3 NBA FanDuel Value Plays to Target on 2/19/21

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-salaried options into your lineup.

Let's take a look at three players who can help fill in the gaps in your lineup.

Cedi Osman, SF, Cleveland Cavaliers ($4,200)

The Cleveland Cavaliers are dealing with some absences, and that opens up value tonight. The Cavs are going to be without Larry Nance Jr., Taurean Prince, Andre Drummond and Kevin Love -- all of whom are out (for various reasons).

This leaves the Cavaliers' rotation a bit thin, and it puts Cedi Osman in a spot for plenty of minutes and plenty of fantasy points. Osman comes in as the best-projected value play tonight, with our model forecasting him for 35.98 minutes and 27.7 FanDuel points.

Osman should be able to produce since he is up against the Denver Nuggets, who are allowing the fourth-most (44.98) FanDuel points per game to opposing small forwards. This game has an over/under of just 223.5 points, which isn't super-high, but 35-plus minutes from a player who is only $4,2000 is too good to pass up.

Ricky Rubio, PG, Minnesota Timberwolves ($5,300)

With D'Angelo Russell out for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Ricky Rubio should continue to be a value play.

At a very modest $5,300 salary, Rubio should be a popular value target at point guard since he is able to produce fantasy points consistently and in nearly every matchup. With the starting lineup changed for the Timberwolves, Rubio is holding a 20.2% usage rate while producing 0.94 FanDuel points per minute. That is bolstered by his ability to consistently fill up the stat sheet outside of pure scoring.

This puts him in a spot to be a source of fantasy points every game, and tonight will be no different. The Timberwolves are taking on the Toronto Raptors, and the total is set at 227.0 points with a 2.5-point spread. A high over/under and a close spread is always good for DFS, especially when we see both teams in the top half of the league in pace. Rubio comes in projected for 30.93 minutes and 27.6 FanDuel points, which has him exceeding his salary-implied value (5.0 points per $1,000).

Willy Hernangomez, C, New Orleans Pelicans ($4,400)

If Steven Adams is out, Guillermo Hernangomez is a strong value play.

Right now, Adams is listed as doubtful for tonight's game against the Phoenix Suns, a game in which the total is sitting at a slate-high 231.5 points. In the Pelicans' most recent game, Adams left early and didn't return, which led to Hernangomez playing 29 minutes off the bench and generating 30.4 FanDuel points. That level of production is very much on the table tonight. When Adams is off the court, Hernangomez is producing 1.04 FanDuel points per minute on a modest 15.3% usage rate.

Of course, we can expect Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and Lonzo Ball to have higher usage rates than Hernangomez does, but the big man still manages to be very productive in his limited touches. numberFire's projections have him going for 22.1 FanDuel points in 19.38 minutes, making him the best value option for centers who are under $5,000.