NBA

4 Under-the-Radar Daily Fantasy Basketball Plays for 3/29/16

John Wall finds himself in a terrific spot tonight but may go overlooked with several viable point guard options. Who else will fly under-the-radar?

If you have played daily fantasy sports for very long, you realize by now the importance of being contrarian, especially in large-field tournaments. Being able to recognize which players are going to be owned by the majority of the field and find players that you think have a similar point projection but will come at much lower ownership can really separate yourself from your opponents.

It’s a lot easier in NFL to identify the players who will be low-owned due to Thursday Night slates, but NBA can be much more difficult if you aren’t an experienced player.

The purpose of this article will be to bring you my favorite high-upside players at each position that will likely go overlooked and give you an edge.

Keep in mind when constructing rosters that these are contrarian picks. There is a reason that they will be overlooked by many; they are risky plays. If possible, I’d try to relegate these players to GPP-only use, where their high risk-reward styles make more sense.

Kevin Durant, SF, Oklahoma City

FanDuel Price: $10,300

Why He Will Go Overlooked:

I may be wrong on this one, but I believe many will see Kevin Durant's matchup with Detroit and spend down for cheaper options such as Paul George, Nicolas Batum, and Robert Covington. Detroit has allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to opposing small forwards this season, which may be enough for daily fantasy players to overlook Durant at his hefty price tag.

Why You Should Use Him:

Durant has been his usual dominant self recently, averaging 49.2 FanDuel points over his past seven games.

While Detroit has been solid against wings this season, Durant is about as matchup-proof as they come. If you don't believe me, look no further than the 58.6 FanDuel points he dropped on Toronto (seventh-fewest fantasy points allowed to small forwards) last night. Or, look at the 60.1 Durant put up in his one previous meeting with Detroit this season.

There is also reason to believe this is actually a winnable matchup for Durant. While Detroit has defended wings well as a whole, they have struggled to defend isolation plays this season, allowing the second-highest field goal percentage on isolation plays. More specifically, starting small forward Marcus Morris has allowed the third-most points to isolation plays this season.

In case you're curious, here is how the other top isolation scoring wings have fared against Detroit this season.

John Wall, PG, Washington Wizards

FanDuel Price: $9,700

Why He Will Go Overlooked:

I'm also hesitant to list John Wall as a truly contrarian play, but point guard is absolutely loaded tonight, and I believe many will struggle to justify fitting Wall in with cheaper options such as Kemba Walker, Kyrie Irving, Ishmael Smith, and Elfrid Payton. Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook are on this slate too, and always demand some attention from those making tournament lineups.

If trying to get some Washington exposure to the 226 over/under, I'd expect drafters to go with Marcin Gortat, who is considerably cheaper.

Speaking of the huge over/under, the Wizards are 13-point underdogs in this one, which may be enough to scare off some from shelling out a sixth of their salary for Wall.

Why You Should Use Him:

Wall comes into tonight's contest in excellent form, averaging 46.5 FanDuel points over his past seven games.

He draws a matchup against Steph Curry and the Warriors, who play at the second-fastest Pace in the league and have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season. While they haven't been horrible at defending in transition, they do rank in the bottom half of the league in terms of transition points, points per possession, and Effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%) allowed.

Wall has been one of the most effective transition finishers all season, ranking fifth in transition points. His eFG% raises from 47.0 percent to 60.9 percent while in transition. He was able to take full advantage of this matchup in his one previous meeting with Golden State, hanging 60.6 FanDuel points on them.

Vegas has this game projected to easily be the highest scoring of the night, and it is a big game for a Washington team fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive. If they are going to keep it close, they are going to need to score a lot of points, and John Wall is going to be a big part of doing so.

Reggie Jackson, PG, Detroit Pistons

FanDuel Price: $6,000

Why He Will Go Overlooked:

Three of Reggie Jackson's past five games have resulted in less than 22 FanDuel points, and as alluded to earlier, point guard is loaded today. 

Why You Should Use Him:

Jackson has really struggled with his shot recently, but he's still been able to flash upside, with three games of 35-plus in his past 10.

If anything will be able to get him going offensively, it is a revenge game against his former team, who also just happens to struggle to defend point guards. On the season, the Thunder have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards.

They have also struggled to defend in transition, an area Jackson has performed admirably this season. Oklahoma City plays at the eighth-fastest Pace in the league and has allowed the eighth-most points in transition. Jackson is second on the team in transition points and boasts an improved 53.3 percent eFG% in transition.

Jackson was able to put up 31 FanDuel points in his one meeting with Oklahoma City earlier this season, despite shooting 4-for-16 from the field. If he is able to find his shot tonight, expect him to continue to be aggressive. He's far too risky for cash games but is worth a look in tournaments.

Our projections love Jackson tonight, as well, listing him as the best value at point guard.

Enes Kanter, C, Oklahoma City Thunder

FanDuel Price: $5,600

Why He Will Go Overlooked:

Enes Kanter is always a risky play and draws a matchup against Detroit, who has allowed the 10th-fewest fantasy points to opposing centers. On a slate featuring Pau Gasol, Andre Drummond, Brook Lopez, Marcin Gortat, and Ian Mahinmi against the Bulls, don't expect daily fantasy players to be flocking to put Kanter in their one center spot.

Why You Should Use Him:

Rostering Kanter is always a scary proposition, but the big man has shown some semblance of consistency recently -- averaging 27.9 FanDuel points over his past 10 games with just one sub-20 FanDuel point performance.

While Andre Drummond is a force to be reckoned with, his defense is still a work in progress. Detroit has been one of the worst teams at defending in the post this season, an area in which Kanter has excelled.

Kanter has had mixed results in his past two meetings with Detroit, ultimately averaging 24.4 FanDuel points. With limited minutes, his performances are always unpredictable, but he is an interesting tournament play on tonight's small slate.