5 NBA FanDuel Value Plays to Target on 10/25/19
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.
Willy Hernangomez, C, Charlotte Hornets ($3,500)
As of now, the status of Cody Zeller is unclear, which could set up Guillermo Hernangomez to be a prime value of the night.
Zeller missed practice yesterday due to a personal reason, and his status for tonight is up in the air. There haven't been any updates, so we want to look ahead and consider that Hernangomez might be getting the start versus the Minnesota Timberwolves, in a game with an over/under set at 228 points.
Hernangomez didn't see the court in their season-opener, but we can look back to last season for some information. In 2018, Hernangomez averaged 17.3 points and 14.2 rebounds in games when Zeller didn't play. That is truly solid production for a player who is the minimum salary tonight. This is a very fluid situation because we don't have any updates on Zeller, so pay attention to the news as the day goes on.
Kent Bazemore, SF, Portland Trail Blazers ($4,400)
Anytime you can get a cheaper player in a very high scoring game with a close spread, you should be considering him as a value option.
That player is Kent Bazemore, who is facing off against the Sacramento Kings. The over/under is 225.5, and the spread is only -2.5 in favor of the Portland Trail Blazers. These types of situations could be my favorite spots to attack: the Trail Blazers are playing up in pace, in a high-scoring game, and against a weak defensive team. In their season opener, Bazemore played 24 minutes and posted 21.4 FanDuel points, which is very strong for a player under $5,000.
Our projections have Bazemore going for 22.3 FanDuel points tonight, and he comes in as the 10th-best value at small forward.
Frank Kaminsky, PF, Phoenix Suns ($3,600)
With Deandre Ayton being suspended for 25 games, there is an opening for some players to step on the Phoenix Suns.
If Ayton is going to be out for an extended period of time, the Suns will likely be shuffling a few players between the center minutes, and Frank Kaminsky should be one of them. He comes in just $100 more than the minimum salary tonight and is playing the Denver Nuggets, where the over/under is set at 221. The Suns are no doubt the underdog in this game and will likely lose, but we don't care about that in DFS. We want minutes, and we want production -- that's what leads to fantasy points.
In their season-opener, Kaminsky played 19 minutes and posted 16.8 FanDuel points in that time. We should fully see Kaminsky exceed those minutes tonight given their new rotation, which will allow him to surpass fantasy value.
Richaun Holmes, PF, Sacramento Kings ($3,700)
The Sacramento Kings are dealing with some early-season injuries, which opens up playing time for other players.
Power forwards Marvin Bagley III is going to be out for over a month due to a dislocated thumb, and that means they will have a new rotation at that position. There could be a few players who see time, but Richaun Holmes is the one we want to focus in on, since he has proven to be a viable fantasy option over the past few seasons. This isn't to say Holmes is going to drop 50 FanDuel points tonight, but in his time with the Phoenix Suns or Philadelphia 76ers in recent seasons, he has been able to reach salary-based expectations.
He is up against the Portland Trail Blazers where the over/under is up at 225.5 and a spread of -2.5 in favor of Portland. With the new role in the offense, we have Holmes projected as the seventh-best value option at power forward, going for 18.3 FanDuel points.
Jalen Brunson, PG, Dallas Mavericks ($4,000)
Jalen Brunson isn't a player benefiting from an injury situation; rather, he has a great game-script to target.
The Dallas Mavericks are playing the New Orleans Pelicans, in what could be the fantasy game of the night if things play out the right way. The game has an over/under set at 228 points, with the Pelicans as -2.5-point home favorites. Very high scoring, very close spread, and all of the potential fantasy points.
The Pelicans showed in their first game of the season that they aren't a team to fear defensively, and they allowed Toronto Raptors' point guards Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet to post 39 and 54.5 FanDuel points, respectively.
Brunson played 24 minutes in their first game of the season, putting up 20.3 FanDuel points against the Washington Wizards. This is a similar defensive matchup for him, and our projections agree, as we have him going for 18.2 FanDuel points.
