FanDuel & DraftKings NBA Value Plays: 1-26-17

With guys like Russell Westbrook and James Harden dropping 60+ fantasy point games, they will be staples in the lineups for many of us. But... To grab those players, value is crucial in NBA, just like any other DFS sport. Value opens up through injuries, site pricing, and rotational changes. We are staying on top of that for you here, talking about the best value at each position.

Point Guard

Jameer Nelson, Denver Nuggets ($3,900 FD - $4,500 DK)

Emmanuel Mudiay is expected to miss tonight's game, which means Jameer Nelson and Jamal Murray will see a bump in minutes at the point guard position. Murray did have a nice outing on the road at Minnesota two games ago, but Nelson is still your safer option. Nelson is also a bit more consistent when it comes to minutes. He is averaging 28 minutes in the last six. His price tag on both sites opens up quite a bit of value for your lineup, especially on FanDuel. Phoenix's backcourt defense has improved a bit over the last month or so, but still they are allowing the 12th most fantasy points per game to opposing point guards. This game has the highest total of the night (229), and the Nuggets have a whopping 118 team total. There are 5-6 Nuggets that are in play tonight.

DFC Projection: FanDuel: 24.36 - DraftKings: 27.84

Honorable Mentions: George Hill (FD)

Shooting Guard

Seth Curry, Dallas Mavericks ($4,100 FD - $4,500 DK)

Dallas is tied with Los Angeles for the lowest team total on the board tonight, but Los Angeles' is more to do with their recent play and horrendous matchup. The Mavs are missing key guys tonight, like Deron Williams, Dirk Nowitzki, and Wes Matthews. With still a 94 team total, I will look at two Dallas guys that should pick up quite a bit of offensive usage. Seth Curry is one of them. Pierre Jackson did play 24 minutes after Williams went do, but I have little interest. Curry's minutes have been 30+ in six of the last eight games, while the other games were just 27 and 24. The minutes will be there tonight. There are a few options for value at shooting guard, but Curry is the cheapest.

DFC Projection: FanDuel: 26.27 - DraftKings: 29.60

Honorable Mentions: Victor Oladipo, Gary Harris

Small Forward

Harrison Barnes, Dallas Mavericks ($6,200 FD - $6,000 DK)

Outside of the Nuggets small forwards, and P.J. Tucker, Harrison Barnes offers up a discount from the top tier small forward plays tonight. Barnes has a 25.1% usage rate this season, which jumps to 28% without Nowitzki. We have seen a healthy sample size of Nowitzki-less games this year (25), and in those games Barnes is averaging 25-5-1. He is a solid mid-range option to give a look towards tonight. Dorian Finney-Smith should see 30+ minutes as well at a sub-$4,000 price, but I am not interested. I won't be running wild with the Mavs value, instead just Barnes and Curry catch my eye.

DFC Projection: FanDuel: 31.45 - DraftKings: 34.04

Honorable Mentions: P.J. Tucker, Danilo Gallinari

Power Forward

Derrick Favors, Utah Jazz ($4,700 FD - $5,400 DK)

I am more on Derrick Favors on FanDuel. He is too closely priced to Gorgui Dieng, Wilson Chandler, Kenneth Faried, Thaddeus Young, and Julius Randle for me on DraftKings. If you are going with a stars and scrubs approach, Favors can fit in pretty well. He has put up 22, 24, and 29 in the last three games, and is hovering around the 25 minute mark. This is also a plus matchup against a Lakers team that's bottom half in rebounding, and allow the second most fantasy points per game to opposing power forwards. Utah is tied with Minnesota for the third highest team total on the slate (107).

DFC Projection: FanDuel: 22.08 - DraftKings: 24.00

Honorable Mentions: Kenneth Faried (GPP), Thaddeus Young

Center

Steven Adams, Oklahoma City Thunder ($5,500 FD - $5,000 DK)

With Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, and Nikola Jokic on the slate, it's tough to pay down at center. I won't be doing much of it tonight, but I will grab a Steven Adams share or two to change my roster construction. On FanDuel, Nikola Jokic is power forward, so you can roster Adams aside from him. Adams has eight blocks in the last two games, and is coming off of a strong outing against New Orleans. Another double-double should be in order here, as Dallas ranks 30th in rebounding, and allow the fifth highest FG% to opposing centers (56.6%).

DFC Projection: FanDuel: 33.84 - DraftKings: 36.00

Honorable Mentions: Tyson Chandler