3 NBA DraftKings Value Plays to Target on 1/18/18

P.J. Tucker, SF/PF, Houston Rockets

DraftKings Salary: $3,500

The Houston Rockets will be without both Trevor Ariza and Gerald Green following #tunnelgate, which opens up some serious opportunities for Houston's wing players. Those two accounted for a combined 66.3 minutes and 25.6 shot attempts per game over their past five, so even with James Harden returning to a 25-minute role, there will be tons of minutes to go around.

P.J. Tucker and Luc Mbah a Moute ($3,200) are the two most likely candidates to slide into heavy minutes on the wing, with Mbah a Moute getting the starting nod. Many will gravitate towards Mbah a Moute as the starter at near-minimum price, but Tucker stands out as the preferable play for a number of reasons.

For starters, Tucker has been slightly more efficient on a per-minute basis. His putrid 0.63 DraftKings points per minute tops Mbah a Moute's 0.52 mark, so if we expect both to push for near 30 minutes, Tucker would be the more likely of the two to exceed value. Also, while Mbah a Moute starts alongside offensive-minded players such as Chris Paul, Harden, and Ryan Anderson, Tucker should have an easier time finding his shot as part of a bench unit that is without Gerald Green.

Both Tucker and Mbah a Moute have limited ceilings, but should have no problem exceeding value at their respective prices. Both are in play for either format and are fine pairing options if trying to fit in multiple studs today.