, who are allowing 48.1 FanDuel points per game to power forwards, which is the fourth-most in the league. Boston is strong defensively at every position expect power forward, making this the spot for the Suns to generate some offense.