3 Under-the-Radar Daily Fantasy Basketball Plays for 1/18/17
Trevor Ariza, SF, Houston Rockets
FanDuel Price: $5,800
Why He Will Go Overlooked:
Trevor Ariza tends to always be underappreciated in daily fantasy circles, and on a loaded nine-game slate, that will likely be the case again tonight. People are going to do everything they can to fit in Kevin Durant in a revenge game against the Oklahoma City Thunder while Carmelo Anthony should also be popular, especially if Kristaps Porzingis sits again. Paul George also finds himself in a premier spot as he takes on the Sacramento Kings, so he should see his fair share of ownership.
Why You Should Use Him:
While teammates Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson are usually the more exciting options to pair with James Harden, Ariza has been the most consistent recipient of Harden assists this season, regularly playing minutes in the high-30's and continuing to be a solid value in the mid-price range.
Anderson missed last night's game due to an illness, and he could sit tonight, as well. Gordon left last night's game to have his ankle taped and was clearly affected by it, shooting 3-for-17. If either or both are forced to sit tonight, Ariza could be looking at big minutes and a boost in usage against a susceptible Milwaukee Bucks defense.
Not only have the Bucks allowed the second-most FanDuel points to opposing small forwards this season, but they have really struggled to defend the three-point shot. They've allowed the fifth-most made three pointers per game this season after allowing the sixth-most last year. They've also allowed the second-most points this year to opposing spot-up shooters after giving up more than any team last season.
Thanks to Harden's league-leading dime-dropping ways, no team has done a better job of finding spot-up shooters this season than the Houston Rockets. Houston leads the NBA in spot up points, and Ariza has the third-most points as a spot up shooter this season.
Ariza is a safe play in all formats, and his potential to get hot in this matchup gives him intriguing scoring upside. The potential for low ownership is just an added bonus.
