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 one of these lower-salaried options into your lineup.
Let's take a look at some players who can help fill in the gaps in your lineup on FanDuel tonight, using numberFire's daily fantasy basketball projections as a guide.
Bruce Brown Jr., SG, Denver Nuggets ($4,100)
The Denver Nuggets are listing Michael Porter Jr. as questionable for tonight, and his absence would lead to extra minutes for Bruce Brown Jr. in a matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers that has a healthy 230.0-point over/under.
Even without Porter Jr. zeroed, Brown Jr. is already projected for 25.0 minutes and 5.48 FanDuel points per $1,000 in salary, a strong value rating.
Overall, Brown Jr. is averaging 18.8 FanDuel points and 25.6 minutes, rates that should grow without Porter Jr.
My simulations view Brown Jr. as 10.3% likely to lead all players in value, the best rate of the night.
Kelly Olynyk, C/PF, Utah Jazz ($5,300)
Over his past three games, Kelly Olynyk has produced 40.1, 33.1, and 24.8 FanDuel points on minute totals of 34, 37, and 26.
Olynyk's last game (against the Houston Rockets, who he faces again tonight) was marred by five turnovers, and he's now averaging 3.3 giveaways per game.
Other than that, everything checks out. Olynyk is projected for 29.4 minutes and 32.2 FanDuel points on the back of 15.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.8 combined steals and blocks.
He has a versatility index rating of 8.1, per NBAStuffer (the average is 5.0). The multi-stat production is always welcomed in DFS, and he's still projected for 11.5 shot attempts, too.
Caleb Martin, SF/SG, Miami Heat ($4,100)
We may not get a huge outburst from Caleb Martin very often, but there's something to be said for his role.
Martin has played 28, 28, and 22 minutes, and his missed game on Monday was due to suspension, not injury.
Martin, then, should be stepping back into minutes in the upper 20s (he's projected for 29.0 tonight to be precise) and is producing 0.71 FanDuel points per minute this season.
He generated 0.83 last season, so if the current rate ticks back up, there's a balance of floor and a modest ceiling over what seem to be very locked-in minutes.
Patrick Beverley, PG/SG, Los Angeles Lakers ($4,900)
The Los Angeles Lakers are going to be without Dennis Schroder and probably Russell Westbrook (who is doubtful).
That's resulting in a minutes projection of 31.7 for Patrick Beverley and a projected stat line of 11.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 2.3 combined steals and blocks. That all totals 30.6 FanDuel points, good for a value projection of 6.23 (second-highest of the night).
Beverley is yet to make more than a single field goal in a game this season and has attempted only one two-point attempt. He's 3 for 14 from beyond the arc (21.4%). He's shot at least 34.3% from deep in every other year of his career, and the 34.3% rate he had last year was a career low.
It's possible Beverley's best shooting days are behind him, yet it's also likely that he should make a higher rate than the 21.4% he currently has going on.
Eric Gordon, SF/SG, Houston Rockets ($4,000)
In Monday's matchup with the Utah Jazz, Eric Gordon turned 31 minutes into a somewhat disappointing 19.4 FanDuel points, but you can still live with that value return at a salary of only $4,000.
What's promising is that Gordon has had at least 9 field goal attempts in each game this season and is averaging 10.7 shots for 13.7 points per game.
The uncharacteristic 30.8% three-point percentage is a true outlier rate, as he is a career 37.0% three-point shooter and shot 41.2% from deep a year ago (his second-best rate ever).
Though he doesn't produce in a ton of other ways, he's not a complete zero in other categories. He's averaging 3.3 assists and 2.3 rebounds.
numberFire projects Gordon for 14.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 0.9 combined steals and blocks tonight.