This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Point Guards:
Ray McCallum, MEM vs MIN ($4,000): This is certainly a risky play, but it comes with huge upside. Since being acquired by the Grizzlies, McCallum has played at least 27 minutes in both of his games and handling the ball at will. While he hasn't had a big fantasy game yet, the minutes and usage open up the door for a great value at this price. The injuries are what's really opened things up for McCallum though, as Memphis is without potentially Mike Conley, Mario Chalmers, Lance Stephenson, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. The matchup is great as well, with Minnesota ranking 24th in fantasy points allowed to point guards on the season.
Brandon Jennings, ORL at CHA ($3,500): If Elfrid Payton is out again, this is easily the value play of the day. Jennings filled in for Payton on Monday and put up 33 fantasy points in his first start with his new team. That's over 9X value, which is impossible to overlook. The scary thing is that Jennings shot poorly in that game and has even higher potential than the 13-point, 11-assist line he put in on Monday. Charlotte is a good defense, but there's no better minimum priced option with such a high ceiling on this slate.
Shooting Guards:
Victor Oladipo, ORL at CHA ($7,000): Oladipo has also benefited from the Payton injury, as he's asked to handle the ball more than ever. Since returning from an injury on March 7, Oladipo has scored less than 35 fantasy points only once. Pairing Oladipo and Jennings may be risky, but these two will be controlling the offense with Payton and Nikola Vucevic likely missing this game. The matchup is great as well, with the Hornets allowing the seventh-most fantasy points to shooting guards for the season. What also makes Oladipo intriguing is the lack of depth at shooting guard, with the fourth-highest priced shooting guard pricing at just $5,700.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, DET vs. ATL ($5,200): Pope is the beneficiary of the Stan Van Gundy strategy in which Pope plays a crazy amount of minutes. In fact, Pope has played at least 35 minutes in eight of his last nine games. The only time he didn't was his last game, in which the Pistons were obliterated by the Washington Wizards. It's not just the minutes though, as he's been productive as well. Pope has surpassed 20 fantasy points eight times in that nine-game span and has scored 25-plus fantasy points four times in his last five games. The Atlanta defense is a scary matchup, but KCP should be matched up against Kyle Korver, who is far from an elite defender.
Small Forwards:
Nicolas Batum, CHA vs. ORL ($7,500): Batum has been a go-to player is my recent articles and hasn't disappointed one bit. Batum has scored at least 28 fantasy points in eight-straight games and has been approaching triple-doubles regularly in that span. It's obvious that the offense is ran through Batum when Kemba Walker is out of the game and the Frenchman has responded nicely by averaging over six assists a game across his last 19 games. The matchup is great as well, with Orlando trading their small forward at the trade deadline and playing an undersized Evan Fournier at that spot.
Nikola Mirotic, CHI at WSH ($5,100): Mirotic is the beneficiary of many injuries in Chicago and now's the time to jump on him. With Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol dealing with injuries, the Bulls need Mirotic's offense more than ever. After a rough patch in the middle of the season, Mirotic has appeared to re-find his role as well. In fact, Mirotic has scored 26 or more fantasy points three times in his last four games. The matchup is spectacular as well, with the Wizards allowing the fifth-most fantasy points to small forwards on the season. Not to mention, they play at one of the fastest paces in the league, which should give Mirotic more opportunities at shots and rebounds.
Power Forwards:
Anthony Davis, NOP at SAC ($10,100): Davis has been a bit of a disappointment this season, but this sort of matchup has ridiculous upside. The Pelicans square off against the Sacramento Kings and that's the best matchup in the NBA. Not only do they rank 30th in total defense, they also play at the fastest pace in the league. Davis is also starting to find the form that made him the consensus number one fantasy pick, as he is averaging 28.1 points, 12.0 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.5 blocks across his last 12 games. There are five players priced higher than Davis on this slate, but none of them have a higher upside than the brow.
Taj Gibson, CHI at WSH ($5,300): Much like Mirotic, Gibson is thriving off of an injury infestation in Chicago. With Pau Gaol and Joakim Noah both out, Gibson is the only true big on this team and should see a ton of minutes,. In his most recent game in this circumstance, Gibson double-doubled en route to 32.5 fantasy points. While the numbers don't make this look like a great matchup, it should be for Gibson. I say that because the Wizards play at a Helter Skelter pace and that should open up the door for rebounds and defensive stats for Gibson, which are the statistics he thrives off of. The price is what's so enticing though, as the 35-plus minutes he'll receive makes him a near guarantee to reach value.
Center:
Andre Drummond, DET vs. ATL ($7,900): Drummond has seen his price drop over recent weeks and that's the best time to hop on a DFS player. The big man has 20-20 upside any time he steps on the floor and this is the sort of matchup he can do just that. Atlanta is a great defense, but their rebounding is atrocious. In fact, they rank 28th in rebounds allowed to centers and 27th in offensive rebounds allowed. That's exactly what Drummond thrives off of, as he's the number one player in the league in both of those categories. Not to mention, in his two previous game against Atlanta, he scored 98 combined fantasy points.
