3 NBA FanDuel Value Plays to Target on 9/1/20
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.
Marcus Smart, SG, Boston Celtics ($5,700)
No one should be surprised that Marcus Smart stepped into Gordon Hayward's void and has played well, as the well-rounded guard has gotten buzz all year about his defense due to his great work on that end of the floor. The more surprising part may be that Smart has actually stepped into a productive stat-counting role for the Boston Celtics, as well.
Brad Stevens is running a very thin rotation at the moment, with only five players seeing over 20 minutes in their series finale against the Philadelphia 76ers. Obviously, that changed in Game 1 against the Toronto Raptors in large part due to a blowout that saw Boston's stars pulled at the 4:51 mark of the 4th quarter, but Smart still saw 31 minutes even with the early hook.
Smart has continued to produce across the board in those heavy minutes, averaging 13.25 points, 6.25 rebounds, and 3.25 assists per game. He still is priced affordably given his role on the floor and is projected for 28.4 FanDuel points by numberFire for Tuesday's Game 2.
Jerami Grant, SF, Denver Nuggets ($5,100)
The game to target is absolutely the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz, with both in the bottom three of defensive rating over the course of the playoffs thus far, whereas the Celtics and Raptors are both top-five defenses to this point. The question then becomes which spectators of the Jamal Murray and Donovan Mitchell show are the best bets to produce in Game 7.
Jerami Grant seems to have at least curried favor inside of Michael Malone's wonky rotation for Denver, and given that Grant occupies the frontcourt, his role is likely unaffected by the returning Gary Harris.
Grant is actually third on the Nuggets at 33.8 minutes this series, and only he, Murray, and Nikola Jokic see over 30 minutes per game. Grant has significantly underperformed his 0.80 FanDuel points per minute rating from the regular season, as well, so in some ways, he has yet to showcase his true ceiling in that minutes allotment.
Royce O'Neale, PF, Utah Jazz ($4,600)
Like Grant, Royce O'Neale was third on his Jazz squad in minutes last game with 38 minutes, which should be no surprise as O'Neale is strong defensively, and Utah is looking for a way to cool off Jamal Murray. The Jazz have seemed to evenly split the load for Joe Ingles and Jordan Clarkson since Mike Conley returned to the starting lineup, but O'Neale has at least 37 minutes played in each of the last three games.
His 0.69 FanDuel points per minute rating leaves a ton to be desired, but in playing so consistently for the Jazz, he has showcased upside in the bubble. O'Neale has eclipsed 30 FanDuel points five times in Orlando, and a sixth time would go a long way toward clinching a birth in the next round for the Jazz.
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.
