5 NBA FanDuel Value Plays to Target on 1/3/20

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.

Marcus Smart, SG, Boston Celtics ($5,100)

With Kemba Walker dealing with the flu, he has been ruled OUT for tonight's game against the Atlanta Hawks.

With Walker unable to play tonight, we will see Marcus Smart as the starting point guard, and ultimately, one of the most popular plays on the entire slate regardless of position. The Boston Celtics come in as 12-point home favorites in a game where the total is set at 223 points. There are a few factors that go into this being the ideal spot for Smart, so let's take a look.

First off, the Hawks are allowing 47.2 FanDuel points per game to point guards this season -- the 11th most in the league. Next, this is a pace-up spot for the Celtics, as they rank 22nd in pace, while the Hawks are the 4th fastest team in the league. Finally, Smart is posting 1.02 FanDuel points per minute this season when Walker is off the court, setting him up for a big night against a weak defense.

Terrence Ross, SG, Orlando Magic ($4,400)

The Orlando Magic are the latest team to be hit by a series of injuries, opening up some value.

Yesterday, the Magic announced Jonathan Isaac -- their starting small forward -- is out for two months, and have Aaron Gordon listed as a game-time decision with an Achilles injury. Gordon has missed the last two games for the Magic, and now with Isaac out, their rotation and starting lineup will change yet again. Terrence Ross comes off the bench for the Magic but plays roughly 22 minutes or more per game, which could be on the rise with their current injury situation.

Ross has taken 10 field goals or more in four of his last five games, along with four or more three-point attempts in 10 straight games. He doesn't always fill up the peripheral stats, so it's good he has a solid volume of shot attempts to help him reach value.

Frank Ntilikina, PG, New York Knicks ($3,900)

Frank Ntilikina could be the starting point guard for the New York Knicks, making him a solid value option tonight.

The Knicks have both Elfrid Payton and Dennis Smith listed as questionable for tonight's game against the Phoenix Suns. If they are both ruled out, we could not only see Ntilikina as the starting point guard, but set for big minutes due to their shortened rotation. When both Payton and Smith were out earlier in the season, we saw Ntilikina play in the mid-'20s to mid-'30s in minutes per game. If that is the case, it puts him in a good spot against the Suns, who are currently allowing 48.1 FanDuel points per game to point guards this season -- the 10th most in the league.

This is also a significant pace-up spot for the Knicks, since they are the sixth-slowest team in the league and the Suns are the ninth-fastest in offensive pace. At $3.9K, Ntilikina only needs 19.5 FanDuel points in order to reach 5x value tonight.

Gary Payton, SG, Washington Wizards ($3,800)

With an over/under sitting at 236 points, the Portland Trail Blazers at Washington Wizards game is a spot to find plenty of fantasy value.

Since signing with the Wizards, Gary Payton has seen very different roles in the offense. He started the first few games -- playing 30 minutes or more in three-straight games -- and is now coming off the bench, playing 15 minutes or fewer in two-straight. With Bradley Beal listed as questionable for this game, Payton could be in for extra minutes. In fact, we have Payton projected for 25 minutes and posting 27.2 FanDuel points in the process, making him the best overall value on tonight's slate.

If Beal is ruled out -- the Wizards are on the front end of a back-to-back -- Payton could find his way into the starting lineup, but we need confirmation on that prior to tip.

Dario Saric, PF, Phoenix Suns ($3,800)

Dario Saric is the starting power forward for the Suns and is under $4K tonight.

The last few games have not gone well for Saric, scoring under 7.0 FanDuel points in each of his last three games while going 3-of-15 from the field. A rough stretch of games which has caused his salary to drop, but it's a time to buy back in. He is up against the Knicks, who are allowing 46.6 FanDuel points per game to power forwards this season -- the sixth-most in the league.

With a 226-point over/under, we are in for some scoring in this game, which should allow Saric to reach 19 FanDuel points -- what he needs to reach 5x value. All of this has Saric coming in as our best value among power forwards tonight.