FantasyDraft NBA: Weekly Value Plays

FantasyDraft NBA: Weekly Value Plays

This article is part of our FantasyDraft NBA series.

Each week, RotoWire will provide value plays for your daily fantasy basketball lineups on FantasyDraft. Users have a salary cap of $100,000 to select a lineup comprised of three guards, three forwards/centers and two utility players.

FantasyDraft is running NBA contests each and every day. There are 50/50s, guaranteed tournaments and more available options in the lobby, so be sure to check it out. With contests at every entry fee level, there are a ton of options to choose from. In football this week, FantasyDraft is running a special Shannon Sharpe experience with the winner earning a free trip to San Francisco during the Big Game. Sign up now!

The target for each player to reach value is 2.5x the player's salary. If a player costs $10,000 against the cap, expected value is 25 fantasy points.

Luis Scola ($9,300) 
Scola has been incredible in the last three games, scoring 32.25, 26.00, and 28.50 fantasy points, respectively. He has played at least 27 minutes in each game and performed well against the Spurs and Sixers, who both defend big men relatively well. With the injuries to the Raptors' bigs, Scola's role (and production) is set to continue to be above his salary. In the last three games, he has taken 39 shots, grabbed 21 rebounds and is averaging 17 points per game.

Joakim Noah ($9,000)
Noah is one of the most interesting values in NBA DFS because he rarely scores 10 points. That being said, he contributes in every other category. Noah has reached value in seven straight games while scoring 10 points just once. He is averaging nine rebounds, four assists and 2.5 blocks/steals per game in the last week and a half. At just $9,000, all he needs is 22.5 fantasy points. In the last eight games, he has a floor of 24.5. When the Bulls face teams that have strong opposing centers, Noah plays more. Keep an eye on that for the coming games, as Noah is expected to play solid minutes.

Bojan Bogdanovic ($8,700)
With Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (ankle) out for the next two months, Bogdanovic is likely to remain the starter and continue to play big minutes for the Nets. He has played at least 33 minutes in each of the last three and has taken 33 shots over that span. One concern was that Bogdanovic would be a one trick pony with scoring only, but he has 14 boards, five assists and a couple steals/blocks to add to the value. With his price at just $8,700, anything over 22 fantasy points is a solid game, and he has averaged well over that since becoming the starter.

Cory Joseph ($8,000)
Joseph's minutes have not decreased, as he continues to play north of 30 every night. In the last six games, he is averaging over 30 minutes and 21 fantasy points per game. His price would warrant a return of 20 for good value, and he has eclipsed that mark in seven of the last nine games. With Kyle Lowry at the point, the Raptors have used Joseph off the bench and with Lowry. This gives him a chance to score off the ball and make him the pivot in the passing game, which leads to assists. You will be hard-pressed to find many other options at $8,000 that plays significant minutes.

Notable Injuries

Bradley Beal (leg), Out
With Beal out for the foreseeable future, expect Gary Neal, Ramon Sessions and Garrett Temple to get more playing time. Otto Porter will see more shots, and expect John Wall's usage rate to increase as well.

Emmanuel Mudiay (ankle), Out
Mudiay is already ruled out for Monday's game, and he could miss more time. Jameer Nelson becomes an excellent value play in his absence, and he should be very cheap considering his production.

Rudy Gobert (knee), Out
Gobert continues to miss time, which changes the dynamic of Jazz games. Utah can be targeted as their pace is much faster, and their players (Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward, specifically) are worth using in DFS.

Kyrie Irving (knee), Day-to-Day
Irving is set to return to the lineup soon, which essentially downgrades everyone's value. LeBron James will have a lower usage rate, Matthew Dellavedova and Mo Williams will lose minutes, and the other guards will lose opportunities to shoot. When Irving returns, his price may be too low, so consider him in tournaments off the bat as long as his minutes are not restricted.

Jordan Clarkson (ankle), Doubtful
Clarkson has missed the last few games and could miss more time as he battles an ankle injury. D'Angelo Russell and Lou Williams are the two biggest beneficiaries, with Russell leading the Lakers' guards in minutes (73) and shots (37) in the last two games. If Clarkson is out again, Russell will be a great value at a low price.

Nerlens Noel (eye), Questionable
Noel was sent to the hospital after getting poked in the eye, and he is questionable to play Monday. If he misses significant time, Jahlil Okafor's rebounding rate rises and Jerami Grant and Richaun Holmes will see slight boosts in playing time.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Josh Collacchi
Josh previously was a manager at Gambling.com Group and has spent over a decade in the fantasy sports, daily fantasy sports, and legal sports betting industry.
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