NBA

5 Daily Fantasy Basketball Value Plays for 3/28/17

Taurean Prince and the Hawks are good sources of value while Paul Millsap remains out. Who else can save salary tonight?

One of the keys to finding success in daily fantasy basketball is uncovering potential value plays. If you're looking to roster a stud player or two, you need to consider squeezing in one of these lower-priced options into your lineup.

Let's take a look at five players who can help fill in the gaps in your lineup.

Ish Smith, PG, Detroit Pistons

FanDuel Price: $4,500
Projected FanDuel Points: 27.8
Projected FanDuel Value: 6.17

Ish Smith is contingent on the status of Reggie Jackson, but Jackson is unlikely to play tonight and is a shut-down candidate. In 35 minutes last night, Smith maintained a usage rate of 20% and attempted 14 field goals, culminating in 30.7 FanDuel points. He also added six rebounds and five assists.

Tonight, the Detroit Pistons have an implied team total of just 99.25, but Smith without Jackson at this price is a tough option to pass up.

Lou Williams, SG, Houston Rockets

FanDuel Price: $4,600
Projected FanDuel Points: 26.1
Projected FanDuel Value: 5.68

Typically, taking players against the Golden State Warriors can lead to trouble, considering blowout potential. But Lou Williams' Houston Rockets are actually 1.5-point favorites over the Warriors in a game with a 233.5-point over/under. That gives the Rockets an implied total of 117.5, tops on the slate.

Houston will be without Ryan Anderson for the short-term. After a rough patch, Williams' price has dropped about $1,000 from where it had been. That makes him a value again, and he poured fourth 39.6 FanDuel points two nights ago in 30 minutes against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Taurean Prince, SF, Atlanta Hawks

FanDuel Price: $3,800
Projected FanDuel Points: 22.8
Projected FanDuel Value: 5.99

Taurean Prince gets a big bump in pace tonight, as his Atlanta Hawks face the Phoenix Suns, who are fourth in pace since the calendar flipped to 2017. The Hawks are 13th in that split.

Paul Millsap is out for at least three more games, and that means Prince remains a value option. He played 38 minutes on Sunday and attempted 13 field goals. In all, he totaled 32.7 FanDuel points. He's just too cheap, considering he should draw another start tonight.

Ersan Ilyasova, PF, Atlanta Hawks

FanDuel Price: $4,800
Projected FanDuel Points: 27.2
Projected FanDuel Value: 5.67

The same that applies to Prince applies to Ersan Ilyasova. Ghostface Ilya has produced well enough at this price that you can consider him again tonight: 34.3, 19.7, 20.6, 24.8, and 30.1 FanDuel points in his past five.

He's played 27, 27, 26, 32, and 32 minutes in those and attempted at least 11 field goals in three of the five. Atlanta has the fourth-highest implied total on the slate at 115 and are one of the best sources of value to be found.

Ivica Zubac, C, Los Angeles Lakers

FanDuel Price: $4,400
Projected FanDuel Points: 26.6
Projected FanDuel Value: 6.04

Ivica Zubac has had some clunkers in his recent past, with two games below 14 FanDuel points in his past six. He does have at least 20 in the other four and a 40.7-point outing seven games ago. The minutes aren't really stable -- 25, 21, 35, 19, 29, 10, 30, 18 -- in his past eight, but the Los Angeles Lakers and Washington Wizards are both among the top nine in pace since January 1st. That will lead to extra possessions even if his minutes stay low.

He's our third best point-per-dollar play on the board.