3 Under-the-Radar Daily Fantasy Basketball Plays for 1/26/17
Ricky Rubio, PG, Minnesota Timberwolves
FanDuel Price: $6,900
Why He Will Go Overlooked:
For a four-game slate, there are plenty of point guard options available. Russell Westbrook has triple-doubled in five of his past six games and always demands attention. Eric Bledsoe has been playing at an elite level and draws a terrific matchup against the Denver Nuggets.
In the mid-range, George Hill has also been playing well and should be a popular option against the Los Angeles Lakers. If looking for a value play, Jameer Nelson is filling in for Emmanuel Mudiay and has an up-tempo matchup against the Phoenix Suns.
Ricky Rubio's matchup against the Indiana Pacers is just middle-of-the-pack on paper, and he isn't likely to be on the radar of most daily fantasy players with the amount of viable point guard plays.
Why You Should Use Him:
Rubio played 34 minutes and put up 34.8 FanDuel points in his return to the lineup on January 24, which is pretty much right on par with his performance prior to his absence. In the five games prior, Rubio was on quite the tear, averaging 41.2 FanDuel points.
Despite that stretch, his price is still at $6,900. For some reference, Bledsoe has been all the rage over the past week, seeing his price skyrocket from $7,700 to $9,700 over his past five games. He averaged 46.6 FanDuel points over that span, compared to Rubio's 41.2, but Rubio's price has risen just $500 over his last five games.
That's not to say Rubio is a better play than Bledsoe, but simply that his price has not caught up to his performance.
While the matchup against the Pacers isn't as enticing as some others tonight, it's far from intimating. Indiana has allowed the 13th-most FanDuel points to opposing point guards and Jeff Teague's defensive real plus/minus (DRPM) of -0.21 shouldn't scare you off Rubio. There are better cash game options, but given his price, it is certainly worth taking a shot on him in tournaments to see if he can maintain his recent production.
