5 NBA FanDuel Value Plays to Target on 10/28/19

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.

Mario Hezonja, SF, Portland Trail Blazers ($3,600)

We are only a few days into the NBA season, but the injuries are starting to pile up for some teams, and that means plenty of value options.

One team dealing with an injury situation is the Portland Trail Blazers, who have lost Zach Collins due to a shoulder injury. This means we could see Mario Hezonja getting the start tonight, who comes in just $100 more than the minimum price. Hezonja has been a bench player to start the season, so he has very modest numbers, but the 24 minutes in his most recent game are encouraging, considering Collins also played. In those 24 minutes, Hezonja was able to rack up 22.6 FanDuel points, which would have him exceed 5x value based salary expectations.

A game with a strong 220-point over/under against the San Antonio Spurs should see plenty of scoring tonight, and Hezonja should see a full complement of minutes since we are dealing with a spread of only five points. A potential starter who is under $4K can be tough to pass on, especially when there are so many star players to pay up for tonight.

Kenrich Williams, SF, New Orleans Pelicans ($3,900)

An over/under of 237 points is the highest on the slate, making the Golden State Warriors at New Orleans Pelicans game a natural spot to target for fantasy options.

The Pelicans have Jrue Holiday listed as questionable for this game, and if he is out, it will likely change their rotation a bit and give more minutes to Kenrich Williams. Over their first three games, Williams has played 18 minutes or more in all three and 21 or more in his last two, but he's produced over one fantasy point per minute in just one of those games.

The Warriors are off to a rough start this season and are allowing 22 FanDuel points per game to small forwards, which should present Williams with an opportunity to reach value at sub $4K tonight.

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

The Phoenix Suns are not dealing with injuries to start the season but rather a suspension to Deandre Ayton.

This suspension has seen Aron Baynes get minutes at center, while Frank Kaminsky and Dario Saric are splitting time at power forward. Saric has bounced around a few teams over the past few seasons and has shown to be a viable fantasy option in that time. Our projections have Saric playing 28 minutes while posting 22.4 FanDuel points. Saric is producing 0.86 FanDuel points per minute this season when Ayton is off the court (over a two-game sample size).

This game against the Utah Jazz has a modest 216-point over/under, but with that volume of minutes locked in, he provides valuable salary relief tonight.

Darius Garland, PG, Cleveland Cavaliers ($4,600)

The Cleveland Cavaliers' rookie is playing 30 minutes a game to start the season and is still under $5K.

Darius Garland was certainly one of the riskier picks in the recent NBA draft, as he played only five total games in college and suffered a knee injury last year. Regardless, he is cheap, playing a ton of minutes per game, and up against the Milwaukee Bucks where the over/under is set at 222.5 points. Through the first few games of the season, the Bucks are playing at the fastest pace in the NBA, while the Cavaliers are the fifth-slowest. This means the Cavaliers should be playing up in pace, allowing extra offensive possessions.

Garland has produced under one fantasy point per minute in each of his first two games and is failing to fill up the stat sheet for the most part, but if he is going to be playing 30 minutes a night, he is worth a look.

Bogdan Bogdanovic, SG, Sacramento Kings ($4,500)

Bogdan Bogdanovic is mostly a pure shooter, which means he needs to score in order to reach value, but that's on the table tonight.

Bogdanovic has played 22 minutes in each of his three games this season but has posted over one fantasy point per minute in just one of those games. Inconsistent? Absolutely, but that volatility is something to embrace when it comes to tournaments, as the upside is what you are looking for. Bogdanovic comes in as our best overall value at small forward tonight and the sixth-best of any position. In these first three games, Bogdanovic has taken 12 three-pointers, which give him the most upside from a scoring perspective.

He carries a 21.5% usage rate, and with the over/under set at 219, there will be plenty of scoring chances for him.