3 NBA DraftKings Value Plays to Target on 3/3/21
A major key to success in daily fantasy basketball is uncovering potential value plays. If you're looking to roster a stud or two, you need to consider squeezing 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 on DraftKings tonight.
Dorian Finney-Smith, SF/PF, Dallas Mavericks
DraftKings Salary: $4,500
Dorian Finney-Smith is an unexciting name for fantasy purposes. He isn't the type of guy to regularly return 20 points and 30-plus DraftKings points, as he has to fit in between the likes of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. However, his workload is steady, as shown by his 31.2 minutes a night.
From his hybrid forward spot, Finney-Smith's accounted for 20.1 DK points a night despite only 8.4 points a game. In the last four games he's scored in double-digits he has managed to average 26.3 fantasy points, which would be enough for him to bring back 5.8 points per $1,000 at this salary.
It's hard to count on a big scoring night from him, but he could enjoy one of his better games against an Oklahoma City squad that plays -- according to NBA.com -- at a pace 1.5 possessions faster than Dallas. He should derive a decent chunk of value from the Mavs' 114.75 implied total (via NBA Finals odds).
Cody Martin, SG/SF, Charlotte Hornets
DraftKings Salary: $4,000
The Charlotte Hornets' last two games have been without the services of Gordon Hayward, who has sat out with a right hand injury. In his stead, Cody Martin has made two starts and played about 27 minutes apiece, on the heels of logging 25 minutes when Hayward was first hindered by the issue. With Hayward questionable again, he could see extended run versus the Timberwolves.
Martin hasn't lit the world on fire, yet he's averaged 20.6 DK points with at least eight points in each on an efficient 54.5% shooting. His most recent performance resulted in 25.75 DK points over 27 minutes of work.
High-scoring games have certainly aided Martin's floor, and the Timberwolves should help to keep that rolling on Wednesday. Through this point, they are 2nd in pace and 26th in defensive rating and have managed to give up at least 118 points in four straight. As long as Hayward is out he's someone to keep in mind as your last guy in.
DeAndre' Bembry, SF, Toronto Raptors
DraftKings Salary: $3,700
Like Martin, DeAndre Bembry presents a lackluster floor, but that should be considerably higher given the situation with Toronto. Following Tuesday's postponement and Pascal Siakam's move to the health and safety protocols, the Raptors added OG Anunoby, Fred VanVleet, and two others on Tuesday. In summary, the Raptors will be down three starters and a key bench player versus the Detroit Pistons.
Prior to the team's starting lineup announcement, it will be hard to nail down who will most benefit from the opportunity. Terence Davis II is a candidate because of Malachi Flynn's absence, but Bembry could seamlessly play a lot of the minutes usually allotted to the combination of Anunoby and Siakam. On Friday, he stepped into 23 minutes, tallying 13 points and 22 DK points in the process.
On the year, Bembry is averaging only 0.73 DK points per minute, but he has three games of at least 18.5 fantasy points (his salary-implied total) over the last 10 appearances, and that was in his primary backup role. He's going to be a popular value play on this slate.
Brett Oswalt is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Brett Oswalt also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username BRO14THEKID. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
