NBA

NBA FanDuel Value Plays to Target on Thursday 1/20/22

Thomas Vecchio  —  @Tom_Vecchio1 Jan 20th, 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 two players who can help fill in the gaps in your lineup.

Jeremy Lamb, SG/SF, Indiana Pacers ($3,500)

The Indiana Pacers have been hit by a few injuries, and that opens up some deep value options for them.

Myles Turner, T.J. McConnell, and T.J. Warren have all been out for the Pacers, but as of last night, you can add Domantas Sabonis to the list. His ankle injury is described as "significant", putting them at a major loss.

This should cause Jeremy Lamb to have an increased role off the bench and at the minimum salary, Lamb is positioned to be one of the better value plays on the slate. He is carrying a 20.8% offensive usage rate and producing 1.35 FanDuel points per minute this season when all of those players are off the court.

Lamb is projected for 19.05 minutes and 18.9 FanDuel points, making him the fourth-best value option on the slate. The Pacers are on the road as 12.0-point road underdogs against the Golden State Warriors, where the over/under is a slate-high of 217.5 points. If the Pacers are able to keep this game closer than the 12.0-point spread, there should be extra minutes in store for Lamb tonight.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker, SG/SF, New Orleans Pelicans ($3,500)

With Devonte' Graham listed as questionable, the New Orleans Pelicans could have some value options tonight.

On a small three-game slate, value can be tough to find, but Nickeil Alexander-Walker (NAW) could be the answer tonight. If Graham is out tonight, NAW could find his way into the starting lineup. NAW already plays a solid role for the Pelicans off the bench, playing 18-25 minutes most nights. He's a regular part of their rotation yet is only $3,500.

When we account for the injured Pelicans being off the court, NAW has a 30.4% offensive usage rate and is producing 0.93 FanDuel points per minute.

That level of production for a player at the minimum salary is tough to pass up on any slate -- let alone a small three-game slate where we are starved for value.

All of this gives NAW a projection of 22.22 minutes and 20.0 FanDuel points, which puts him as the third-best value option on the slate.