D’Angelo Russell continues to provide value as his role expands
Welcome to the next installment of my FanDuel value plays for the Saturday Slate of NBA games. Again, my name is Geoff Lambert, founder of GoingFor2.com, and looking at today’s slate, there is a ton of “under the radar” value to be found. Let’s not waste any time and jump right in.
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Point Guard
D’Angelo Russell – Lakers $5100
Previous to the blowout loss to the Warriors, Russell had received 35-plus minutes in back to back games for the first time all season. Coach Byron Scott has expressed his desire to give him more minutes, and Russell has responded with some good games. In fact, he nearly posted a double-double against the very same team he plays tonight, the Portland Trailblazers. The Blazers are in the bottom third of the league in defending the point guard position, so Russell has a lot of things working in his favor, he is a great play at only $5100.
Emmanuel Mudiay – Nuggets $6000
Mudiay falls right on the line for what I consider a value play at $6000, and his matchup tonight couldn’t be juicier. The Mavericks give up the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards over the last three weeks and are third worst over the last week. He isn’t terribly efficient but luckily in FanDuel, unlike season long, you’re not hurt by things like field goal percentages.
Shooting Guard
Wesley Matthews – Mavericks $4800
There isn’t a ton of value at the shooting guard spot today, and Matthews is risky to say the least, but with three straight games, and four of his last five, scoring double-digit points, Matthews seems to be finding some consistency. Two of the last three games in which he had double-digit points actually came against good defensive teams in the Spurs and Grizzlies, so one would expect him to be better in a “cupcake” matchup with the Nuggets.
Small Forward
Al-Farouq Aminu – Blazers $5800
One big factor when I look at value is minutes played, and Aminu is averaging over 30 minutes a game on the season. He has had some inconsistent performances, and, in fact, did not play particularly well the last time he played the Lakers, but with the minutes he is given and the “plus” matchup with the Lakers, he is a great value play tonight.
Omri Casspi – Kings $4400
I’m writing this before the Kings and Timberwolves have even tipped off, so I don’t know if the news I read about Casspi getting more minutes is true or not. Assuming that it is true and that he and Rudy Gay will be on the court at the same time, then I love the potential value here. He was given 31 minutes in his last game versus the Bucks and produced 36 FanDuel points. At $4400, you’ll take that any day of the week.
Power Forward
Luis Scola – Raptors $4700
Scola has been on my value sheet a number of times this year, and he makes the list again. He has four straight games in which he has scored in double figures and he is a great rebounder. It’s a tough matchup with the Wizards but at $4700 he should still reach value.
Center
Zaza Pachulia – Mavs $5800
After four straight double-doubles, Pachulia put up a dud against the Spurs, but the Nuggets have never been confused for the Spurs. The Nuggets put up a lot of shots, leaving plenty of rebounding opportunities for Zaza and the Mavs. Expect him to start another double-double streak tonight.
Kosta Koufos – Kings $4200
Another highly inconsistent player, but when you’re looking a value plays you’re going to run into that a lot. Koufos has shown when given minutes he can put decent numbers. His minutes will be key, but I could see this game becoming a blowout, so he could see some junk time minutes to pad his stats.
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Geoff Lambert is a correspondent at FantasyPros. You can read more from Geoff by visiting his site GoingFor2.com or follow him on Twitter @GeoffLambert77.
