NBA

NBA Sim Sports Picks for 3/27/20 on FanDuel

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 (both the early and late slates), 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, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander returned 4x value in 80% of his games and 5x value in 55% of his games.

Early Slate

Point Guard

PG4x Value5x Value6x Value
1Collin Sexton (0.77)Kris Dunn (0.57)Reggie Jackson (0.43)
2Spencer Dinwiddie (0.73)Spencer Dinwiddie (0.55)Kris Dunn (0.41)
3Goran Dragic (0.72)Elfrid Payton (0.53)Tomas Satoransky (0.34)
4Tomas Satoransky (0.71)Terry Rozier (0.52)Ricky Rubio (0.32)
5Patrick Beverley (0.71)Kendrick Nunn (0.52)Elfrid Payton (0.31)
6Kris Dunn (0.71)Tomas Satoransky (0.51)Darius Garland (0.31)
7Kyrie Irving (0.7)Ricky Rubio (0.49)Terry Rozier (0.3)
8Ricky Rubio (0.7)Darius Garland (0.49)Kyrie Irving (0.3)

Shooting Guard

SG4x Value5x Value6x Value
1Jimmy Butler (0.8)Tyler Herro (0.62)Tyler Herro (0.36)
2Zach LaVine (0.77)Devin Booker (0.59)Malik Monk (0.36)
3Garrett Temple (0.75)Duncan Robinson (0.54)RJ Barrett (0.35)
4Devin Booker (0.73)Devonte' Graham (0.53)Duncan Robinson (0.34)
5Devonte' Graham (0.73)RJ Barrett (0.53)Caris LeVert (0.33)
6Lou Williams (0.73)Lou Williams (0.5)Cody Martin (0.33)
7Tyler Herro (0.7)Zach LaVine (0.48)Garrett Temple (0.31)
8Duncan Robinson (0.68)Garrett Temple (0.47)Devin Booker (0.3)

Small Forward

SF4x Value5x Value6x Value
1Taurean Prince (0.75)Cedi Osman (0.57)Cedi Osman (0.38)
2Kelly Oubre (0.73)Joe Harris (0.54)Mikal Bridges (0.38)
3Joe Harris (0.73)Miles Bridges (0.53)Derrick Jones (0.37)
4Cedi Osman (0.71)Jae Crowder (0.52)Joe Harris (0.33)
5Paul George (0.69)Derrick Jones (0.51)Jae Crowder (0.33)
6Marcus Morris (0.69)Taurean Prince (0.5)Kelly Oubre (0.32)
7Jae Crowder (0.69)Paul George (0.5)Taurean Prince (0.3)
8Miles Bridges (0.68)Marcus Morris (0.49)Miles Bridges (0.29)

Power Forward

PF4x Value5x Value6x Value
1Kawhi Leonard (0.87)Kevin Love (0.61)Frank Kaminsky (0.38)
2Bam Adebayo (0.8)Bam Adebayo (0.55)Dario Saric (0.34)
3Julius Randle (0.75)Jarrett Allen (0.53)Larry Nance (0.32)
4Kevin Love (0.75)P.J. Washington (0.51)Jarrett Allen (0.31)
5Thaddeus Young (0.72)Julius Randle (0.5)Thaddeus Young (0.3)
6P.J. Washington (0.71)Larry Nance (0.48)P.J. Washington (0.27)
7Lauri Markkanen (0.68)Thaddeus Young (0.47)Kevin Love (0.25)
8Larry Nance (0.66)Dario Saric (0.47)Julius Randle (0.25)

Center

C4x Value5x Value6x Value
1Wendell Carter (0.77)Tristan Thompson (0.54)Kelly Olynyk (0.39)
2DeAndre Jordan (0.75)Cody Zeller (0.52)Bismack Biyombo (0.38)
3Ivica Zubac (0.75)Mitchell Robinson (0.51)Ivica Zubac (0.36)
4Cody Zeller (0.74)Montrezl Harrell (0.51)Aron Baynes (0.36)
5Deandre Ayton (0.73)DeAndre Jordan (0.5)Cody Zeller (0.33)
6Andre Drummond (0.72)Ivica Zubac (0.5)Mitchell Robinson (0.3)
7Tristan Thompson (0.72)Kelly Olynyk (0.49)Bobby Portis (0.3)
8Mitchell Robinson (0.72)Aron Baynes (0.48)Montrezl Harrell (0.29)

Main Slate

Point Guard

PG4x Value5x Value6x Value
1Derrick Rose (0.8)Mike Conley (0.62)Mike Conley (0.4)
2Chris Paul (0.78)Chris Paul (0.6)Ish Smith (0.38)
3Markelle Fultz (0.75)Ish Smith (0.55)Seth Curry (0.37)
4Ish Smith (0.72)Lonzo Ball (0.54)Shabazz Napier (0.37)
5Luka Doncic (0.71)Eric Bledsoe (0.54)D.J. Augustin (0.35)
6Trae Young (0.71)Derrick Rose (0.52)Rajon Rondo (0.33)
7Jeff Teague (0.71)Luka Doncic (0.52)Lonzo Ball (0.32)
8Lonzo Ball (0.7)D.J. Augustin (0.51)Jeff Teague (0.32)

Shooting Guard

SG4x Value5x Value6x Value
1Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (0.8)Donte DiVincenzo (0.61)Terrence Ross (0.4)
2Donte DiVincenzo (0.8)Terrence Ross (0.57)Josh Hart (0.39)
3James Harden (0.79)Damion Lee (0.57)JJ Redick (0.37)
4Dennis Schroder (0.78)Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (0.55)Jordan McRae (0.35)
5Donovan Mitchell (0.77)Donovan Mitchell (0.55)Jordan Clarkson (0.35)
6Khris Middleton (0.77)Jordan McRae (0.54)Delon Wright (0.32)
7Jrue Holiday (0.75)James Harden (0.52)Donte DiVincenzo (0.31)
8Evan Fournier (0.75)Bruce Brown (0.52)Bruce Brown (0.31)

Small Forward

SF4x Value5x Value6x Value
1LeBron James (0.84)De'Andre Hunter (0.57)De'Andre Hunter (0.43)
2Giannis Antetokounmpo (0.83)Brandon Ingram (0.55)Joe Ingles (0.39)
3Brandon Ingram (0.79)Danilo Gallinari (0.54)Danuel House (0.36)
4Danilo Gallinari (0.79)Tim Hardaway (0.54)Luke Kennard (0.36)
5Tim Hardaway (0.76)Joe Ingles (0.53)Dorian Finney-Smith (0.34)
6Luke Kennard (0.75)Troy Brown (0.52)Cam Reddish (0.34)
7Bojan Bogdanovic (0.72)Giannis Antetokounmpo (0.5)Tim Hardaway (0.32)
8Dorian Finney-Smith (0.72)Bojan Bogdanovic (0.5)Eric Gordon (0.32)

Power Forward

PF4x Value5x Value6x Value
1Zion Williamson (0.86)Blake Griffin (0.61)Christian Wood (0.4)
2John Collins (0.78)Zion Williamson (0.57)Nerlens Noel (0.36)
3Blake Griffin (0.78)Davis Bertans (0.56)Eric Paschall (0.36)
4Aaron Gordon (0.76)Nerlens Noel (0.53)Kyle Kuzma (0.35)
5Robert Covington (0.76)Aaron Gordon (0.52)Blake Griffin (0.33)
6Davis Bertans (0.76)Rui Hachimura (0.52)Royce O'Neale (0.31)
7Maxi Kleber (0.74)Kyle Kuzma (0.5)Kristaps Porzingis (0.31)
8Draymond Green (0.72)Draymond Green (0.49)Draymond Green (0.3)

Center

C4x Value5x Value6x Value
1Nikola Vucevic (0.78)Willie Cauley-Stein (0.61)P.J. Tucker (0.41)
2Rudy Gobert (0.75)Marquese Chriss (0.53)Dwight Powell (0.38)
3Thomas Bryant (0.74)Clint Capela (0.51)Ian Mahinmi (0.37)
4Clint Capela (0.72)Steven Adams (0.51)Dwight Howard (0.35)
5Derrick Favors (0.7)JaVale McGee (0.51)Marquese Chriss (0.34)
6Steven Adams (0.68)Rudy Gobert (0.48)Derrick Favors (0.33)
7Willie Cauley-Stein (0.67)Dwight Powell (0.48)Thomas Bryant (0.32)
8Dwight Powell (0.65)Dwight Howard (0.47)Willie Cauley-Stein (0.31)