If you’ve read any of my NFL articles, you know I treasure value in daily fantasy sports. “Value” is represented in those players that are likely to produce well over their salaries and send your line-up rocketing to the top of a tournament contest. Value can come in several forms. It can be the back-up subbing for an injured or resting starter or it can be a player who’s been in a slump or who’s been facing tough competition suddenly faced with an easy match-up. Whatever form value comes in, I’ll try to identify it for you, so you can incorporate it into your line-ups.
I won’t be writing this column daily (I have a bar to run and an NFL article to post), nor will I be offering complete line-ups as I do for NFL. I’ll simply be pointing out those players you should probably double-check when you’re filling out your FanDuel NBA line-ups.
PG Russell Westbrook ($11,200) If you played fantasy basketball last season, you remember how insane Westbrooks point totals (and salary) got when Kevin Durant was injured. If you didn’t play last season, I’ll fill you in, Westbrook’s FanDuel salary topped $13,000 and fantasy points in the 70’s were fairly common and he even dropped a couple of 80 bombs. He’ll face a 76ers team which is improving defensively, but is still ranked 25th in the NBA in FanDule points allowed to the point guard position. Use a couple of these cheap bargains and get Westy in your line ups.
PG Rajon Rondo ($6,800) Darren Collison has been ruled out of Friday night’s game. This is a great thing for us. In the three games Collison has missed, Rondo has averaged 45.6 FanDuel points per game and has played all 48 minutes in two of the games (he slacked off to the tune of 44 minutes in the other game.) He’ll face a Brooklyn Nets team that’s middle of the pack defending the position. I don’t know how many line ups I’ll make, but this point guard combo will be in every one.
SG Marcus Thornton ($4,800) Thornton has been a bright spot for the Rockets this season, using injuries to allow him into the starting line up and then using his strong play to stay there, despite the injured players returning. He’s played nearly 38 minutes a game over the last three (and we know minutes lead to production) and has averaged 34.6 FanDuel points per game over that span. He’s up against a Denver defense hemorrhaging points to opposing shooting guards at a rate of 42.54 per game (28th in the league.)
SF Nemanja Bjelica ($4,600) Bjelica is a guy I’ve been regularly plugging into my line ups and will continue to do so until his price hits $5,000 or so, as he’s been regularly returning 5 times value. Over his last four games, the 17-year-old Serb has been averaging nearly 33 minutes a game off the bench and stuffing the stat sheet. He’ll play both the small and power forward positions and square off against a good but not elite Pacers defense on Friday night.
PF J.J. Hickson ($4,400) Joffrey Lauvergne is all but certain to miss the game Friday night, monitor injury reports just in case, but Hickson should make another start at the center position. Denver has tried to go small on occasion, with Lauvergne out, but against Dwight Howard, will not have that luxury, so expect Hickson to log heavy minutes as long as he can stay out of foul trouble. His production as the starter has been hit or miss, with a high of 42.1 and a low of 6.2 when they went small, so Hickson is a tournament only play.
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