NBA

5 Daily Fantasy Basketball Value Plays for 2/26/16

Looking for value plays for tonight's slate of games? We've selected five players who will help propel your lineup to success.

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 five guys -- prices according to FanDuel -- 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.

Jeff Teague, PG, Atlanta Hawks

FanDuel Price: $6,200

Sitting a bit above the range we generally shoot for when looking at our value plays, Jeff Teague has a price low enough to put him in consideration. His matchup against Chicago should be exploitable because they've allowed the sixth most FanDuel points to opposing shooting guards this season.

We'd particularly like the matchup if Derrick Rose is able to suit up because he's been horrendous on defense all year. Rose's Defensive Real Plus-Minus of -3.61 ranks 82nd out of 84 eligible point guards. E'Twaun Moore would likely draw the start again if Rose sits and has been considerably better -- as measured by his Defensive Real Plus-Minus of 0.68 -- but has spent much of his time at shooting guard this season, so the numbers may be skewed slightly.

The line hasn't been released yet due to the uncertainty surrounding Rose, but assuming Teague is fully recovered from his minor injury sustained a couple of games ago, he should once again be primed to see around 30 minutes of playing time -- he's averaged 28.4 this year -- providing plenty of opportunities for him to hit value.

Jamal Crawford, SG, Los Angeles Clippers

FanDuel Price: $5,000

Readers of this column on Monday, Wednesday and Friday are probably getting tired of seeing Jamal Crawford's name, but the matchup and price are nice enough that we're back here once again. The Kings are allowing the most FanDuel points to opposing shooting guards this year and are fresh off of allowing Danny Green to bust out for over 33 a couple of days ago.

Crawford bounced back on Wednesday, playing more than 27 minutes and was plenty involved in the offense, sporting a Usage Rate of 30%.

J.J. Redick could also be an intriguing play because Sacramento's perimeter defense is lacking -- they allow the most three-point field goal attempts and the fifth highest three-point field goal percentage to opponents -- and Redick has been on fire from deep, hitting 10 threes in his previous two games.

Matt Barnes, SF, Memphis Grizzlies

FanDuel Price: $5,000

Matt Barnes has been seeing big minutes since the All-Star Break, averaging more than 33 minutes per game. Playing time is key for a player like Barnes, as he derives a lot of his value from accumulating peripheral stats. At $5,000 and facing off against the Lakers again -- he torched them for 43.5 FanDuel points a couple of nights ago -- Barnes should be a lock for cash game lineups. His explosion on Wednesday shouldn't have been overly surprising, as the Lakers have allowed the most FanDuel points to opposing small forwards this year.

The game projects to be fairly close, as the spread sits at 4.5 points, which should keep Barnes in line for a healthy allotment of minutes once again tonight. 

Jared Dudley, PF, Washington Wizards

FanDuel Price: $4,700

There are a lot of quality plays in the mid- to upper-tiers of the pricing structure tonight, but if you need a punt play, Jared Dudley should provide solid value. Dudley had a bit of a down game on Wednesday, but prior to that, he had topped 25 FanDuel points in each game since the All-Star Break.

The 76ers are a team that we like to exploit in general, but they are particularly soft against opposing power forwards. Over the course of the season, opposing fours have scored more FanDuel points against Philadelphia than every team but the Rockets.

Dudley isn't overly involved in the offense -- his Usage Rate is only 12.6% -- but his ability to fill up a stat line combined with his value price tag should allow him to return solid value once again tonight.

Nikola Jokic, C, Denver Nuggets

FanDuel Price: $5,800

Nikola Jokic's playing time has been volatile all year, but he has yet to drop below 20 minutes in a game since the All-Star Break with Jusuf Nurkic currently in the coach's doghouse.

His somewhat volatile playing time and production push him more towards a tournament play, where his high ceiling makes him an elite option against a Mavericks team that has been middling against opposing big men this season.

With players like Al Horford available for use in cash games, there likely isn't much reason to dip down to Jokic's price, but he does provide enough value to consider in those formats if needed as well.