NBA

3 NBA DraftKings Value Plays to Target on 11/20/17

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Rodney Hood, SG/SF, Utah Jazz

DraftKings Salary: $5,600

Rodney Hood is a frustrating player in daily fantasy, as he seems to regularly disappoint when he is the chalk and then go off when people are back off. He put up a dud on Friday at high ownership, which is sandwiched in between two games of 40-plus DraftKings points. Considering he needs just 28 DraftKings points to reach five-times his salary implied value, Hood certainly seems underpriced. He's reached that number in four out of his past seven games and has also displayed the upside for huge games during that span.

The main reason for Hood's recent strong play would seem to be the absence of Rudy Gobert. While you might not expect the team missing its shot-blocking center to have such a large affect on an offensive-minded wing, Hood has been the clear beneficiary of Gobert missing time. In 211 minutes without Gobert, Hood's usage has risen by 5.1%, to a team-high 34.4% mark, while his DraftKings points per minute have risen by 0.23. For some reference, that 34.4% mark would tie Kristaps Porzingis for the second-highest mark in the league.

His opponent tonight, the Philadelphia 76ers, have been much better defensively this season, but have struggled against opposing shooting guards. Hood should benefit from coming off the bench, as he will spend less court time being defended by Robert Covington with Joel Embiid protecting the rim. Just given the nature of his game, Hood is likely better reserved for tournaments. If you are not a risk-averse player, he could be cash-game viable, as his price is simply too low to account for his production and upgraded role.

Just understand that his game comes with a large amount of variance on a nightly basis.