5 NBA FanDuel Value Plays to Target on Monday 10/31/22
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 one of these lower-salaried options into your lineup.
Let's take a look at some players who can help fill in the gaps in your lineup on FanDuel tonight, using numberFire's daily fantasy basketball projections as a guide.
Reggie Jackson, PG, Los Angeles Clippers ($4,800)
While we probably won't feel great loading up on Reggie Jackson, it's hard to avoid giving him a long look tonight.
The Los Angeles Clippers will be without Kawhi Leonard, and John Wall is unofficially doubtful, so Jackson should have a clear path to minutes (he's projected for 32.9).
Jackson is averaging just 19.2 FanDuel points over his 28.1 minutes per game this season, which works out to a per-minute rate of 0.68. That's rough, buddy.
Jackson, though, has had per-minute FanDuel point outputs of 0.93, 0.86, and 0.91 over the past three seasons, so it's likely just a matter of time before he bounces back to a more respectable rate.
With a three-point percentage of just 32.0% and a field goal percentage of 37.7%, Jackson (expected for a 35.3% three-point percentage and a 47.5% two-point percentage, via DARKO) makes for a prime buy-low option.
He is 21.4% likely to be the slate's top value, easily the best rate in my simulations.
Terance Mann, SG/SF, Los Angeles Clippers ($4,000)
We're not going far for this next value play (and Norman Powell at $4,300 also qualifies as a value option for the Clips, so consider this article to feature six value plays rather than five).
Terance Mann trails just Jackson and one other name in projected value (FanDuel points per $1,000 in salary), according to numberFire's model.
Mann is slated for 28.0 minutes and 22.9 FanDuel points at a $4,000 salary. The projected line is 10.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.0 combined steals and blocks.
Mann's FanDuel-point-per-minute output (0.70) is far from stellar, yet he's been at 0.76 or higher for three straight years. There's a slight uptick expected here, and the opportunity for minutes is pretty unimpeded.
Keegan Murray, SF/PF, Sacramento Kings ($5,500)
The name between Mann and Jackson on the value board via numberFire's algorithm is Keegan Murray. Murray is projected for 6.05 FanDuel points per $1,000 in salary.
He's also slated for 36.8 minutes, the third-highest output of the night -- and the best below a $6,000 salary.
Murray hasn't been the most productive on a per-minute basis (0.72 FanDuel points) yet has a safe floor. He has played at least 32 minutes in all four games this season (and at least 35 in three straight). He's also yet to give us fewer than 21.8 FanDuel points in any of his four contests this season.
Murray's matchup with the Charlotte Hornets brings with it a high total (231.5) and a tight spread (2.5 points). That's a recipe for big, juicy minutes once again.
Jalen Smith, PF/C, Indiana Pacers ($5,900)
With a trio of Clippers in the $4,000 range, we can trend up toward the ambiguous limits of a value play for Jalen Smith tonight.
Smith draws a Brooklyn Nets team that is bottom 10 in rebounds per game allowed to opponents, and Smith has grabbed double-digit boards in three of his seven games so far.
Overall, Smith is averaging 9.3 rebounds and 13.1 points as well as 27.9 FanDuel points.
Smith's projection -- 13.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 1.6 combined steals and blocks -- is solid but doesn't fully capture the upside a guy averaging 1.11 FanDuel points per minute can bring if the minutes get run up at all. Smith, over his past three games, is averaging 31.3 minutes.
Myles Turner should be back, but Smith did some of that damage with Turner, so he's not wholly dependent on Turner's absence.
Gary Trent Jr., SG/SF, Toronto Raptors ($5,400)
A classic path to smashing expectations is being able to score.
Gary Trent Jr. can do that.
He's shooting 39.3% from three but is a career 38.9% shooter, so he's not substantially overperforming while racking up 19.2 points per game.
The 37.1 minutes per contest is leading to elite shot volume (16.0 per game) for someone at this salary. He has not had fewer than 12 shot attempts in a game this season and has had at least 15 in five straight.
He's projected for 36.3 minutes tonight with 14.8 field goal attempts.