This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
FanDuel has made some recent changes to its format, as it's adjusted many of the players' pricing. What they've done is raise most players prices about five percent. That limits the amount of studs you can get into your lineup and that makes it as crucial as ever to get value plays into your lineup. For this article, I'm going to focus on players who haven't seen their price increase as much as others.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL at PHX ($10,500): Antetokounmpo has seen a dip in his form recently, but it's made his price affordable to the point where he's usable without tanking your budget. The best part about this play is the matchup, as the Suns have no one who can match up with the Greek Freak. They've struggled on defense too, ranking 27th in defensive efficiency.
Goran Dragic, MIA vs. PHI ($8,100): Dragic has been awesome all season and he's really taken the reins of the Miami offense. Not only does he have at least 40 fantasy points in four of his last five games, but he's also averaging nearly 34 fantasy points per game for the season. This matchup is great, as well, as Dragic will be matched up with T.J. McConnell, who simply can't cover someone as versatile as Dragic.
Tim Hardaway Jr. ATL vs. ORL ($5,200): Hardaway Jr. is coming off one of the best games of his career and it shows just how good he's been since taking over starting shooting guard duties. With 44 fantasy points in that win over the Rockets, it raised his averages up to 15.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 0.9 steals across his last 17 games. That's 25 fantasy points per game, and it demonstrates just how much his role has increased. In addition, Hardaway Jr. is averaging nearly 35 minutes and 14 shot attempts across his last five games, so it's clear he's one of the go-to scorers in this offense right now.
Anthony Davis, NOP at WSH ($11,200): When Davis is actually on the floor, he's easily a top-three option in fantasy. That's especially evident recently, with 171 combined fantasy points across his last three games. That also included a game against the Wizards in which he scored 65 fantasy points in a monster effort.
Kristaps Porzingis, NYK vs. CLE ($6,600): Porzingis is one of few players who didn't see a price increase, as he just returned from injury earlier this week. That's what makes him enticing, as he's an $8,000 talent when he's right. Porzingis has shown glimpses of his old form of late, scoring at least 25 fantasy points in four-straight games, while dropping 37 fantasy points in his most recent outing. The matchup is one of the best parts of this play though, as the Cavaliers have one of the weakest defensive frontcourts in the NBA.
Matt Barnes, SAC vs. GS ($4,000): With the glut of injuries to the Sacramento wings recently, Barnes becomes a candidate for a huge role increase. Garrett Temple and Rudy Gay are both out for a significant amount of time and that means Barnes will have to take the majority of those minutes on the wing. At just $4,000, it's hard to pass up on a guy who will likely play at least 30 minutes in what will be an uptempo game.
Hassan Whiteside, MIA at PHI ($8,800): Whiteside is coming off an 18-point, 18-rebound game on Wednesday and he finally seems to be healthy after weeks of struggling. When he was right, Whiteside was playing at a five-figure level and regularly approaching 20-20 games. What makes him especially attractive Saturday is the matchup, as he faces a Philly team that ranks dead-last in fantasy points allowed to centers this season.
Rudy Gobert, UTA vs. CHA ($7,900): It's unfortunate that Gobert didn't make the All-Star team this year, as he's been one of the best two-way players in the league. Not only is he averaging 34 fantasy points a game for the season, he's scored at least 32 fantasy points in eight of his last nine games and at least 48 fantasy points in four of those games.
Jahlil Okafor, PHI vs. MIA ($4,600): When Okafor plays, he performs. With Joel Embiid out again Saturday, Okafor automatically becomes a relevant option. In his last six games when he's played, Okafor is averaging over 23 fantasy points per game, which is fantastic value on a price lower than $5,000.
