NBA

3 NBA FanDuel Value Plays to Target on 3/26/21

Thomas Vecchio  —  @Tom_Vecchio1 Mar 26th, 2021

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.

Michael Carter-Williams, PG, Orlando Magic ($5,500)

With the Orlando Magic making several trades yesterday, their rotation is going to look very different going forward.

Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, and Evan Fournier were all traded away, and that leaves a massive opening in their offense. When they were all off the court this season, Michael Carter-Williams held a 29.9% usage rate and produced 0.82 FanDuel points per minute. Hopefully his usage will stay around the same rate while his per-minute production increases, making him a clear player to target in the Orlando offense.

We could see an increase in that per-minute production tonight since MCW is taking on the Portland Trail Blazers, who are allowing 51.85 FanDuel points per game to opposing point guards, which is the most in the league. There is no reason MCW shouldn't be able to push toward a ceiling game with this matchup and the likelihood of him playing 30-plus minutes due to the lack of players in the Magic's rotation.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker, SG, New Orleans Pelicans ($5,300)

If Lonzo Ball is out again for the New Orleans Pelicans, Nickeil Alexander-Walker should be the starting point guard.

Ball has been out the last two games, and there is a report he will be out for a few more games. This means we are getting value via NAW, who has been very productive in the starting lineup over the past two games. He posted 33 and 29 FanDuel points in those two starts, a level of production he can easily obtain tonight versus the Denver Nuggets. When Ball is off the court this season, NAW is holding a 23.2% usage rate -- which is the third-highest on the team -- while producing 0.99 FanDuel points per minute.

With a 232.0-point over/under and a close 2.0-point spread, this game features plenty of fantasy potential, giving NAW a strong projection of 34 minutes and 30.8 FanDuel points.

Jaden McDaniels, PF, Minnesota Timberwolves ($3,600)

Jaden McDaniels is the second-best value among power forwards tonight, so let's talk about him.

McDaniels is projected for 25.96 minutes and 20.3 FanDuel points. While that is fewer than one FanDuel point per minute, that projection still has him exceeding his salary-based value since he is only $3,600. McDaniels is taking the Houston Rockets, who are allowing the 10th most (44.31) FanDuel points per game to opposing power forwards.

He comes in with 22-plus minutes in five of his last six games and has taken at least five field goal attempts in five straight games. While McDaniels' pure scoring upside might not be immense, tonight's matchup versus the Rockets has a 227.5-point over/under and features both teams in the top six in pace. You should be buying into this game environment overall, and doing so via a value option such as McDaniels is a great way to go.