NBA

3 NBA FanDuel Value Plays for 11/9/17

The Houston Rockets meet the Cleveland Cavaliers in what should be a high-scoring primetime matchup. Does that make P.J. Tucker worth targeting on Thursday's DFS slate?

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

Let's take a look at a trio of players who could provide value and salary relief on Thursday's five-game slate.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SG, Los Angeles Lakers

FanDuel Price: $4,700
Projected FanDuel Points: 24.4
Projected FanDuel Value: 5.19

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope doesn't find himself in a great matchup against Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards tonight. Not only will he have to deal with Beal's offensive game on one end, but he'll also face a Wizards team that has allowed bottom-eight production to the shooting guard position. Nevertheless, his consistent minutes and production are too good to ignore despite the lukewarm head-to-head at his position.

Over the last five games, Caldwell-Pope hasn't posted less than 22.7 FanDuel points while playing at least 33 minutes in all but one of those contests (he played 28 in the other). The most important thing is that he's put up 10-plus shots and four-plus three-point attempts on four occasions. Even the peripherals -- 5.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.2 steals -- provide a high floor for a player priced below $5,000.

P.J. Tucker, SF, Houston Rockets

FanDuel Price: $4,200
Projected FanDuel Points: 23.0
Projected FanDuel Value: 5.46

Of the 10 teams on Thursday's slate, the Houston Rockets carry the highest implied total, at 116.75 points. In hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers, they also take on the league's most inefficient defense (115.2 defensive rating). And that's reason enough to target Rockets players -- even those not named James Harden.

Luc Mbah a Moute is expected to return for Houston, but P.J. Tucker should continue to see a lot of run off the bench as he tries to slow down LeBron James and company. After averaging 27.6 minutes ovrer his last five, Tucker is projected to log 29.8 minutes in tonight's matchup. When playing those kind of minutes -- 28 or more -- Tucker has produced an average of 21.1 FanDuel points per game over seven contests this season. For all these reasons, Tucker's a top-3 point-per-dollar play for us at small forward.

Zach Randolph, PF, Sacramento Kings

FanDuel Price: $4,700
Projected FanDuel Points: 29.7
Projected FanDuel Value: 6.31

At 36-years-old, Zach Randolph is still doing it. Through eight games this season, the veteran has posted double-digit points seven times, all while averaging 12.8 points and 6.3 rebounds in 24.6 minutes a game. Lately, though, Z-Bo has caught fire on the offensive end of the floor. In his last three games, he's averaging 17.7 points on 53.5% shooting and 50% on his six three-point attempts.

Randolph appears to be benefiting from coach Dave Joerger's decision to play him at both the power forward and center spots for periods of time. The nimble-footed big man has taken advantage of slower, less versatile centers and has turned it into consistent production.

Tonight, you might be thinking that comes to an end. After all, the Sacramento Kings square off with Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers. However, the Sixers rate in the middle-of-the-pack against power forwards and dead last in FanDuel points allowed to opposing centers (52.9). So long as the Kings keep it close, Randolph should fulfill value as our third-best point-per-dollar play on the board.



Brett Oswalt is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Brett also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username BRO14THEKID. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.