NBA

3 NBA FanDuel Value Plays for 11/8/17

Brett Oswalt  —  @bRo14thekid Nov 8th, 2017
The Minnesota Timberwolves are underdogs against the Golden State Warriors, but that doesn't mean there isn't value to be had. Which bargain-bin players should you target on Wednesday night?

One of the keys to finding 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 in one of these lower-priced options into your lineup.

Let's take a look at a trio of players who could provide value and salary relief on Wednesday's five-game slate.

Shelvin Mack, PG, Orlando Magic

FanDuel Price: $3,600
Projected FanDuel Points: 19.9
Projected FanDuel Value: 5.54

Shelvin Mack isn't a ceiling play. What's intriguing is the 15-point floor he's sustained in the absence of D.J. Augustin and Elfrid Payton, who are both sidelined with injuries. In fact, as the team's only healthy point guard, he's averaging 19.8 FanDuel points in 23.4 minutes a game, including a start on Friday.

Mack came off the bench with Jonathon Simmons entering the starting lineup on Sunday, but against the New York Knicks, our models project Mack to play about the same amount of minutes (23.7) tonight. Given that, he should have enough time to score a few points and dish out a handful of assists on his way to justifying a very low price tag.

Jamal Crawford, SG, Minnesota Timberwolves

FanDuel Price: $3,300
Projected FanDuel Points: 20.3
Projected FanDuel Value: 6.15

On Wednesday, the Minnesota Timberwolves head into Oracle Arena to take on the best of the West, the Golden State Warriors. Unsurprisingly, they're 10.5-point underdogs right now, but that shouldn't keep you from rostering any Wolves. Their implied total of 109.5 points trails only the Warriors and Orlando Magic among the 10 teams on the slate.

Many DFS players will gravitate toward studs like Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns, but the Warriors' second-team has been vulnerable this season. Just four days ago, the Denver Nuggets' Will Barton and Emmanuel Mudiay each tallied 15-plus points, 5-plus assists and 5-plus rebounds in what turned out to be a 19-point loss to the Dubs. That isn't to say that tonight's matchup will result in a lopsided victory, but Jamal Crawford is certainly worth a look in tournaments.

In his last five games, Crawford has failed to register more than 21 minutes off the Timberwolves' bench, but he has managed three games of 17 or more FanDuel points in that time. And if you're thinking that's an arbitrary number, it's not. With Crawford's reduced price, 17 is enough for five-times value -- anything beyond that is gravy.

Taj Gibson, PF, Minnesota Timberwolves

FanDuel Price: $4,600
Projected FanDuel Points: 26.8
Projected FanDuel Value: 5.82

Unlike Crawford, Taj Gibson is a guy you can consider for both cash and tournament games on Wednesday night. We already know the deal with the game situation, so long as Minnesota keeps it close, Gibson should see big minutes. In his 10 games to date, he's averaging 29.5 minutes per game and has played 30 or more in exactly half of those.

Gibson's well-established workload provides a solid cash-game floor, especially for a player priced below $5,000. But over his last five, Gibson has managed two double-doubles and at least 31.9 FanDuel points in three of those contests. Combine that with the Warriors' sixth-ranked pace (101.3 possessions per 48 minutes) and you get a top-5 point-per-dollar play on this evening's slate of games.


Brett Oswalt is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Brett 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 author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.