NBA

3 NBA FanDuel Value Plays to Target on Wednesday 1/12/22

Thomas Vecchio  —  @Tom_Vecchio1 Jan 12th, 2022

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.

Onyeka Okongwu, C, Atlanta Hawks ($3,900)

The Atlanta Hawks are likely going to be without Clint Capela, which means Onyeka Okongwu should be the starting center.

Capela is officially listed as doubtful for tonight's game against the Miami Heat, so we'll need final confirmation he is out, but we'll plan for Okongwu to be a key value option. When Capela is off the court this season, Okongwu is producing 0.85 FanDuel points per minute with a 12.5% offensive usage rate. While those numbers are modest overall, it shouldn't come as a surprise with Trae Young and John Collins controlling most of the Hawks' offense.

Even with that said, this is a solid spot for Okongwu, who is projected for 34.78 minutes and 31.5 FanDuel points, making him the top overall value option on the slate. The matchup against the Heat should see plenty of scoring with a 223.5-point over/under and a very close 2.0-point spread. This game environment should allow plenty of back and forth action, giving Okongwu to reach value tonight.

Lonnie Walker, SG/SF, San Antonio Spurs ($4,800)

The San Antonio Spurs versus the Houston Rockets matchup could be the fantasy game of the slate.

Both teams are in the top five of the league in offensive pace. Both teams are in the bottom eight of the league for the most FanDuel points allowed per game to all positions combined. This game also features a strong 230.0-point over/under, which is the third-highest on the slate. This game is checking nearly every box for what we want in a great fantasy environment, which should give the players plenty of fantasy upside.

We turn to Lonnie Walker, who has posted 24.8 FanDuel points or more in back-to-back games. That streak won't be stopping tonight against the Rockets, who are allowing the sixth-most (42.67) FanDuel points per game to small forwards. With the current starting lineup for the Spurs, Walker is producing 1.28 FanDuel points per minute, giving him a clear path to fantasy upside tonight.

Corey Kispert, SF, Washington Wizards ($3,500)

With Bradley Beal out, Corey Kispert should be in the starting lineup again.

Kispert got the start last night and posted 24.5 FanDuel points in 29 minutes, which was amazing. That's right, under 1.00 FanDuel points per minute is amazing because Kispert was the minimum salary last night, the same spot we find him tonight. We're not looking for Kispert to go out and drop 40 real points, we simply want him to reach fantasy value, which he can do again tonight.

He is taking on the Orlando Magic, who are allowing the fourth-most (44.19) FanDuel points per game to small forwards, putting him in another spot to reach an exceed value. Rostering Kispert will allow you to fo go for a stars-and-scrubs build on a slate where there are a lot of top-tier options to roster.