3 NBA FanDuel Value Plays to Target on 8/24/20

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 three players who can help fill in the gaps in your lineup.

Justin Holiday, SF, Indiana Pacers ($4,400)

While Aaron Holiday started a large majority of the year as a highly-regarded prospect, the Indiana Pacers have turned to his older brother in the playoffs. Justin Holiday brings experience that his brother does not, and so he got the nod in Game 3 against the Miami Heat. That largely was a formality, however, as his rotation spot has been set all series, as the elder Holiday has averaged 29.3 minutes per game thus far.

Holiday does a little of everything on the wing to remain decently productive despite his incredibly low 13.4% usage rate, averaging 0.74 FanDuel points per minute in the regular season. He is averaging 23.4 FanDuel points per game in this series so far, a lot of that on the back of a very sharp 2.0 steals per game average. He and James Ennis are identically priced options at small forward as a complement to Giannis Antetokounmpo's hefty price tag, but Holiday is entrenched in his role, whereas Ennis' production relies on the possible absence of Aaron Gordon, who is a game-time call again with his hamstring injury.

P.J. Tucker, C, Houston Rockets ($4,000)

There is not much glamour in playing the Houston Rockets' "center" P.J. Tucker, who stands built as a traditional wing at 6'5", and it is understandable to avoid doing so because of his incredibly low 0.61 FanDuel points per minute mark from the regular season. But, what cannot be debated is whether Tucker is on the floor long enough to present upside on most nights, as he was seventh in the entire NBA in minutes this year.

If there is positive news, it is that Tucker's production in the playoffs this year is up in the first three games, as the defensive stopper is at 0.71 FanDuel points per minute. The center position is particularly chaotic on Monday, with plenty of incredibly expensive options worth targeting at other positions, so the optimal play in cash might be to stick the heavy minute-load of Tucker in the center spot and work from there.

Luguentz Dort, SG, Oklahoma City Thunder ($3,500)

An undrafted Canadian rookie may be changing the course of an entire playoff series. Luguentz Dort returned from a knee injury in Game 2 and provided a serious lift for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the last two games on both ends of the floor. Dort is averaging 30.5 minutes and 20.3 FanDuel points per game since returning, and his growing reputation of guarding Rockets' star James Harden makes that unlikely to change moving forward in this series.

Worth noting as well is that Steven Adams went down with a knee injury against the Rockets in Game 3 and did not return. Who will replace Adams' minutes is a mystery, as Nerlens Noel only saw 15 minutes in that game, and OKC only played eight players in total. However, Dort sees the largest production increase of any Oklahoma City player with a gain of 0.07 FanDuel points per minute with Adams off the floor. On a slate with limited value, Dort is minimum-priced while starting, averaging over 30 minutes per game, and comes with upside replacing the usage of the injured Adams.

Austin Swaim is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Austin Swaim also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username ASwaim3. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his 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.