NBA

3 NBA DraftKings Value Plays to Target on 1/31/18

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Dwyane Wade, PG/SG, Cleveland Cavaliers

DraftKings Salary: $4,700

The Cleveland Cavaliers will for sure be without Kevin Love tonight, while Isaiah Thomas could be limited or out on the second half of a back-to-back. Thomas has yet to play in a back-to-back set this season, and he logged 33 minutes last night.

As a result, Dwyane Wade should be thrust into a much larger role for Cleveland. He has seen one of the largest boosts without Love this season, raising his DraftKings points per minute by 0.18 and his usage by 2.6%. His 1.22 DraftKings points per minute without Love are second on the team only to LeBron James. He has seen similar boosts with Thomas sidelined and should have no issues reaching the 23.5 DraftKings points needed at his salary.

If his per-minute average indeed sits somewhere around 1.22 DraftKings points, Wade would need just 19-20 minutes of court time to reach 23.5 DraftKings points, so the potential is clearly there to crush value. Similarly, guys like Tristan Thompson ($4,000), Jeff Green ($3,800), Jae Crowder ($3,800), and Derrick Rose ($3,500) will be asked to step into larger roles -- especially if Thomas sits. All are viable tournament plays, with Wade standing out as the preferred cash-game option of the bunch.