NBA

3 NBA FanDuel Value Plays for 11/16/17

The Rockets and Suns tangle in a matchup that should provide plenty of fantasy goodness on both sides. Which other low-cost players are worth checking out for tonight?

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 Thursday's nationally-televised two-game slate.

P.J. Tucker, SF, Houston Rockets

FanDuel Price: $4,000
Projected FanDuel Points: 22.4
Projected FanDuel Value: 5.61

With the Phoenix Suns ranked 28th in defensive rating (111.1) and the Houston Rockets ranked 3rd in offensive rating (112.2), it shouldn't be much of a game tonight in Phoenix. But that shouldn't prevent the Rockets from putting up points nor should it keep Rockets players from putting up fantasy numbers in a pace-up game.

James Harden and company are coming off of a blowout loss at the hands of the Toronto Raptors, so they should be looking to bounce back with a dominant performance. That might go for P.J. Tucker more than anyone. In the Rockets' 129-113 home loss, Tucker was ejected with two technical fouls after playing just 16 minutes. He finished the game without scoring and posted a dud of a 6.5-FanDuel-point night. Tonight, our models like Tucker to log nearly 28 minutes, which would imply that he stays out of trouble and produces as usual off the Rockets' bench.

On the year, Tucker's averaging 6.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and a total of 18.7 FanDuel points per game, but in six games against teams in the top 10 in pace, he's averaged 22.2 FanDuel points and 0.75 FD points per minute. Tucker has a nice floor in Thursday's advantageous matchup.

Ryan Anderson, PF, Houston Rockets

FanDuel Price: $4,600
Projected FanDuel Points: 24.1
Projected FanDuel Value: 5.24

Over the last two games, Ryan Anderson has failed to make his way into double-figures as he's struggled with his usual efficiency from beyond the arc, going just 3 of 10 from three and 5 of 15 overall across those two contests. But for fantasy purposes, his 17 rebounds are certainly encouraging for a guy that's not accustomed to providing great peripherals on a consistent basis.

Anderson is probably more of a tournament play when you account for his price and low floor of late, but he's in a prime spot to break out. The Suns' youthful and mistake-prone defense is allowing top-five production to power forwards -- with 22.8 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.6 threes against to date this season. The sharpshooting Anderson is our second-best point-per-dollar power forward play for good reason.

Tyson Chandler, C, Phoenix Suns

FanDuel Price: $4,600
Projected FanDuel Points: 22.7
Projected FanDuel Value: 4.93

On the other side of tonight's Rockets-Suns matchup is a 35-year-old Tyson Chandler. Chandler's numbers -- 7.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 0.6 blocks per game -- aren't very inspiring. However, he has played two more minutes than his season-average (25.8) over the last two games and finds himself in a matchup that could make him one of the few values for this Phoenix squad.

Prior to making a decision to roll with Chandler, it's imperative that you make sure he's playing tonight. As of yesterday, he was considered questionable with an illness. But if he plays, the Rockets rate 28th against centers, and Chandler's already managed five games of at least 25.0 FanDuel points this season. If he's feeling better and gives it a go, the veteran may be the single best punt play at center.



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.