During this downtime in the sports calendar, FanDuel has been innovating a lot of different ways to get some daily fantasy sports action.
One of those includes NBA Sim Sports, a format that looks pretty much identical to the usual FanDuel offering. The only twist is that the games won't be played live. Players will instead be assigned a random game from their 2019-20 season.
Matchups don't come into play, and late-scratches and other games missed by players won't come into effect. Scores roll out throughout the slate for a bit of a sweat.
It's free to enter, and here are some potential standout picks.
Finding Value
A rule of thumb in NBA DFS is finding certain value thresholds. For example, seeking players who can score 5.0 FanDuel points per $1,000 in salary. This is known as "five-times value" or "5x." The reason for that is if you max out your $60,000 budget and every player in your lineup scores exactly 5.0 points per $1,000, you'll total 300.0 FanDuel points. That's a good starting point.
Of course, for bigger totals, you'll want to shoot for 6x or higher, and for safety, 4x is a fine mark to uncover. What you will typically find is that the more expensive players hit 4x value often (because their roles are secure but their prices are high enough that they really need a huge game to pay off big price tags) and cheaper players hit 6x more frequently (because their bigger games are less about 50-point triple-doubles and more about a simple double-double at a cheaper price).
Value Leaders
These tables include the top-eight performers at each position based on how many times this season they had games that hit our three different value thresholds when compared to their current price for today's contest.
In parenthesis, you can see how often a player hit the given threshold. For example, Spencer Dinwiddie returned 4x value in 73% of his games and 5x value in 55% of his games.
Early Slate
Point Guard
| PG
|
4x Value
|
5x Value
|
6x Value
|
| 1
|
De'Aaron Fox (0.85)
|
Malcolm Brogdon (0.63)
|
Aaron Holiday (0.36)
|
| 2
|
Malcolm Brogdon (0.83)
|
Spencer Dinwiddie (0.55)
|
D.J. Augustin (0.35)
|
| 3
|
Markelle Fultz (0.75)
|
De'Aaron Fox (0.54)
|
Ricky Rubio (0.32)
|
| 4
|
Ben Simmons (0.73)
|
D.J. Augustin (0.51)
|
Jeff Teague (0.32)
|
| 5
|
Spencer Dinwiddie (0.73)
|
Ricky Rubio (0.49)
|
Malcolm Brogdon (0.31)
|
| 6
|
Trae Young (0.71)
|
Aaron Holiday (0.48)
|
Shake Milton (0.31)
|
| 7
|
Jeff Teague (0.71)
|
Michael Carter-Williams (0.48)
|
Kyrie Irving (0.3)
|
| 8
|
Kyrie Irving (0.7)
|
Trae Young (0.47)
|
Michael Carter-Williams (0.29)
|
Shooting Guard
| SG
|
4x Value
|
5x Value
|
6x Value
|
| 1
|
James Harden (0.79)
|
Josh Richardson (0.63)
|
Josh Richardson (0.42)
|
| 2
|
Evan Fournier (0.75)
|
Devin Booker (0.59)
|
Terrence Ross (0.4)
|
| 3
|
Terrence Ross (0.75)
|
Terrence Ross (0.57)
|
Jeremy Lamb (0.35)
|
| 4
|
Garrett Temple (0.75)
|
Buddy Hield (0.55)
|
Caris LeVert (0.33)
|
| 5
|
Jeremy Lamb (0.74)
|
Jeremy Lamb (0.54)
|
Garrett Temple (0.31)
|
| 6
|
Devin Booker (0.73)
|
James Harden (0.52)
|
Bogdan Bogdanovic (0.31)
|
| 7
|
Buddy Hield (0.73)
|
Kevin Huerter (0.5)
|
Devin Booker (0.3)
|
| 8
|
Kevin Huerter (0.71)
|
Garrett Temple (0.47)
|
Evan Fournier (0.3)
|
Small Forward
| SF
|
4x Value
|
5x Value
|
6x Value
|
| 1
|
Tobias Harris (0.77)
|
Harrison Barnes (0.58)
|
De'Andre Hunter (0.43)
|
| 2
|
T.J. Warren (0.75)
|
Glenn Robinson (0.58)
|
Glenn Robinson (0.4)
|
| 3
|
Harrison Barnes (0.75)
|
De'Andre Hunter (0.57)
|
Mikal Bridges (0.38)
|
| 4
|
Taurean Prince (0.75)
|
Joe Harris (0.54)
|
Harrison Barnes (0.37)
|
| 5
|
Kelly Oubre (0.73)
|
T.J. Warren (0.51)
|
Danuel House (0.36)
|
| 6
|
Joe Harris (0.73)
|
Taurean Prince (0.5)
|
Cam Reddish (0.34)
|
| 7
|
Eric Gordon (0.71)
|
Eric Gordon (0.5)
|
Joe Harris (0.33)
|
| 8
|
Jonathan Isaac (0.69)
|
Danuel House (0.5)
|
Kent Bazemore (0.33)
|
Power Forward
| PF
|
4x Value
|
5x Value
|
6x Value
|
| 1
|
John Collins (0.78)
|
Al Horford (0.55)
|
Nemanja Bjelica (0.38)
|
| 2
|
Al Horford (0.77)
|
Richaun Holmes (0.53)
|
Frank Kaminsky (0.38)
|
| 3
|
Domantas Sabonis (0.76)
|
Jarrett Allen (0.53)
|
Dario Saric (0.34)
|
| 4
|
Aaron Gordon (0.76)
|
Aaron Gordon (0.52)
|
Richaun Holmes (0.33)
|
| 5
|
Robert Covington (0.76)
|
Nemanja Bjelica (0.49)
|
Jarrett Allen (0.31)
|
| 6
|
Jabari Parker (0.7)
|
Robert Covington (0.48)
|
Al Horford (0.3)
|
| 7
|
Richaun Holmes (0.68)
|
Dario Saric (0.47)
|
Jabari Parker (0.3)
|
| 8
|
Dario Saric (0.66)
|
Frank Kaminsky (0.47)
|
Harry Giles (0.29)
|
Center
| C
|
4x Value
|
5x Value
|
6x Value
|
| 1
|
Nikola Vucevic (0.78)
|
Clint Capela (0.51)
|
P.J. Tucker (0.41)
|
| 2
|
Joel Embiid (0.76)
|
Alex Len (0.51)
|
Aron Baynes (0.36)
|
| 3
|
DeAndre Jordan (0.75)
|
DeAndre Jordan (0.5)
|
Alex Len (0.33)
|
| 4
|
Deandre Ayton (0.73)
|
Aron Baynes (0.48)
|
Myles Turner (0.31)
|
| 5
|
Clint Capela (0.72)
|
Myles Turner (0.45)
|
Dewayne Dedmon (0.3)
|
| 6
|
Myles Turner (0.69)
|
P.J. Tucker (0.45)
|
DeAndre Jordan (0.29)
|
| 7
|
P.J. Tucker (0.64)
|
Mo Bamba (0.45)
|
Mo Bamba (0.28)
|
| 8
|
Alex Len (0.63)
|
Joel Embiid (0.42)
|
Clint Capela (0.26)
|
Main Slate
Point Guard
| PG | 4x Value | 5x Value | 6x Value |
|---|
| 1 | Kyle Lowry (0.83) | De'Anthony Melton (0.6) | Reggie Jackson (0.43) |
| 2 | Derrick Rose (0.8) | Kyle Lowry (0.55) | De'Anthony Melton (0.4) |
| 3 | Jamal Murray (0.76) | Ish Smith (0.55) | Ish Smith (0.38) |
| 4 | Ish Smith (0.72) | Derrick White (0.54) | Derrick White (0.38) |
| 5 | Derrick White (0.72) | Lonzo Ball (0.54) | Ja Morant (0.37) |
| 6 | Patrick Beverley (0.71) | Eric Bledsoe (0.54) | Shabazz Napier (0.37) |
| 7 | De'Anthony Melton (0.71) | Elfrid Payton (0.53) | Jamal Murray (0.35) |
| 8 | Lonzo Ball (0.7) | Derrick Rose (0.52) | Lonzo Ball (0.32) |
Shooting Guard
| SG | 4x Value | 5x Value | 6x Value |
|---|
| 1 | Donte DiVincenzo (0.8) | Donte DiVincenzo (0.61) | Gary Harris (0.39) |
| 2 | DeMar DeRozan (0.77) | Dillon Brooks (0.55) | Josh Hart (0.39) |
| 3 | Fred VanVleet (0.77) | DeMar DeRozan (0.54) | Dillon Brooks (0.38) |
| 4 | Khris Middleton (0.77) | Fred VanVleet (0.54) | JJ Redick (0.37) |
| 5 | Jrue Holiday (0.75) | Jordan McRae (0.54) | Jordan McRae (0.35) |
| 6 | Lou Williams (0.73) | RJ Barrett (0.53) | RJ Barrett (0.35) |
| 7 | Gary Harris (0.73) | Bruce Brown (0.52) | Norman Powell (0.32) |
| 8 | Josh Hart (0.72) | JJ Redick (0.52) | Donte DiVincenzo (0.31) |
Small Forward
| SF | 4x Value | 5x Value | 6x Value |
|---|
| 1 | Giannis Antetokounmpo (0.83) | Rodney Hood (0.62) | Josh Jackson (0.44) |
| 2 | Brandon Ingram (0.79) | Gordon Hayward (0.56) | OG Anunoby (0.41) |
| 3 | Jaylen Brown (0.76) | Josh Jackson (0.56) | Rudy Gay (0.38) |
| 4 | Gordon Hayward (0.76) | Brandon Ingram (0.55) | Gordon Hayward (0.36) |
| 5 | Will Barton (0.76) | Jaylen Brown (0.54) | Luke Kennard (0.36) |
| 6 | Luke Kennard (0.75) | Will Barton (0.53) | Trevor Ariza (0.36) |
| 7 | Pascal Siakam (0.7) | Rudy Gay (0.53) | Will Barton (0.33) |
| 8 | Paul George (0.69) | Troy Brown (0.52) | Rodney Hood (0.29) |
Power Forward
| PF | 4x Value | 5x Value | 6x Value |
|---|
| 1 | Kawhi Leonard (0.87) | Blake Griffin (0.61) | Paul Millsap (0.43) |
| 2 | Zion Williamson (0.86) | Zion Williamson (0.57) | Christian Wood (0.4) |
| 3 | LaMarcus Aldridge (0.81) | Daniel Theis (0.57) | Jerami Grant (0.36) |
| 4 | Blake Griffin (0.78) | Brandon Clarke (0.57) | Daniel Theis (0.34) |
| 5 | Jayson Tatum (0.77) | Jaren Jackson (0.56) | Blake Griffin (0.33) |
| 6 | Jaren Jackson (0.76) | Davis Bertans (0.56) | Michael Porter (0.33) |
| 7 | Davis Bertans (0.76) | Serge Ibaka (0.54) | Serge Ibaka (0.32) |
| 8 | Daniel Theis (0.76) | Paul Millsap (0.52) | Brandon Clarke (0.31) |
Center
| C | 4x Value | 5x Value | 6x Value |
|---|
| 1 | Marc Gasol (0.75) | Jakob Poeltl (0.53) | Jakob Poeltl (0.4) |
| 2 | Ivica Zubac (0.75) | Mitchell Robinson (0.51) | Enes Kanter (0.37) |
| 3 | Thomas Bryant (0.74) | Montrezl Harrell (0.51) | Ian Mahinmi (0.37) |
| 4 | Hassan Whiteside (0.72) | Marc Gasol (0.5) | Marc Gasol (0.36) |
| 5 | Mitchell Robinson (0.72) | Ivica Zubac (0.5) | Ivica Zubac (0.36) |
| 6 | Derrick Favors (0.7) | Enes Kanter (0.49) | Gorgui Dieng (0.36) |
| 7 | Bobby Portis (0.7) | Jonas Valanciunas (0.48) | Derrick Favors (0.33) |
| 8 | Enes Kanter (0.69) | Gorgui Dieng (0.47) | Thomas Bryant (0.32) |
