5 NBA FanDuel Value Plays for 12/22/17
Shabazz Napier, PG, Portland Trail Blazers
FanDuel Price: $3,700
Projected FanDuel Points: 23.4
Projected FanDuel Value: 6.32
Damian Lillard is out tonight with a hamstring injury, and the likely candidate to start in his place is Shabazz Napier. Cheap players getting spot starts are always great bargain plays, but when there is a plus matchup as well, it heightens the value of the play even more.
The Portland Trail Blazers host the Denver Nuggets as they try and shake off a two-game losing streak. While the game is far from having the highest total on the slate, it's expected to be competitive, with the Blazers only 1.5-point favorites. The Nuggets are giving up 44.7 FanDuel points per game to opposing point guards, fourth worst in the league, according to FantasyPros.
Napier has played well this season when given run. In his past five games, he has topped 18 FanDuel points four times and is averaging 0.92 points per minute. The 30-plus minute burn likely on tap for him tonight bodes well for a solid return. One other benefit of using Napier that might go overlooked is that we may not get confirmation that he is starting until after tip, which may limit his ownership. He's a solid play in every format tonight.
