NBA

5 NBA FanDuel Value Plays to Target on Friday 11/4/22

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.

**Editor's Note: After publishing, the Golden State Warriors ruled out four starters for Friday's game. Check numberFire's projections for updated optimal value plays on the slate.**

Jalen McDaniels, PF, Charlotte Hornets

FanDuel Salary: $5,300

One of the biggest bumps in minutes projections of the night belongs to Jalen McDaniels. McDaniels is averaging 26.3 minutes per game on the season and 28.0 over the past five games but is projected for 35.6 tonight.

The Charlotte Hornets are still without LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier, and Gordon Hayward is listed out, too.

McDaniels played 35.6 minutes last game when Hayward was limited to just 10.8. He put up a season-high 18 shot attempts and 40.2 FanDuel points despite an 0-for-5 night from beyond the arc.

numberFire's model projects McDaniels for 6.17 FanDuel points per $1,000 in salary -- the second-best mark of the night.

Gabe Vincent, PG/SG, Miami Heat

FanDuel Salary: $4,200

Jimmy Butler is out for the Miami Heat, and Bam Adebayo remains questionable for tonight's matchup.

Gabe Vincent, then, is shaping up as a volume-based play. Vincent has played 31.0 and 28.8 minutes in the past two games, and his projection tonight (30.9 minutes) is with Adebayo projected to play.

Without Butler on the floor, Vincent still has a 15.7% usage rate. That comes with just 0.71 FanDuel points per minute, yet that'll add up over his projected output.

Vincent is projected for 24.6 FanDuel points on the back of 12.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.5 combined blocks and steals in a plus matchup against the Indiana Pacers, who are 28th in non-garbage-time defensive rating.

Yuta Watanabe, SG, Brooklyn Nets

FanDuel Salary: $3,700

In addition to Ben Simmons' (31.8 minutes per game) absence due to a knee injury, Kyrie Irving (38.6 minutes per game) is serving a suspension. That helps the Brooklyn Nets provide daily fantasy value for us.

Yuta Watanabe is projected -- roughly -- to double his season-long minutes average (15.3 per game) and play 27.8 minutes. We've already seen him more involved recently, as he has played 22.5 and 27.8 minutes over the past two games while Simmons sat.

With Kyrie and Simmons off the floor, Watanabe's splits are pretty bleak: a 13.8% usage rate and 0.45 FanDuel points per minute. However, that's a 25.5-minute sample because those two play so much.

Watanabe's 0.52 FanDuel-point-per-minute average this season is likely a small-sample outlier: it's been 0.82, 0.81, and 0.80 the past three seasons while with different teams than the Nets.

He's projected as the night's best value score (6.45) by numberFire's model.

Cam Johnson, SF/PF, Phoenix Suns

FanDuel Salary: $4,500

It's easy to like a player who logs minutes (28.1 per game for the season and 29.4 over the past five) on a good team. Cam Johnson has played between 22 and 33 minutes in all seven games this season for the Phoenix Suns.

Phoenix plays a Portland Trail Blazers team that is just average defensively and at limiting three-point attempts.

Johnson has double-digit shot attempts in four straight games, including 6, 6, 11, and 11 three-point attempts. That's a recipe for points, the most stable of all the fantasy stats.

Al Horford, C/PF, Boston Celtics

FanDuel Salary: $5,400

Al Horford has logged heavy minutes (41.4 and 40.0) in overtime games against the Cleveland Cavaliers over the past week, and he was limited to 25.4 and 23.5 in blowouts against the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards before each.

He's had a day to rest up since the 40.0-minute outing and is projected for 29.7, which is actually down from a season average of 32.6.

After a 120-102 loss to the Bulls four games ago, the Boston Celtics sit as 7.0-point home favorites. Another blowout is possible, but the 4-3 Celtics likely will need Horford for close to his usual 30 minutes -- rather than sit him for just over 20.

Even at that sub-30-minute projection (again, 29.7), Horford is projected for 10.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 2.0 combined steals and blocks. That works out to a value rating of 5.41, and if this game stays close, we can see the minutes climb for Horford.