NBA

5 NBA FanDuel Value Plays to Target on 1/22/20

Thomas Vecchio  —  @Tom_Vecchio1 Jan 22nd, 2020
Kendrick Nunn has been consistent lately and is still very affordable. What other value plays should you consider on this massive 12-game slate?

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 three players who can help fill in the gaps in your lineup.

Kendrick Nunn, PG, Miami Heat ($5,400)

Just over $5K, we have Kendrick Nunn from the Miami Heat, who is in a great spot tonight.

He is splitting time at point guard with Goran Dragic, but Nunn is clearly the more productive player. Over his last five games, Nunn has played 30 minutes or more in each game, posting 29 FanDuel points or more in each game. Right near one FanDuel point per minute in this stretch -- which is in line with his 0.94 on the season. We should see all of that production tonight, since he is taking on a weak Washington Wizards defense.

This season, the Wizards are allowing 49.9 FanDuel points per game to opposing point guards -- the fifth-most in the league -- setting Nunn up for a big night. We will also see the Heat playing up in pace tonight, as they are 18th in the league, and Washington is sitting as the seventh-fastest in the league. On top of all this, we have a 228-point over/under -- putting the Heat and Nunn in a spot for plenty of fantasy production.

Landry Shamet, PG, Los Angeles Clippers ($3,500)

The Los Angeles Clippers are a giant question mark on tonight's slate, no other way to put it.

The Clippers played last night, which means we should see Kawhi Leonard out tonight. Next, Paul George didn't play last night, and his status is still unclear for tonight's game against the Atlanta Hawks. Finally, we saw Patrick Beverley leave last night's game early and didn't return due to a groin injury. As of now, there is no indication what the Clippers are going to do with their starting lineup -- but it opens up plenty of value.

My guess is that Kawhi sits out tonight, Beverley is also out, and George is questionable at best. This means we could see Landry Shamet potentially in the starting lineup and comes in at the absolute minimum salary tonight. He can pay off that price tag in a hurry since the Hawks are allowing 47.1 FanDuel points per game to point guards this season -- the 10th most in the league.

Jerami Grant, PF, Denver Nuggets ($4,200)

Jerami Grant is the new starting power forward for the Denver Nuggets and in a prime spot tonight.

Paul Millsap has been out for two weeks, and we have seen Grant take over the starting role for the Nuggets and post solid numbers in most of his games. Tonight, he can continue that and should be in a spot for a ton of minutes since the Nuggets announced that Mason Plumlee is going to be out for at least two weeks. Denver lacks options when it comes to their front-court and Grant -- as a power forward -- should need to play big minutes.

Tonight, the Nuggets are taking on the Houston Rockets -- with a 228-point over/under -- who are allowing 46.9 FanDuel points per game to power forwards, the third-most in the league. This is also a significant pace-up spot for Denver since they the third slowest in the league and the Rockets are the fourth fastest team in the league. A thinner rotation of players, a pace-up spot, and a very reasonable price tag tonight put Grant in a great spot.

Tyler Herro, SG, Miami Heat ($3,900)

A starting player listed as a game-time decision tonight, the Miami Heat could offer some value.

That starting player is Duncan Robinson, and if he isn't able to play tonight, we could see Tyler Herro in the lineup. Herro recently battled an injury, but prior to that, he was playing in the high 20's or the low 30's for minutes on a nightly basis -- coming off the bench for the Heat. Even if Herro doesn't make the starting lineup, there will be plenty of rotational minutes for him tonight against a very weak Washington Wizards defense.

Washington comes into this game allowing 43.0 FanDuel points per game to opposing shooting guards -- the ninth-worst in the league. Herro is producing 0.81 FanDuel points per minute when Robinson is off the court this season and can push past that in a hurry due to his ability to knock down three-pointers.

Jordan Clarkson, SG, Utah Jazz ($4,400)

The Utah Jazz don't have any notable injuries, does that mean they have any value?

Yes. Bench players can offer value on a nightly basis -- if they are in a good spot -- and that is the case with Jordan Clarkson against the Golden State Warriors. Clarkson comes off the bench for the Jazz and generally plays when Donovan Mitchell is off the court. That is good since he doesn't have to compete for offensive usage and is truly able to show off his career 44.5% field goal percentage. He is a legit good shooter and brings plenty of upside due to his pure scoring.

When Mitchell is off the court this season, Clarkson is posting 0.91 FanDuel points per minute -- the fourth-highest on the team -- and has a 25.3% usage rate, the third-highest on the team. A clear option off the bench for the Jazz in a great spot against the Warriors, who are allowing 43.0 FanDuel points per game to shooting guards.