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'll need to find one of these lower-priced options to squeeze everyone into your lineup.
Let's take a look at five guys -- prices according to FanDuel -- who can help fill the gaps in your lineup tonight. Of course, remember to check our projections closer to tip because so much can change in the NBA throughout the day.
Elfrid Payton, PG, Orlando Magic
FanDuel Price: $5,300
Let's start with this: D'Angelo Russell is still under-priced at $6,000. We're not overlooking him, but those who read this column -- or even remotely follow fantasy basketball -- should know that he's a great play right now.
Because of this, we're going to look at another great value option at point guard this evening, Elfrid Payton.
Payton has played better over the past week, averaging 26.75 FanDuel points per game. Tonight he will be the envy of many other point guards in the league, as he'll take on a Phoenix backcourt that hasn't been able to stop a single starting point guard since the All-Star Break.
| Player | Date | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | FD PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goran Dragic | 3/3 | 25 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 38.4 |
| Kemba Walker | 3/1 | 26 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 47.7 |
| Mike Conley | 2/27 | 19 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 32.2 |
| Donald Sloan | 2/25 | 13 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 31.8 |
| Chris Paul | 2/22 | 16 | 2 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 42.4 |
| Tony Parker | 2/21 | 22 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30.4 |
| Patrick Beverley | 2/19 | 18 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 34.2 |
Scott Skiles' rotation is maddening, but at Payton's price, we're willing to assume the risk.
Will Barton, SG, Denver Nuggets
FanDuel Price: $5,900
Will Barton is struggling in the midst of a shooting slump that couldn't have come at a worse time. With Danilo Gallinari out of the lineup, this should be Barton's time to shine. Instead, he's shooting a dreadful 29% from the field.
Regardless, his price is down, and his ownership should be as well. And if there was ever a time to get right for Denver's sixth man, it's against the Nets. Brooklyn has technically been decent against opposing small forwards -- where Barton will see most of his minutes -- on the season, but their team isn't even close to resembling the same squad it was earlier in the year. Barton will have the luxury of matching up with Bojan Bogdanovic and Markel Brown, which should be a very exploitable situation for him. Bogdanovic (-4.33) and Brown (-2.94) both rank near the bottom of the league in terms of Defensive Real Plus-Minus.
This game only has a five-point spread, so we should see it remain fairly close throughout. And with Kenneth Faried banged up, the Nuggets will need to at least give Barton a chance to get rolling. Let's just hope it finally happens tonight.
Bojan Bogdanovic, SF, Brooklyn Nets
FanDuel Price: $4,000
Speaking of Bogdanovic, he's played well enough since Joe Johnson's departure to justify consideration at his low price point. In the four games since, Bogdanovic has only dropped below 20 FanDuel points on one occasion, and that was against the sloth-paced Utah Jazz.
While we preferred him at his lower price tag, $4,000 is still reasonable enough to pay for a punt play that can reasonably return six or eight times value, given that he should see 30 to 35 minutes in tonight's matchup against a Denver team that has allowed big games to Matt Barnes and Chandler Parsons since losing Gallinari to injury.
Mirza Teletovic, PF, Phoenix Suns
FanDuel Price: $4,700
Mirza Teletovic has been given the green-light to shoot at will, averaging 12.7 field goal attempts since the All-Star Break. Tonight he'll take on an Orlando team that has allowed the sixth most FanDuel points to the position and are also surrendering the second most three-point field goal makes: an area that Teletovic specializes in. In fact, 62.9% of his field goal attempts since the All-Star Break have come from three-point territory.
With this matchup carrying a healthy over/under of 214, expect the Suns to call on Teletovic plenty to attempt to keep them in the game with his scoring.
Robin Lopez, C, New York Knicks
FanDuel Price: $5,700
Some players are just prone to more variance than others, and Robin Lopez happens to be one of them. Players like this have a propensity for alienating DFS players who have been burned by them, which makes them intriguing tournament options when the matchup is right.
And tonight seems like one of those nights for Lopez.
The Celtics are top-10 in FanDuel points allowed to opposing centers and have given up huge production since the All-Star Break, allowing four games of 35-plus FanDuel points. Lopez should be able to use his length to rack up rebounds against a shorter-than-average Boston frontcourt. We've watched Hassan Whiteside and Rudy Gobert compile big rebound games against this team recently, which is a good sign for Lopez.
His extreme volatility will always keep him squarely in the land of tournament plays, as he's simply too risky for cash lineups. But his ability to produce big games at low ownership could prove to be that little extra boost your lineup needs to push it over the edge this evening.