NBA

3 Daily Fantasy Basketball Value Plays for 4/8/16

Alex McDonald  —  @McDonaldA12 Apr 8th, 2016
Jamal Crawford should see a lot of minutes tonight for the Clippers. Who else should you target to save money today?

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 three guys 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.

Jamal Crawford, SG, Los Angeles Clippers

FanDuel Price: $4,600

Tonight, the Clippers are resting their main players -- Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, J.J. Redick, and DeAndre Jordan -- which will open up a lot of value across their roster. Jamal Crawford will play tonight and will try to duplicate his performance from a few days ago when the starters sat out. In that game, the Clippers faced the Thunder, and Crawford played 40 minutes and scored 47 fantasy points.

He has been very productive with Paul out of the lineup all year long and sees a 41% increase in his Usage Rate with Paul off the court.

Given the success last time the starters sat, his low price tag, and the news breaking this early, expect Crawford's ownership to be rather high tonight. 

Boban Marjanovic, C, San Antonio

FanDuel Price: $3,500

Boban Marjanovic has a similar situation to Crawford from above. The Spurs will likely be resting their starters tonight, which would allow Marjanovic a chance to play close to 30 minutes.

Marjanovic has been a per-minute stud this year but rarely gets the playing time needed to be relevant. On the season, he is averaging 1.2 points per minute on FanDuel, which  ranks him 11th in the entire NBA.

For fun, here is a look at the 7'3" Marjanovic's hands.

Shane Larkin, PG, Brooklyn Nets

FanDuel Price: $4,600

Shane Larkin took over the starting point guard duties in Brooklyn, and his price hasn't climbed enough to match his production. He has had a value of at least five (points per $1,000) in 10 straight games, which is extremely impressive. Over those 10 games, he is averaging a value of 6.4 times his cost.

There isn't anything too flashy about Larkin because he doesn't score a ton of points and hasn't had double-digit assists or rebounds the entire year. His value comes by getting decent stats across the box score at a low price tag.

He is playing just over 30 minutes on a consistent basis now. Larkin seems to be very safe and will cost you only $4,600. 

As always, make sure to watch for updates as the games get closer. This time of year, there are a lot of late scratches, as players are resting for the playoffs, which can drastically change the landscape of the value plays.