NBA

3 NBA FanDuel Value Plays to Target on 1/13/21

Thomas Vecchio  —  @Tom_Vecchio1 Jan 13th, 2021
Jae Crowder is playing solid minutes for the Suns and has a soft matchup versus the Hawks tonight. Is he one of the top values on the slate?

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-salaried options into your lineup.

Let's take a look at three players who can help fill in the gaps in your lineup.

James Johnson, PF, Dallas Mavericks ($4,200)

The Dallas Mavericks are dealing with a ton of players out, but that brings plenty of value tonight.

As of now, the Mavericks will be without Jalen Brunson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Maxi Kleber, Josh Richardson, and Dwight Powell. That thins out their rotation a good bit, which should cause James Johnson to continue seeing good minutes off the bench. The matchup versus the Charlotte Hornets is very soft and should provide plenty of chances for Johnson to reach value. The Hornets are allowing 56.61 FanDuel points per game to opposing power forwards this season, which is dead last in the league.

The over/under is set at 219.5 points in this game, which should create a solid environment for fantasy production. Even though Kristaps Porzingis is listed as probable for this game and is set to make his season debut, there has been no indication of how many minutes he will be able to play. If Porzingis' minutes will be limited tonight, Johnson should see a boost given the fact the Mavericks are so shorthanded.

Enes Kanter, C, Portland Trail Blazers ($5,300)

With Jusuf Nurkic listed as questionable, Enes Kanter could be a clear value option tonight.

Right from the jump, the Portland Trail Blazers at Sacramento Kings game is going to be very popular with the total sitting at 235.5 points. That is amazing to see for NBA DFS because the scoring production should very high, and that means plenty of fantasy points. If Nurkic is in fact ruled out for this game, Kanter could step into the starting lineup, which would make him an immediate value option.

When Nurkic is off the court this season, Kanter is holding a modest 18.9% usage rate but is producing 1.28 FanDuel points per minute. That production per minute is the second-highest on the team behind C.J. McCollum (1.34) and is something you want in your lineups when Kanter is only $5,300. On top of that, the Kings are allowing 58.88 FanDuel points per game to opposing centers, which is the third-worst in the league.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker, SG, New Orleans Pelicans ($3,800)

The New Orleans Pelicans will be without Lonzo Ball tonight, and that means we get value from them.

We know that Ball is confirmed out tonight, but the Pelicans also have Eric Bledsoe listed as questionable. This leaves their guard rotation a bit thinner tonight and should open up minutes for Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who is already averaging 14.7 minutes per game this season. It's not as if we are getting a random bench player as a value option, as Alexander-Walker is in the regular rotation for the Pelicans and is just set for an expanded role.

When Ball and Bledsoe are off the court this season, Alexander-Walker is producing 1.17 FanDuel points per minute from a 32.8% usage rate. However, this is from a sample size of 18.3 minutes, so take it with a grain of salt. Alexander-Walker could be in for 20-25 minutes tonight if Bledsoe is ruled out, which would make him one of the top values on the slate.