3 NBA DraftKings Value Plays to Target on 1/9/19

Thaddeus Young, SF/PF, Indiana Pacers

DraftKings Price: $5,700

It's true that $5,700 isn't generally a price one might use when talking about "value" plays on DraftKings, but in the case of Indiana Pacers forward Thaddeus Young tonight, it's apt. Young and his Pacers teammates will likely be without Myles Turner this evening, as he's doubtful with shoulder soreness.

While Domantas Sabonis is the first player you'd think of who benefits from Turner's absence, Thad Young's performances have similarly jumped when Turner misses time. He's averaging 12.2 points, 5.8 boards, 1.6 assists, 1.5 steals, and 25.8 DraftKings points in the 37 games he's played with Turner this year. In the three games he's played without Turner, those numbers have jumped to 17.3 points, 6.3 boards, 1.7 dimes, 2.3 steals, and 32.4 DraftKings points.

The impact can perhaps be seen most convincingly in his per-minute fantasy output. With Turner, Thad scores 0.85 DraftKings points per minute. Without Turner, he scored 0.98 DraftKings points per minute. This jump in fantasy efficiency comes despite his usage rate declining slightly (17.8% to 17.4%) when Turner is out.

We have Young projected for 30.5 DraftKings points tonight, which would equate to a value of just over 5.3 DraftKings points per $1,000.

Ian Goldsmith is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Ian Goldsmith also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zoidbergs_revenge. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.