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, D'Angelo Russell returned 4x value in 78% of his games and 5x value in 56% of his games.
Early Slate
Point Guard
| PG
|
4x Value
|
5x Value
|
6x Value
|
| 1
|
Malcolm Brogdon (0.83)
|
Malcolm Brogdon (0.63)
|
Mike Conley (0.4)
|
| 2
|
Markelle Fultz (0.75)
|
Mike Conley (0.62)
|
Derrick White (0.38)
|
| 3
|
Spencer Dinwiddie (0.73)
|
Spencer Dinwiddie (0.55)
|
Aaron Holiday (0.36)
|
| 4
|
Derrick White (0.72)
|
Derrick White (0.54)
|
D.J. Augustin (0.35)
|
| 5
|
Kyrie Irving (0.7)
|
D.J. Augustin (0.51)
|
Malcolm Brogdon (0.31)
|
| 6
|
Kemba Walker (0.69)
|
Dejounte Murray (0.5)
|
Kemba Walker (0.31)
|
| 7
|
D.J. Augustin (0.69)
|
Aaron Holiday (0.48)
|
Patty Mills (0.3)
|
| 8
|
Mike Conley (0.67)
|
Michael Carter-Williams (0.48)
|
Jordan Poole (0.3)
|
Shooting Guard
| SG
|
4x Value
|
5x Value
|
6x Value
|
| 1
|
DeMar DeRozan (0.77)
|
Terrence Ross (0.57)
|
Terrence Ross (0.4)
|
| 2
|
Donovan Mitchell (0.77)
|
Damion Lee (0.57)
|
Jeremy Lamb (0.35)
|
| 3
|
Evan Fournier (0.75)
|
Donovan Mitchell (0.55)
|
Jordan Clarkson (0.35)
|
| 4
|
Terrence Ross (0.75)
|
DeMar DeRozan (0.54)
|
Caris LeVert (0.33)
|
| 5
|
Garrett Temple (0.75)
|
Jeremy Lamb (0.54)
|
Garrett Temple (0.31)
|
| 6
|
Jeremy Lamb (0.74)
|
CJ McCollum (0.5)
|
Evan Fournier (0.3)
|
| 7
|
CJ McCollum (0.71)
|
Jordan Clarkson (0.49)
|
Damion Lee (0.29)
|
| 8
|
Damion Lee (0.71)
|
Garrett Temple (0.47)
|
Bryn Forbes (0.27)
|
Small Forward
| SF
|
4x Value
|
5x Value
|
6x Value
|
| 1
|
Jaylen Brown (0.76)
|
Rodney Hood (0.62)
|
Joe Ingles (0.39)
|
| 2
|
Gordon Hayward (0.76)
|
Gordon Hayward (0.56)
|
Rudy Gay (0.38)
|
| 3
|
T.J. Warren (0.75)
|
Jaylen Brown (0.54)
|
Gordon Hayward (0.36)
|
| 4
|
Taurean Prince (0.75)
|
Joe Harris (0.54)
|
Trevor Ariza (0.36)
|
| 5
|
Joe Harris (0.73)
|
Joe Ingles (0.53)
|
Joe Harris (0.33)
|
| 6
|
Bojan Bogdanovic (0.72)
|
Rudy Gay (0.53)
|
T.J. Warren (0.31)
|
| 7
|
Andrew Wiggins (0.69)
|
T.J. Warren (0.51)
|
Jonathan Isaac (0.31)
|
| 8
|
Jonathan Isaac (0.69)
|
Taurean Prince (0.5)
|
Taurean Prince (0.3)
|
Power Forward
| PF
|
4x Value
|
5x Value
|
6x Value
|
| 1
|
LaMarcus Aldridge (0.81)
|
Daniel Theis (0.57)
|
Eric Paschall (0.36)
|
| 2
|
Jayson Tatum (0.77)
|
Jarrett Allen (0.53)
|
Daniel Theis (0.34)
|
| 3
|
Domantas Sabonis (0.76)
|
Aaron Gordon (0.52)
|
Jarrett Allen (0.31)
|
| 4
|
Aaron Gordon (0.76)
|
LaMarcus Aldridge (0.51)
|
Royce O'Neale (0.31)
|
| 5
|
Daniel Theis (0.76)
|
Draymond Green (0.49)
|
LaMarcus Aldridge (0.3)
|
| 6
|
Draymond Green (0.72)
|
Royce O'Neale (0.49)
|
Draymond Green (0.3)
|
| 7
|
Eric Paschall (0.69)
|
Jayson Tatum (0.48)
|
Al-Farouq Aminu (0.28)
|
| 8
|
Royce O'Neale (0.68)
|
Eric Paschall (0.48)
|
Aaron Gordon (0.26)
|
Center
| C
|
4x Value
|
5x Value
|
6x Value
|
| 1
|
Nikola Vucevic (0.78)
|
Marquese Chriss (0.53)
|
Jakob Poeltl (0.4)
|
| 2
|
Rudy Gobert (0.75)
|
Jakob Poeltl (0.53)
|
Enes Kanter (0.37)
|
| 3
|
DeAndre Jordan (0.75)
|
DeAndre Jordan (0.5)
|
Marquese Chriss (0.34)
|
| 4
|
Hassan Whiteside (0.72)
|
Enes Kanter (0.49)
|
Myles Turner (0.31)
|
| 5
|
Myles Turner (0.69)
|
Rudy Gobert (0.48)
|
DeAndre Jordan (0.29)
|
| 6
|
Enes Kanter (0.69)
|
Myles Turner (0.45)
|
Mo Bamba (0.28)
|
| 7
|
Robert Williams (0.65)
|
Mo Bamba (0.45)
|
Robert Williams (0.26)
|
| 8
|
Marquese Chriss (0.63)
|
Robert Williams (0.43)
|
Rudy Gobert (0.25)
|
Main Slate
Point Guard
| PG | 4x Value | 5x Value | 6x Value |
|---|
| 1 | Kyle Lowry (0.83) | De'Anthony Melton (0.6) | Kris Dunn (0.41) |
| 2 | Collin Sexton (0.77) | Kris Dunn (0.57) | De'Anthony Melton (0.4) |
| 3 | Jamal Murray (0.76) | Kyle Lowry (0.55) | Ja Morant (0.37) |
| 4 | De'Anthony Melton (0.71) | Eric Bledsoe (0.54) | Seth Curry (0.37) |
| 5 | Kris Dunn (0.71) | Elfrid Payton (0.53) | Jamal Murray (0.35) |
| 6 | Luka Doncic (0.71) | Luka Doncic (0.52) | Tomas Satoransky (0.34) |
| 7 | Tomas Satoransky (0.71) | Terry Rozier (0.52) | Ricky Rubio (0.32) |
| 8 | Trae Young (0.71) | Ja Morant (0.52) | Jeff Teague (0.32) |
Shooting Guard
| SG | 4x Value | 5x Value | 6x Value |
|---|
| 1 | Donte DiVincenzo (0.8) | Donte DiVincenzo (0.61) | Gary Harris (0.39) |
| 2 | D'Angelo Russell (0.78) | Devin Booker (0.59) | Dillon Brooks (0.38) |
| 3 | Zach LaVine (0.77) | D'Angelo Russell (0.56) | Malik Monk (0.36) |
| 4 | Fred VanVleet (0.77) | Dillon Brooks (0.55) | RJ Barrett (0.35) |
| 5 | Khris Middleton (0.77) | Fred VanVleet (0.54) | Malik Beasley (0.35) |
| 6 | Devin Booker (0.73) | Devonte' Graham (0.53) | Cody Martin (0.33) |
| 7 | Devonte' Graham (0.73) | RJ Barrett (0.53) | Delon Wright (0.32) |
| 8 | Gary Harris (0.73) | Delon Wright (0.52) | Norman Powell (0.32) |
Small Forward
| SF | 4x Value | 5x Value | 6x Value |
|---|
| 1 | Giannis Antetokounmpo (0.83) | Cedi Osman (0.57) | Josh Jackson (0.44) |
| 2 | Will Barton (0.76) | De'Andre Hunter (0.57) | De'Andre Hunter (0.43) |
| 3 | Tim Hardaway (0.76) | Josh Jackson (0.56) | OG Anunoby (0.41) |
| 4 | Kelly Oubre (0.73) | Tim Hardaway (0.54) | Cedi Osman (0.38) |
| 5 | Dorian Finney-Smith (0.72) | Will Barton (0.53) | Mikal Bridges (0.38) |
| 6 | Cedi Osman (0.71) | Miles Bridges (0.53) | Dorian Finney-Smith (0.34) |
| 7 | Pascal Siakam (0.7) | OG Anunoby (0.52) | Cam Reddish (0.34) |
| 8 | Miles Bridges (0.68) | Giannis Antetokounmpo (0.5) | Will Barton (0.33) |
Power Forward
| PF | 4x Value | 5x Value | 6x Value |
|---|
| 1 | John Collins (0.78) | Kevin Love (0.61) | James Johnson (0.5) |
| 2 | Jaren Jackson (0.76) | Brandon Clarke (0.57) | Paul Millsap (0.43) |
| 3 | Julius Randle (0.75) | Jaren Jackson (0.56) | Frank Kaminsky (0.38) |
| 4 | Kevin Love (0.75) | Serge Ibaka (0.54) | Naz Reid (0.37) |
| 5 | Brandon Clarke (0.75) | Naz Reid (0.53) | Jerami Grant (0.36) |
| 6 | Maxi Kleber (0.74) | Paul Millsap (0.52) | Dario Saric (0.34) |
| 7 | Thaddeus Young (0.72) | P.J. Washington (0.51) | Michael Porter (0.33) |
| 8 | P.J. Washington (0.71) | Julius Randle (0.5) | Serge Ibaka (0.32) |
Center
| C | 4x Value | 5x Value | 6x Value |
|---|
| 1 | Wendell Carter (0.77) | Willie Cauley-Stein (0.61) | Dwight Powell (0.38) |
| 2 | Marc Gasol (0.75) | Tristan Thompson (0.54) | Bismack Biyombo (0.38) |
| 3 | Karl-Anthony Towns (0.74) | Cody Zeller (0.52) | Marc Gasol (0.36) |
| 4 | Cody Zeller (0.74) | Clint Capela (0.51) | Aron Baynes (0.36) |
| 5 | Deandre Ayton (0.73) | Mitchell Robinson (0.51) | Gorgui Dieng (0.36) |
| 6 | Andre Drummond (0.72) | Marc Gasol (0.5) | Cody Zeller (0.33) |
| 7 | Clint Capela (0.72) | Jonas Valanciunas (0.48) | Willie Cauley-Stein (0.31) |
| 8 | Tristan Thompson (0.72) | Dwight Powell (0.48) | Jonas Valanciunas (0.31) |
