NBA

3 NBA FanDuel Value Plays to Target on Monday 5/10/21

Thomas Vecchio  —  @Tom_Vecchio1 May 10th, 2021
Dillon Brooks is surprisingly affordable tonight and has a solid matchup. Who else should you look to add to your lineups?

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-salaried options into your lineup.

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

Khyri Thomas, SG, Houston Rockets ($4,800)

Khyri Thomas recently signed with the Houston Rockets and is immediately making a fantasy impact.

The Rockets have 10 players on the NBA injury report and have been left very shorthanded over the past few days, which is what led them to sign Thomas. He has played in only two games so far but has been able to exceed one FanDuel point per minute in each game, notably going for 56.5 FanDuel points in the most recent game. While Thomas may not be in the starting lineup for the Rockets, he is still projected for 21 minutes and 31.1 FanDuel points. That projection makes him the best value option on the entire slate and one well worth a roster spot tonight.

He will be on the road to take on the Portland Trail Blazers, where the over/under is a slate-high 238 points. While this game may end in a blowout in favor of the Trail Blazers, Thomas should see plenty of minutes and be able to reach fantasy value easily.

James Johnson, PF, New Orleans Pelicans ($4,400)

If the New Orleans Pelicans continue to deal with injuries, James Johnson will continue to be a value option.

Last night, the Pelicans were without Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and Steven Adams. Johnson played 30 minutes last night and was able to produce 33.6 FanDuel points, showing a strong level of production when those players are off the court. Johnson should be in the starting lineup yet again and is projected for 30.10 minutes and 26.9 FanDuel points against the Memphis Grizzlies. This makes Johnson the fourth-best value option on the slate and should make him one of the chalkier value options at power forward.

Both the Pelicans and the Grizzlies are top 10 in offensive pace, giving us a solid game environment for fantasy production. Since many will be looking to spend up at point guard tonight, finding savings at the other positions will be key, and Johnson fits well in that lineup construction.

Dillon Brooks, SG, Memphis Grizzlies ($5,000)

Dillon Brooks is the second-highest projected value option on tonight's slate, let's talk about it.

As noted above, the Grizzlies and Pelicans are both top 10 in offensive pace. Combine that with a 228.5-point over/under, and it gives us a strong game for fantasy production.

Brooks is a regular member of the Grizzlies' starting five, and while we've seen his production fluctuate over the past few games, he is still playing over 30 minutes in almost every game. This is why it's a bit surprising to see Brooks at only $5,000 tonight given how strong the matchup is.

He is projected for 35.57 minutes and 31.3 FanDuel points, which makes him the second-best value option on the slate. A bad shooting performance from the field in a few games holds back his production from being super consistent in his last 10 games but look past that and onto the favorable matchup tonight.