3 NBA DraftKings Value Plays to Target on 1/27/21

A major key to success in daily fantasy basketball is uncovering potential value plays. If you're looking to roster a stud or two, you need to consider squeezing 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 on DraftKings tonight.

Jae Crowder, SF/PF, Phoenix Suns

DraftKings Salary: $4,900

One of Wednesday's biggest pieces of news is that Devin Booker will not play Wednesday after suffering a hamstring injury on Friday night. His absence opens up nearly 36 minutes, over 17 shots, and a 29.1% usage rate, according to NBA.com. Some of that will continue to be absorbed by Jae Crowder, who drew the start in the last game without Booker.

Crowder got the start and did a ton with it, posting 21 points on 6-of-15 shooting, adding 7 rebounds, and totaling 38.25 DraftKings points in 45 minutes (albeit in a double-overtime game). His usage rate was still under 20%, but he fed off of Chris Paul initiating and kicking him open looks.

A game against the Oklahoma City Thunder shouldn't do much to hurt Crowder's chances of enjoying another good game, either. OKC ranks 24th in defensive rating and has been more than three points worse over the last five games. Their 12th-ranked pace should also boost Phoenix given they themselves check-in 29th at just 97.7 possessions per game.

Darius Garland, PG, Cleveland Cavaliers

DraftKings Salary: $4,600

Tonight, targeting Darius Garland is for those of you playing in tournaments and GPPs. Since his return to the floor five days ago, the second-year point man has been relegated to a bench role with Cleveland Cavaliers bringing him along slowly. However, his minutes have inched up every game, from 22 to 23 and 26 in his last game out against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Garland shot a mere 22.7% through the first two games, but against L.A. he got back on track, hitting 5 of his 10 attempts for 11 points to go with 5 assists. His 20 DK points were far below his salary-implied total, yet he requires three fewer to hit value tonight. Before his injury, he had hit or surpassed 23 DK points quite frequently, as he averaged 17.2 points (on 45.5% shooting), 6.3 assists, and 3.3 rebounds from a 21.3% usage through his first six games.

In other words, if Garland is back to his starter's role or at least in line for 28 to 35 minutes, he's going to smash value and break the slate. He draws a Detroit Pistons squad that ranks 22nd in opponent points per game and gives up 22.1 to the point guard spot alone.

Anthony Edwards, SG/SF, Minnesota Timberwolves

DraftKings Salary: $4,000

Karl-Anthony Towns and D'Angelo Russell have both been out of late for the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Russell remains questionable for Wednesday. And now Jarrett Culver is being listed as out alongside Towns and Juan Hernangomez, further thinning their depth on the wing. That opens up opportunity for one either Josh Okogie or Anthony Edwards.

Edwards has been disappointing in recent games, yet has shown flashes in earlier games. Up to January 9th, he had tallied 15.1 points per game on his way to 23.2 DK points with a few above the 30-point threshold. But it's worth noting that he could be in for minutes with Okogie posted a goose egg in his last game.

The game environment is one conducing to scoring, so Edwards could have a big night from his versatile wing spot. The home Warriors are favored by eight, but the two teams just combined for 238 points, and both rank in the top six in pace. You could do a lot worse with far less upside in this salary range.

Brett Oswalt is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Brett Oswalt also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username BRO14THEKID. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her 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.