NBA

3 NBA DraftKings Value Plays to Target on 2/3/21

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.

Taurean Prince, SF/PF, Cleveland Cavaliers

DraftKings Salary: $4,900

One of the night's top stories has to do with the injuries in Cleveland. Larry Nance Jr. -- in addition to Kevin Love -- is one player who has already been ruled out, as he will miss his second straight game for the Cavs. That should spell another start for Taurean Prince, who started and played 32 minutes in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves last time out.

Wednesday's matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers and the likes of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard is not ideal. However, according to NBA.com, the Clips are just 12th in defensive rating, and there is a chance they sit one of their star wings on the second night of a back-to-back. If so, Prince is even more of a value below the $5,000 mark.

In six starts with his two teams, Prince has averaged 10.2 points and 20.9 DraftKings points but in a mere 23.5 minutes. Regardless of a starting role, he's upped that production to 33.3 fantasy points a night in the three games he's logged at least 30 minutes. His per-minute rate is enough to keep him in the running for a roster spot this evening.

Theo Maledon, PG/SG, Oklahoma City Thunder

DraftKings Salary: $4,300

On Tuesday, it was announced that George Hill would now be sidelined for at least four weeks after undergoing right thumb surgery. That's bad news for Hill and for an Oklahoma City team hurting for experience, but it's good news for a promising young player like Theo Maledon.

Maledon received very few minutes to begin the season, but since Hill first started missing time, the rookie has played 28.6 minutes a game. With that opportunity, he's scored 13.0 real-life points on nearly 57% shooting and has gone for as much as 36.75 DraftKings points. Monday night, he was limited to 28 minutes in a 30-point loss, but if that's the baseline, you could do a lot worse when looking for some salary relief.

For a second straight game, the Thunder will host the Houston Rockets, but this time around they could benefit from John Wall sitting out for rest purposes. It should mean a more competitive game (a 4.5-point line would agree), and one in which Maledon could get you the 20 or so points you need to make him a worthwhile play.

Malik Monk, SG, Charlotte Hornets

DraftKings Salary: $4,000

Malik Monk's fantasy viability is tied directly to the status of Terry Rozier. Rozier was sidelined on Monday due to an ankle injury, and entering Wednesday, he remains listed as questionable. If he sits, Monk will be one of the big beneficiaries again after going for a career-high 36 points off the bench in his stead on Monday.

Before stepping into minutes when Rozier went down two games ago, Monk had been an afterthought in Charlotte, with star rookie LaMelo Ball serving as the Hornets' top backcourt player. But in his 63 minutes since, he's tallied up 44 points on nearly 53% shooting with 12 makes from downtown. When you fold in his few contributions in other categories, he's averaged 1.17 DraftKings points per minute in the last two contests.

It's simple: if Rozier is out, Monk is in. If he's not, Monk is a non-factor. That's ignoring what is a middle of the road matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers, who are 4th in defensive rating but rank 13 spots higher in pace.



Brett Oswalt i
s 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.