FanDuel & DraftKings NBA Value Plays: 12-30-16

Tonight is an odd night with how slates are setup, at least on FanDuel where we have an “Early only" slate starting at 4 pm et which includes three games. Then you have the main slate for 6 games beginning at 8 pm. DraftKings on the other hand has the 7 pm nine game slate along with the usual late slates and turbos. I am really liking the 8 pm turbo and will be playing a few of those as well.

Either way with no Russell Westbrook, leave us with some James Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo Golden State's big 4, Karl Anthony-Towns, and Anthony Davis to choose from for elite options. There are some solid value plays as always so let's get right into it. Giannis is probably my favorite top option night playing Minnesota, and with his price dipping a bit certainly helps.

As always keep close tabs on this all the way up to tip off and be ready to make some swaps as needed throughout the day. Some big players with question marks tonight are Bradley Beal, Damian Lillard, J.J. Reddick, and Goran Dragic to keep tabs on. These players being out of games will open value and usage for sure.

Good luck everyone and have a great New Year's weekend! Be safe and win some money!

Point Guard

Austin Rivers, LA Clippers @ Houston ($4,300 FanDuel/$5,000 DraftKings)

Rivers should be starting once again with or without CP3 tonight. If Reddick remains out Rivers will be a lock for me once again. He has played 29 minutes or more, especially over his last two games and cranked out 29.8, 27.1, 12.9 (in 25 minutes) and 21.5 FanDuel pts. No Reddick and Rivers will be a lock for me if I am looking for a value point guard.

DFC Projection: FanDuel: 22.8 DraftKings: 26.10

Ricky Rubio, Minnesota vs Milwaukee Bucks ($6,100 FanDuel/$5,900 DraftKings)

Rubio is coming off of his best game of the season in Denver and faces a Bucks team that is actually very solid in DvP ranked 6th. Rubio however fills his Fantasy stats in many ways besides points. He may not get 4 steals again like in Denver, but he can reach double digit points and assists on most nights. You toss in 4 or 5 rebounds and a few steals and Ricky can hit value, and will likely be overlooked.

Aside from Rivers and Rubio i have no interest in paying down at the point tonight.

DFC Projection: FanDuel: 28.56 DraftKings: 32.30

Shooting Guard

Gary Harris, Denver vs Philadelphia($4,600 FanDuel/$4,700 DraftKings)

Harris has been playing some heavier minutes over his past three games and has scored double digit points in 6 of his last 7 games. He is playing very well and his price is rising a bit, but he still is at a point he can easily hit 5X with an even higher ceiling the way he has been shooting. He is also facing the 18th ranked team in DvP and with both of these teams struggling this season it should be a close enough game for full run from Harris.

DFC Projection: FanDuel: 24 DraftKings: 26.10

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Detroit @ Atlanta ($5,500 FanDuel/$5,300 DraftKings)

This guy is about as unpredictable as they come night in and night out. That being said when he is in spots like tonight I enjoy using him, and he won't cost you too much. He is significantly more than Harris, but in GPP's KCP's ceiling is too good for me to pass up. The Hawks rank 20th in DvP and in up tempo pace game KCP should be able to run a bit more. In his prior game he had 19.9 FanDuel points, but the 2 games prior in fast paced games against Golden State and Cleveland he produced 33.1 and 34.2 FanDuel points.

DFC Projection: FanDuel: 27 DraftKings: 29.88

Small Forward

Robert Covington, Philadelphia ($5,200 FanDuel/$5,000 DraftKings)

Covington should be in a good enough spot tonight in Denver even though they are the 5th ranked team in DvP. He is playing minutes upward of 33 minutes a game and has a ceiling of around 32 points over his last 10. His floor is 20 but that is high enough for me to take the risk and hope he hits 6X tonight.

DFC Projection: FanDuel: 25.16 DraftKings: 27.88

Marcus Morris, Detroit @ Atlanta($4,400 FanDuel/$4,400 DraftKings)

Morris is another Piston value play for me tonight. I think I will be playing KCP more tonight, but Morris is another safer option at the right price. With a ceiling of just under 28 Fantasy points over his last 10 facing the 4th ranked team in DvP doesn't concern me a much.

DFC Projection: FanDuel: 24 DraftKings: 26.56

Power Forward

Jon Leuer, Detroit @ Atlanta ($4,900 FanDuel/$4,800 DraftKings)

Leuer is playing very well and hasn't scored less the 21 in 7 of his last games. He has scored 23.5 in 5 of those 7 games as well. As long as Leuer is getting minutes he has been producing consistently. Tonight he has a tough matchup, assuming Millsap is playing, with the 4th ranked DvP Hawks. I still think the potential is there for him to hit his 5X value with potential for 6X tonight.

DFC Projection: FanDuel: 28.05 DraftKings: 30.69

Gorgui Dieng, Minnesota vs Milwaukee ($5,600 FanDuel/$5,500 DraftKings)

The Bucks have been solid enough against the 10th ranked Bucks in DvP, but they are not consistently good enough guarding the rim. This makes Dieng a solid enough play especially if he continues to play 35 plus minutes. Over his last two games he has cranked out 34.1 and 30.9 FanDuel points with 7 plus rebounds, and 14 and 20 real points. Averaging just under a FPPM with 0.91 he is projected to meet 5X value with a higher ceiling tonight.

DFC Projection: FanDuel: 28.56 DraftKings: 30.94

Center

Joakim Noah, New York Knicks @ New Orleans ($4,700 FanDuel/$4,600 DraftKings)

Noah has been playing well since returning from injury, and has put up 25 plus FanDuel points in three over his last four games. His last game he put up 42.7 FanDuel points. The Pelicans are ranked 27th in DvP against centers, but they have been playing Anthony Davis at center lately. This means we could see Noah hacking a bit more than normal tonight and playing less minutes.

The risk is here, but isn't there always risk in value plays?

DFC Projection: FanDuel: 27.16 DraftKings: 28.84