NBA

NBA Sim Sports Picks for 3/30/20 on FanDuel

During this downtime in the sports calendar, FanDuel has been innovating a lot of different ways to get some daily fantasy sports action.

One of those includes NBA Sim Sports, a format that looks pretty much identical to the usual FanDuel offering. The only twist is that the games won't be played live. Players will instead be assigned a random game from their 2019-20 season.

Matchups don't come into play, and late-scratches and other games missed by players won't come into effect. Scores roll out throughout the slate for a bit of a sweat.

It's free to enter (both the early and late slates), and here are some potential standout picks.

Finding Value

A rule of thumb in NBA DFS is finding certain value thresholds. For example, seeking players who can score 5.0 FanDuel points per $1,000 in salary. This is known as "five-times value" or "5x." The reason for that is if you max out your $60,000 budget and every player in your lineup scores exactly 5.0 points per $1,000, you'll total 300.0 FanDuel points. That's a good starting point.

Of course, for bigger totals, you'll want to shoot for 6x or higher, and for safety, 4x is a fine mark to uncover. What you will typically find is that the more expensive players hit 4x value often (because their roles are secure but their prices are high enough that they really need a huge game to pay off big price tags) and cheaper players hit 6x more frequently (because their bigger games are less about 50-point triple-doubles and more about a simple double-double at a cheaper price).

Value Leaders

These tables include the top-eight performers at each position based on how many times this season they had games that hit our three different value thresholds when compared to their current price for today's contest.

In parenthesis, you can see how often a player hit the given threshold. For example, Al Horford returned 4x value in 77% of his games and 5x value in 55% of his games.

Early Slate
Point Guard

PG 4x Value 5x Value 6x Value
1 Chris Paul (0.78) Mike Conley (0.62) Mike Conley (0.4)
2 Collin Sexton (0.77) Chris Paul (0.6) De'Anthony Melton (0.4)
3 Ish Smith (0.72) De'Anthony Melton (0.6) Ish Smith (0.38)
4 De'Anthony Melton (0.71) Ish Smith (0.55) Ja Morant (0.37)
5 Ricky Rubio (0.7) Lonzo Ball (0.54) Shabazz Napier (0.37)
6 Lonzo Ball (0.7) Elfrid Payton (0.53) Lonzo Ball (0.32)
7 Elfrid Payton (0.69) Ja Morant (0.52) Ricky Rubio (0.32)
8 Ja Morant (0.67) Ricky Rubio (0.49) Elfrid Payton (0.31)

Shooting Guard

SG 4x Value 5x Value 6x Value
1 Shai Gilgeous-
Alexander (0.8)
Devin Booker (0.59) Josh Hart (0.39)
2 Dennis Schroder (0.78) Shai Gilgeous-
Alexander (0.55)
Dillon Brooks (0.38)
3 Donovan Mitchell (0.77) Donovan Mitchell (0.55) JJ Redick (0.37)
4 Jrue Holiday (0.75) Dillon Brooks (0.55) RJ Barrett (0.35)
5 Devin Booker (0.73) RJ Barrett (0.53) Jordan Clarkson (0.35)
6 Josh Hart (0.72) JJ Redick (0.52) Devin Booker (0.3)
7 JJ Redick (0.7) Dennis Schroder (0.51) Dennis Schroder (0.29)
8 Dillon Brooks (0.69) Jrue Holiday (0.5) Gary Payton II (0.28)

Small Forward

SF 4x Value 5x Value 6x Value
1 Brandon Ingram (0.79) Cedi Osman (0.57) Josh Jackson (0.44)
2 Danilo Gallinari (0.79) Josh Jackson (0.56) Joe Ingles (0.39)
3 Kelly Oubre (0.73) Brandon Ingram (0.55) Cedi Osman (0.38)
4 Bojan Bogdanovic (0.72) Danilo Gallinari (0.54) Mikal Bridges (0.38)
5 Cedi Osman (0.71) Joe Ingles (0.53) Kelly Oubre (0.32)
6 Joe Ingles (0.69) Troy Brown (0.52) Kyle Anderson (0.29)
7 Troy Brown (0.69) Bojan Bogdanovic (0.5) Kenrich Williams (0.29)
8 Josh Jackson (0.67) Kelly Oubre (0.48) Brandon Ingram (0.28)

Power Forward

PF 4x Value 5x Value 6x Value
1 Zion Williamson (0.86) Kevin Love (0.61) Frank Kaminsky (0.38)
2 Jaren Jackson (0.76) Zion Williamson (0.57) Nerlens Noel (0.36)
3 Davis Bertans (0.76) Brandon Clarke (0.57) Dario Saric (0.34)
4 Julius Randle (0.75) Jaren Jackson (0.56) Larry Nance (0.32)
5 Kevin Love (0.75) Davis Bertans (0.56) Brandon Clarke (0.31)
6 Brandon Clarke (0.75) Nerlens Noel (0.53) Royce O'Neale (0.31)
7 Nerlens Noel (0.69) Rui Hachimura (0.52) Nicolo Melli (0.3)
8 Royce O'Neale (0.68) Julius Randle (0.5) Rui Hachimura (0.29)

Center

C 4x Value 5x Value 6x Value
1 Rudy Gobert (0.75) Tristan Thompson (0.54) Ian Mahinmi (0.37)
2 Thomas Bryant (0.74) Mitchell Robinson (0.51) Aron Baynes (0.36)
3 Deandre Ayton (0.73) Steven Adams (0.51) Gorgui Dieng (0.36)
4 Andre Drummond (0.72) Rudy Gobert (0.48) Derrick Favors (0.33)
5 Tristan Thompson (0.72) Jonas Valanciunas (0.48) Thomas Bryant (0.32)
6 Mitchell Robinson (0.72) Aron Baynes (0.48) Steven Adams (0.31)
7 Derrick Favors (0.7) Gorgui Dieng (0.47) Jonas Valanciunas (0.31)
8 Bobby Portis (0.7) Ian Mahinmi (0.47) Mitchell Robinson (0.3)

Main Slate
Point Guard

PG4x Value5x Value6x Value
1De'Aaron Fox (0.85)Malcolm Brogdon (0.63)Reggie Jackson (0.43)
2Kyle Lowry (0.83)Kyle Lowry (0.55)Ish Smith (0.38)
3Malcolm Brogdon (0.83)Ish Smith (0.55)Shabazz Napier (0.37)
4Derrick Rose (0.8)De'Aaron Fox (0.54)Aaron Holiday (0.36)
5Ben Simmons (0.73)Eric Bledsoe (0.54)Rajon Rondo (0.33)
6Goran Dragic (0.72)Derrick Rose (0.52)Brandon Knight (0.32)
7Ish Smith (0.72)Kendrick Nunn (0.52)Malcolm Brogdon (0.31)
8Patrick Beverley (0.71)Patrick Beverley (0.48)Shake Milton (0.31)

Shooting Guard

SG4x Value5x Value6x Value
1Jimmy Butler (0.8)Josh Richardson (0.63)Josh Richardson (0.42)
2Donte DiVincenzo (0.8)Tyler Herro (0.62)Tyler Herro (0.36)
3James Harden (0.79)Donte DiVincenzo (0.61)Jeremy Lamb (0.35)
4Fred VanVleet (0.77)Damion Lee (0.57)Jordan McRae (0.35)
5Khris Middleton (0.77)Buddy Hield (0.55)Duncan Robinson (0.34)
6Jeremy Lamb (0.74)Fred VanVleet (0.54)Norman Powell (0.32)
7Buddy Hield (0.73)Jeremy Lamb (0.54)Donte DiVincenzo (0.31)
8Lou Williams (0.73)Jordan McRae (0.54)Bruce Brown (0.31)

Small Forward

SF4x Value5x Value6x Value
1LeBron James (0.84)Harrison Barnes (0.58)OG Anunoby (0.41)
2Giannis
Antetokounmpo (0.83)
Glenn Robinson (0.58)Glenn Robinson (0.4)
3Tobias Harris (0.77)Jae Crowder (0.52)Harrison Barnes (0.37)
4T.J. Warren (0.75)Troy Brown (0.52)Derrick Jones (0.37)
5Luke Kennard (0.75)OG Anunoby (0.52)Danuel House (0.36)
6Harrison Barnes (0.75)T.J. Warren (0.51)Luke Kennard (0.36)
7Eric Gordon (0.71)Derrick Jones (0.51)Jae Crowder (0.33)
8Pascal Siakam (0.7)Giannis
Antetokounmpo (0.5)
Kent Bazemore (0.33)

Power Forward

PF4x Value5x Value6x Value
1Kawhi Leonard (0.87)Blake Griffin (0.61)Christian Wood (0.4)
2Bam Adebayo (0.8)Davis Bertans (0.56)Nemanja Bjelica (0.38)
3Blake Griffin (0.78)Bam Adebayo (0.55)Eric Paschall (0.36)
4Al Horford (0.77)Al Horford (0.55)Kyle Kuzma (0.35)
5Domantas Sabonis (0.76)Serge Ibaka (0.54)Blake Griffin (0.33)
6Robert Covington (0.76)Richaun Holmes (0.53)Richaun Holmes (0.33)
7Davis Bertans (0.76)Rui Hachimura (0.52)Serge Ibaka (0.32)
8Draymond Green (0.72)Rondae Hollis-
Jefferson (0.5)
Rondae Hollis-
Jefferson (0.31)

Center

C4x Value5x Value6x Value
1Joel Embiid (0.76)Marquese Chriss (0.53)P.J. Tucker (0.41)
2Marc Gasol (0.75)Montrezl Harrell (0.51)Kelly Olynyk (0.39)
3Ivica Zubac (0.75)Alex Len (0.51)Ian Mahinmi (0.37)
4Thomas Bryant (0.74)JaVale McGee (0.51)Marc Gasol (0.36)
5Myles Turner (0.69)Marc Gasol (0.5)Ivica Zubac (0.36)
6Montrezl Harrell (0.68)Ivica Zubac (0.5)Dwight Howard (0.35)
7Brook Lopez (0.64)Kelly Olynyk (0.49)Marquese Chriss (0.34)
8P.J. Tucker (0.64)Dwight Howard (0.47)Alex Len (0.33)