There are seven games on the FanDuel main slate tonight. This should be a high-scoring slate of games tonight as the Houston-Clippers game has the lowest projected total and that is still at 218. The Washington-Sacramento game has the highest total at 236 and the Brooklyn-New Orleans is close behind at 235.
There are eight players priced at 9,000 or above that are expected to play. Anthony Davis and Giannis Antetokounmpo are the marquee players priced at $13,000 and $12,300, respectively.
Remember that you roster nine players on FanDuel but only count your best eight scores as FD drops the worst scoring player from your lineup. If you are new to FanDuel, there is a free contest with $3,000 worth of prizes up for grabs tonight. The contest is called the “$3k NBA Fantasy Tip-Off Free Play”.
If you want to play any of the top-end players tonight, then you’ll need to find some salary relief to fit them into your roster. Here are 9 value plays that are worth considering as you set your lineup for tonight’s slate of games. Remember to check the news and injury reports, especially in the 30 minutes prior to lock. Use all the information available to you to make the best decision possible for your lineup. Good luck and have fun!
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Point Guard
Cameron Payne (CHI): $5,800 at CHA
You don’t want to mess around at the PG position on FanDuel. Play the studs when they are available. If you absolutely need to save a few thousand in salary but don’t want to punt, then Payne might be a good option. Once again, I repeat, I would play Kemba, Curry, Paul, Wall, or Lowry. Payne should log plenty of minutes tonight with Kris Dunn sitting out. It is unlikely that he has another career-high like his 21 points in Wednesday’s game against the same opponent, but he is still someone that can return value. He has had two good games this season and two bad games this season. However, these have correspondent directly with playing time. He is averaging 19 MPG and 10 FD points on the road and 29 MPG and 30.8 FD points at home. Unfortunately, tonight’s game is on the road. I think the variance will even itself out more tonight and he’ll be fine. But, once again, don’t even mess with value Point Guards tonight. Lock in your points with one of the studs.
Derrick Rose (MIN): $4,800 vs. MIL
Rose is having a bit of a resurgence this year even though he isn’t starting. Despite not being the starter, he is still averaging 28 MPG and 28 FD points. He has four straight games of double-figure real-life points. He also has four straight games of at least 5 assists. If something crazy happens today and Jimmy Butler gets traded (like for 4 first-round draft picks?!?) then fire Rose up with confidence.
Shooting Guard
Damyean Dotson (NYK): $5,200 vs. GSW
Dotson is coming off the bench but seeing a lot of minutes. In fact, he led the Knicks in minutes Wednesday night. With the Warriors favored by 12 points, it would seem to suggest that the Knicks bench will get a lot of run. Dotson is on fire right now scoring double-figure real-life points in three straight games. Fantasy wise, he has earned 40.0, 29.6, and 21.4 FD points in the last three games.
Austin Rivers (WAS): $3,600 at SAC
If you want to take a calculated risk, then you might want to consider Rivers. Remember, that he is a guy that scored 20+ real-life points 12 times last season. He had a 16.1 ppg scoring average per 36 minutes. He is a reserve for Washington but in a high-scoring game in which Washington is expected to win, it is not unreasonable to think that he could go off. At a minimum, if he just hits his floor, it won’t completely kill you. He is averaging 24 mpg and 15.4 FD points this season. Getting his potential upside isn’t terrible at essentially minimum price.
Small Forward
Justin Jackson (SAC): $4,000 vs. WAS
He has gone over 20 FD points in three straight games. He drew the start for Iman Shumpert on Wednesday. Make sure to monitor the news today as to whether Shumpert will suit up tonight. If he sits again, Jackson is a nice play. If Shumpert plays, then Jackson is much more of a risk. He played 37 minutes starting for Shumpert. He was averaging 26 MPG prior to that start. Overall, he is averaging 20.0 FD points on the season. This is expected to be a very high-scoring game.
Dorian Finney-Smith (DAL): $3,700 vs. TOR
With Harrison Barnes sitting out, Finney-Smith has taken advantage of his opportunities. He is not lighting the world on fire but is averaging 20.9 FD points in his four games this year. Getting 5X plus value is always nice. At only $3,700, it is hard to go wrong with a guy that has been above 20 FD points in three of four games this season. He is also averaging 32 mpg this season.
Power Forward
Montrezl Harrell (LAC): $5,400 at HOU
Harrell is not a safe play but is the kind of play that can vault your lineup to a higher level in GPPs. He doesn’t get a lot of minutes but is very productive with what he gets. He is a high-energy player that can put up hustle stats quickly (rebounding, blocks, steals). In his last two games, he has earned 30.7 and 43.5 FD points. That is not a bad return for a guy coming off the bench. He has returned 5X or higher value in three of his four games this season. With the inconsistent play of Martin Gortat, Harrell is in line for even more opportunities. When these two teams faced off on Sunday, Harrell had 17 points and 10 rebounds for 43.5 FD points. At a similar price point, Serge Ibaka and PJ Tucker are more consistent and reliable, but I like the upside of Harrell for tournaments.
John Henson (MIL): $3,700 at MIN
There is a logjam in the frontcourt for the Bucks so Henson is not guaranteed to get a lot of playing time. He is only averaging 16.7 MPG this season but is producing when given the opportunity. He is averaging 21.9 FD points. The Bucks are not a great rebounding team, but Henson provides that aspect for the Bucks. The Timberwolves are not the greatest defensive team and so Henson might be able to pick up some points down low. He is certainly not a safe pick but if you are punting a position and wanting to save salary, at $3,700, he is a fine play. In the two games this year that he has been priced below $4,000, he has returned 7.2 and 8.1X value.
Center
Ed Davis (BKN): $3,600 at NOP
The Center position is a little weak tonight overall. There are some really good players on the slate but from a fantasy perspective, I am not feeling completely confident that any of them are sure things. I don’t typically like paying down at Center but on a slate like this, you might consider it. If you are feeling frisky and just want to return 5X value with the possibility that you catch lightning in a bottle, then you could fire up Davis. Davis doesn’t see many minutes (16.7 MPG), but this is expected to be a high-scoring game and with the Pelicans favored by a lot, he could see additional minutes in the second half. Davis has returned 5X value in every game this year while averaging 21.1 FD points per game.
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Jamy Bechler is an NBA fantasy contributor for FantasyPros. His DFS twitter is @WinningDFS101, and his website is www.FantasyFocusFootball.com.