3 NBA FanDuel Value Plays to Target on 2/22/21
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.
Eric Gordon, SG, Houston Rockets ($5,300)
With a number of injuries to the Houston Rockets' rotation tonight, they offer a few value options.
As of now, Victor Oladipo is doubtful, DeMarcus Cousins is questionable, and Christian Wood is out. All of this should put Eric Gordon in a fantastic spot to reach or exceed value for a few reasons. First off, tonight's game against the Chicago Bulls has a very solid over/under sitting at 227.0-points with a 1.0-point spread. Both teams come into this game in the top-five of the league for the fastest-paced offensive teams, which should enhance the overall game environment. A high total and fast-paced teams are great for DFS, but it doesn't stop there.
When accounting for those players being off the court, Gordon is carrying a 27.0% usage rate while producing 0.96 FanDuel points per minute. All of this leads to Gordon being projected for 34.36 minutes and 32.4 FanDuel points, which makes him the second-best value play on tonight's slate.
Kelly Olynyk, C, Miami Heat ($4,400)
Even though Kelly Olynyk is a role player for the Miami Heat, he has plenty of value tonight.
Right from the jump, we see a 212-point over/under between the Heat and the Thunder, which is the lowest on the slate. That isn't great, but there are still options to consider from this game and that starts with Olynyk. The Thunder are struggling this year and they are specifically bad at guard big men. This season, the Thunder are allowing the seventh-most (54.96) FanDuel points per game to opposing centers. That is very much worth attacking when Olynyk is only $4,400 and projected for 28.43 minutes and 26.7 FanDuel points.
That projection puts him as the third-best value option on the entire slate and the best value option among all centers. He carries a modest 19.4% usage rate while producing 0.84 FanDuel points per minute, both of which are the third-highest among the Heat's starting five.
Mike Conley, PG, Utah Jazz ($5,600)
Mike Conley is back in the lineup for the Utah Jazz and is simply too cheap tonight.
Conley returned to the lineup the other day and played 25 minutes while posting 22 FanDuel points. That's very average production overall but tonight, we should see that on the rise. First off, he is projected for 31.70 minutes, which is a solid bump up compared to his first game back. In those 31 minutes, he is projected for post 32.6 FanDuel points, making him the fifth-best value option on the slate.
That is very much achievable against the Charlotte Hornets, who are right at the league-average -- 14th overall -- allowing 47.27 FanDuel points per game to opposing point guards. Since Conley will be back in the starting lineup for the Jazz, we can look at his season numbers and see that he holds a 21.6% usage rate, producing 1.07 FanDuel points per minute when with the starters. Both of those are the second-highest on the team and should help him get back to his production level while having a salary under $6,000.
