NBA

3 NBA FanDuel Value Plays to Target on Tuesday 1/25/22

Thomas Vecchio  —  @Tom_Vecchio1 Jan 25th, 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.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker, SG/SF, New Orleans Pelicans ($3,800)

The New Orleans Pelicans' injury report is a mess tonight.

That's the easy way to put things for the Pelicans, who will have four of their starters -- Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, Devonte' Graham, and Jonas Valanciunas -- all listed as out. This means they are opening with a bit of a skeleton crew tonight, which presents Nickeil Alexander-Walker as an elite value option.

The game against the Philadelphia 76ers has a 216.0-point over/under and a larger 11.0-point spread in favor of Philly. Ultimately, the spread or a blowout shouldn't cause any of the Pelicans' players to come out of the game early because they don't have a ton of bench players to begin with.

This is why we see NAW projected for 33.72 minutes and 34.7 FanDuel points, making him the top overall value option on the entire slate. Even though there are nine games in action tonight, NAW is set to be massively chalky.

Furkan Korkmaz, SG/SF, Philadelphia 76ers ($4,400)

The 76ers are also going to be without a few players tonight, and Furkan Korkmaz is a solid fantasy option to consider.

With Seth Curry, Danny Green, and Shake Milton listed as out and Matisse Thybulle listed as questionable, there's some upside for Korkmaz. The matchup against a depleted Pelicans lineup is no doubt an easy one, which is why we see Korkmaz projected for 35.50 minutes and 24.8 FanDuel points.

The Pelicans are all already around the league average, allowing 39.21 FanDuel points per game to opposing shooting guards -- and that's with their full lineup. With a bunch of bench players as the starters, it certainly puts Korkmaz in a spot where he can reach that projection or exceed his salary-based expectations.

Kessler Edwards, SF, Brooklyn Nets ($4,200)

With the Brooklyn Nets at home tonight, there are a few value options in their lineup.

We know that Kevin Durant is out for the Nets but will also be without Kyrie Irving. This leaves plenty of offensive usage up for grabs in their lineup and should allow Kessler Edwards to be a viable fantasy option tonight. When those players are off the court, Edwards is producing 0.79 FanDuel points per minute with a 14.9% offensive usage rate.

While those aren't massive numbers, Edwards still comes in with a projection of 33.98 minutes and 23.4 FanDuel points, which makes him the fourth-best value option among small forwards tonight.

Overall, this game against the Los Angeles Lakers is shaping up to be a great one for fantasy production since it has a 227.5-point over/under and a close 2.5-point spread. The Lakers (1st) are the league's fastest-paced offensive team, while the Nets (8th) aren't too far behind, making this matchup very fantasy-friendly.