This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
FanDuel.com Value Plays for the Week
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Every week in this article, I'll take a look at players who I believe are undervalued and should be in your lineup. These are players who should exceed their value in fantasy points when looking at their cost. These players could be at the minimum or near minimum of $3,500 or could be in the $7-$8,000 range.
Point Guard
Tony Parker, $6,300 – He's always a candidate to sit out due to the fact that coach Gregg Popovich tries to rest his starters every once in a while. This can be problematic if San Antonio is playing a late game and rosters lock at 7:00 PM EST. However, Parker has been consistently in the lineup over the last few weeks and has been a lock for 20-plus fantasy points over the last four games. I would shy away from Parker in a game that looks to be a blowout (like the 14-minute game he had against the Lakers on March 14), but he should hit his value at this price most games.
Shaun Livingston, $4,500 – It's nice to hear this week that the Nets have made it a priority to extend Livingston's contract. A player who had such promise when he first came into the league, Livingston has finally been able to get over his knee issues and stay healthy this season. He's been an effective player for the Nets as their two guard and can create positive matchups with his size. Livingston has scored in double-digits in five of his last seven games and has the ability to add numbers in the other fantasy stat categories. He's a great option if you need cap relief at the point guard position.
Shooting Guard
Dion Waiters, $6,000 – Ever since Kyrie Irving started sitting out with his arm injury, Waiters has been one of the first players I put into my lineups if the Cavaliers are playing. He's played at least 40 minutes in each of his last four games and has at least 15 points in each of his last six games. Playing this many minutes has bumped up both his rebound and assist numbers as well. Keep plugging Waiters in while Uncle Drew is out.
Eric Gordon, $4,900 – When most fantasy owners look at the Pelicans, their first instinct is to take either Anthony Davis or Tyreke Evans. While it's hard to argue against taking either of those players given their recent production, don't forget about Gordon. Gordon tweaked his knee Friday night, but the injury isn't expected to keep him out too long. Prior to Friday's game, he had double-digit scoring games in 14 of his last 15 games. Don't be afraid to deploy him once he returns to the starting lineup.
Small Forward
Chandler Parsons, $6,600 – Parsons can be something of a crapshoot given that he had a three-game streak of less than 10 points of scoring. Being sick was partially to blame, and he's going to be relied on more offensively if Dwight Howard continues to be out. Like a lot of elite small forwards, Parsons can fill up the stat sheet and is averaging a career-best 4.0 assists and over a steal per game. The return of Dwight Howard on Monday should help get Parsons more open looks from three-point land.
Power Forward
Kenneth Faried, $7,400 – The "Manimal" has been just that lately, a fantasy beast. A six-point dud Friday night ended a 14-game streak of recording double-digit points, and he's averaging just under 10 rebounds (9.6) during the month of March. The key to Faried's emergence has been a slight uptick in playing time, and with J.J. Hickson out for the season, Faried should get all the minutes he can handle. Even though his price has risen, he'll produce enough fantasy points to easily cover this price tag.
Amar'e Stoudemire, $5,400 – Stoudemire has turned back the clock lately and resembles himself from his Phoenix Suns days. He has two double-doubles over his last five games and has scored double-digits 10 straight games. The only red flag with using Stoudemire is that he's a candidate to sit out a game every once in a while to rest.
Jordan Hill, $5,000 – Hill exploded for 28 points and 11 rebounds Sunday and got plenty of run with Pau Gasol dealing with vertigo. He had nine points, 14 rebounds and four blocks Friday night, so he's strung together two solid fantasy performances. Hill is worth a look as long as he's starting and gets a small bump in value while Gasol is out.
Center
Henry Sims, $4700 – Sims has not only cracked the 76ers starting lineup, he's put himself on the daily fantasy radar with his recent play. He's recorded back-to-back double-doubles and his 18-point, 15-rebound performance Saturday was against Joakim Noah, one of the better centers in the league. Provided he continues to play around 30 minutes per game, look for Sims to be a daily double-double threat.
Gorgui Dieng, $5200 – One of the hottest pickups in weekly leagues, Dieng has been a pleasant surprise for the Timberwolves while Nikola Pekovic is on the mend. I'd only recommend using Dieng for as long as Pekovic is out as he'll return to the bench once Pek is healthy. Dieng had a monster 22-point, 21-rebound game last Thursday and has been scoring over 20 FanDuel points since joining the starting lineup four games ago.
