NBA

5 Daily Fantasy Basketball Value Plays for 3/9/16

Brandon Gdula  —  @gdula13 Mar 9th, 2016
J.R. Smith couldn't ask for a better matchup tonight. Who else can you target to save salary?

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'll need to find one of these lower-priced options to squeeze everyone into your lineup.

Let's take a look at three guys who can help fill the gaps in your lineup tonight. Of course, remember to check our projections closer to tip because so much can change in the NBA throughout the day.

Jose Calderon, PG, New York Knicks

FanDuel Price: $3,900

Jose Calderon doesn't have GPP-winning upside, but he's getting minutes, having played at least 30 minutes in six of his last nine games. Phoenix is about as enticing a point guard matchup as you'll find tonight, and Calderon has the easiest matchup at point guard, based on our DvP ranks. In addition, they offer a pace-up game for the Knicks, as the Suns rank fourth in Pace among teams playing tonight.

This is the second night of a road-road back-to-back for Calderon, but he has actually averaged 19.68 FanDuel points per game on zero days of rest (13 games) this year. That's right about where he'd need to land tonight to hit value. With so many high-priced options tonight, you might need to take what you can get where you can in order to load your roster with stars.

J.R. Smith, SG, Cleveland Cavaliers

FanDuel Price: $4,500

When you have a competent wing player facing the Sacramento Kings, you kind of have to talk yourself out of taking advantage. That's really the logic for rostering J.R. Smith tonight. Smith's matchup is extremely exploitable from many different angles, too, making the normally tough-to-trust Smith a tempting target.

The game doesn't yet have a spread, but with the matchup so enticing and the Kings' blazing Pace (tops in the NBA), Smith could be a guy who can destroy value.

Matt Barnes, SF, Memphis Grizzlies

FanDuel Price: $4,800

Matt Barnes will return to action tonight, squashing some of the value available for the rest of the Grizzlies -- though Zach Randolph is listed as doubtful. Again, the Grizzlies get a big pace-up game tonight against the Boston Celtics. Boston owns the third-fastest Pace on the evening, and Memphis owns the second-slowest of the 18 teams in action tonight.

Barnes has played at least 29 minutes in seven of his last night games, and with the laundry list of injured Grizzlies, he could be thrust into a big role again tonight. The attrition alone makes Barnes, at this price, an intriguing salary-saving option.

Nerlens Noel, PF, Philadelphia 76ers

FanDuel Price: $6,100

Nerlens Noel won't save you significantly, but at $6,100, he's not going to break the bank. Jahlil Okafor has been ruled out tonight, and since January 1st, Noel owns an Offensive Rating of 118 and a field goal percentage of 62.5% without Okafor on the floor -- over 429 minutes -- per NBAWowy. He's also averaged 1.15 FanDuel points per minute without Okafor in that span.

Noel will be ending a two-game absence tonight and likely start at center in a game featuring two of the night's top-six teams in terms of Pace.

Enes Kanter, C, Oklahoma City Thunder

FanDuel Price: $4,700

This one is a little nerve-wracking because of Enes Kanter's unpredictable minutes. He's topped 20 minutes in just four of his last 10 games. But Dion Waiters is out tonight due to a personal issue. While that does open up opportunity for some of the Thunder's wing players -- Andre Roberson, Kyle Singler, Randy Foye, Cameron Payne, and Anthony Morrow -- pinning down a clear winner is tough. 

Instead, you can potentially look to Kanter. Kanter has played more minutes alongside Waiters than any teammate this season, per Basketball-Reference, and his Usage Rate is 27.0% in 72 minutes without Waiters since the beginning of February, per NBAWowy. However, Kanter went for just 8 points and 8 rebounds against the Clippers last week (in 15 minutes).

Of course, he needs only 23.5 FanDuel points to reach value, and he's certainly got fantasy-point-per-minute potential in him. Having the best composite score of matchup, spread, and over/under helps, too.