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.
Chandler Hutchison, SF, Chicago Bulls ($4,600)
For a five-game slate, we have a decent amount of value along with some great fantasy environments that should put us in a spot for a very high-scoring slate.
With a 230-point over, the Chicago Bulls-Washington Wizards game is a place to look for plenty of fantasy production tonight. This is a pace-up spot for the Bulls -- they are 16th in the league while the Wizards are 6th -- allowing plenty of possessions to rack up fantasy points. On top of this being a pace-up spot, we know the Wizards don't like to play defense this season, so this is an ideal spot to look to tonight.
The Bulls are still dealing with some injuries, and that has led to Chandler Hutchison being in the starting lineup in recent games. He has played 20 or more minutes in six straight games, posting at least 22 FanDuel points in five of those six games, all while being $4.7K or cheaper in each outing. That level of production plus more is on the table tonight since the Wizards are allowing 42.4 FanDuel points per game to small forwards this season -- the fourth-most in the league.
Hutchison is at a good price tag tonight, should be in the starting lineup, is in a pace-up spot, and is up against a weak defense.
Derrick White, PG, San Antonio Spurs ($4,200)
The San Antonio Spurs offer a bit of value tonight due to an injury from yesterday.
Last night, DeMar DeRozan was a late scratch due to back spasms. That led to Lonnie Walker being in the starting lineup, and that is where we could see him again tonight. That should lead to Walker being very popular, and that is fine.
Derrick White is actually the player I want to take a look at tonight, since he plays a consistent role off the bench on a nightly basis. White plays almost exclusively when starting point guard Dejounte Murray is off the court. In that time, we see White carrying a 19.9% usage rate and producing 1.04 FanDuel points per minute. That represents a 2.1 percentage point increase in his usage compared to his normal rate, along with an additional 0.14 FanDuel points per minute.
Regardless of the DeRozan injury, White is playing a consistent amount of minutes and has a solid role off the bench. He produced 22 FanDuel points in 18 minutes last night, and that is what should expect from him tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Josh Hart, SG, New Orleans Pelicans ($4,800)
With Brandon Ingram listed as questionable tonight, the New Orleans Pelicans offer some value options.
Ingram missed the Pelicans' most recent game, and we saw Josh Hart in the starting lineup, so it's natural to project him there once again if Ingram continues to be out. This game between the Pelicans and the Portland Trail Blazers is setting up to be an NBA DFS dream. We have an over/under at 240 points -- the highest on the slate -- and both teams are in the top 12 for pace while also sitting in the bottom eight for most FanDuel points allowed per game overall. It's an amazing spot for fantasy production, and that is what Hart is doing when Ingram is off the court this season.
Hart is producing 0.91 FanDuel points per minute with Ingram off the floor and has shown just that in recent games, going for at least 25 FanDuel points in four of his last five games. Everything is lining up for Hart to be a great value play tonight in a fantastic game environment.