3 NBA FanDuel Tournament Plays to Target on 1/6/21

"One cannot be betrayed if one has no people."

How many times have we been burned by the chalk in NBA DFS?

When it's time to start building GPP lineups, especially for NBA tournaments, the fundamental choice to make is whether or not to buy into the chalk plays of the slate. More than any other sport, the popular plays in the NBA are popular for a reason. Where we often get into trouble in tournaments, however, is when we begin to blindly trust a slate's chalk.

This regular piece will focus on tournaments looking through the lens of the projected chalk plays -- the usual suspects -- of that night's games. In an attempt to understand the context of the slate, this column will look at lower-owned plays that help you gain ownership leverage against the competition.

Wednesday's slate is a massive 11 games, so should offer plenty of opportunities to differentiate off of the chalk plays of the night. Let's dig in to see where we can pivot.

Guard

Zach LaVine ($8,100) - When Paul George sat out on Tuesday with an "injury," it opened up tremendous opportunity for Kawhi Leonard and Nicolas Batum. The same should happen tonight when Leonard assuredly sits out on the second night of a back-to-back, instantly installing George as the chalkiest option at the shooting guard position.

LaVine makes for a strong pivot at a $900 lower salary against the Sacramento Kings. LaVine, in addition to his well-known scoring ability, has five games this season with at least a 30% usage rate and is averaging the second-highest assist rate of his career through seven games. The Kings allow more than 24 points per game, more than 4 assists per game, and more than 3 three-pointers per game to the position, setting up LaVine to get his shooting percentage right after yesterday's poor performance.

Forward

De'Andre Hunter ($6,000) - With Danilo Gallinari out of the lineup for the Atlanta Hawks, Hunter has feasted, increasing his FanDuel points per game in five straight contests. His latest outburst saw him put up 37 FanDuel points against the New York Knicks, and he now gets to face the Charlotte Hornets with an opportunity to keep the strong games going.

The Hawks have the highest implied total on the slate and will still be without Gallinari and Rajon Rondo, opening up plenty of minutes on the wing for Hunter. He was at 37 minutes in his last contest and mid-30's is certainly on the table tonight.

Hunter actually has the highest true shooting percentage of any small forward on the slate (66%), and while that is bound to regress, it shows that he is taking smarter shots this year and has plenty of open looks thanks to the strong play of Trae Young and John Collins. Play him with confidence at lower roster percentage.

Center

Nikola Vucevic ($8,700) - There are five high- to mid-range salaried centers on tonight's slate who all have elite matchups. Vucevic, Joel Embiid, Andre Drummond, Rudy Gobert, and Bam Adebayo all face teams that are in the top-12 of most fantasy points allowed to centers this season.

My guess is that Vucevic is the one who goes overlooked. He doesn't have the scoring or Embiid, the rebounds of Drummond, the blocks of Gobert, or the assists of Adebayo, but his all-around game has earned him 43.8 FanDuel points per game so far this season, third most at the position tonight.

Vucevic has also added a three point shot to his game this year, and is shooting 47% on five three point attempts per game. With more of an inside-outside presence than ever before, Vucevic is averaging the highest effective field percentage of his career and putting up MVP-type numbers.