Rob Schwarz, Jr. | Tue, Jan 3rd 2017, 5:19pm EST

FanDuel NBA Value Plays: Tuesday (1/3)

Gary Harris’ recent consistency and great matchup tonight make him a nice value play

Happy New Year everyone! I hope that 2016 was better for you than it was for me. Disney may be getting a significant payout after the death of Carrie Fisher. Hopefully, we can all get a large payout from DFS this year.

This is going to be somewhat of a quick-hitting article today. With the holidays, I completely spaced out on it being Tuesday already. Do not fret, though; I do NBA research every day anyway.

I’m still in a bad mood about yesterday where I lost $15.00 on FanDuel. I went 1-3 with the same lineup and was three points away from 4-0 with a $31.00 profit.

Help yourself out by checking out our NBA Optimal Lineup for today’s slate

Point Guard

Reggie Jackson (DET): $6,100 vs. IND
Jackson is likely my cheaper cash game point guard today depending on lineup construction. Looking at the main slate I like Kyle Lowry a lot for cash games and I will likely pair him with Jackson or one of the other point guards I am about to mention. Jackson has been great the last few games. He should see a few more possessions today too as Indiana is eighth in pace.

Jackson has seen 26 or more FanDuel points over five of his last six games. He is also averaging around 30 minutes per game. He is locked and loaded for me, and I plan on having exposure to him.

T.J. McConnell (PHI): $4,600 vs. MIN
It has already been announced that Sergio Rodriguez is out today and that allows you to play McConnell. It will be between these two guys for me in cash games. Tyler Johnson and D’Angelo Russell are my GPP tournament plays depending on some injury news in Miami.

If you played NBA DFS last year, you may recall a run where you could play Ish Smith consistently. There is something about the 76ers starting point guard that allows you to plug them in and they typically hit value.

McConnell saw the start last game and hit 6x value. The matchup against Minnesota is not as good as against Denver, but Ricky Rubio’s defense should not scare away anyone.

Shooting Guard

Josh Richardson (MIA): $5,900 @ PHO
This move will depend on injury news for the Heat. If Goran Dragic or a few others are out, then Richardson is in play. His price tag soared based on his previous play, which makes him only cash game eligible for me.

If Dragic and Rodney McGruder miss the game, Richardson will see a slight bump in usage rate (shockingly not as much as I thought it would be, but enough to play him). I believe there is good enough value at the point guard position that you may want to pay up at the shooting guard position tonight, which is strange because shooting guard is the position I usually punt.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (DET): $5,700 vs. IND
For many of the same reasons I mention above for Jackson, KCP is in play for me in cash. His price tag allows me to spend up at other positions and he is fairly consistent. Indiana is middle of the road against shooting guards in DVP (defense vs. position) rankings, but I think Caldwell-Pope has the defensive and peripherals to hit cash game value.

Gary Harris (DEN): $4,700 vs. SAC
I like Harris and Nick Young and they are the same price. Harris is my cash game guy and I’d consider Young in tournaments. The only knock on Young for cash is they are playing Memphis who slow the game down too much.

Harris, however, is going up against the Kings who have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to the shooting guard position over the last 10 games. Harris has been decent since returning from injury and has seen an average of 30 minutes per game the last five games.

During that span, he has scored 24 or more FanDuel points in three out of the five games. He has averaged 23.6 fantasy points over his last nine games, and if you exclude the two games against the Clippers that average jumps to 27.3.

Small Forward

I will pay up at this position as I feel like there is not great value here – especially in cash games. I am looking at only one “value” guy I’d consider even though the matchup is not great.

Danilo Gallinari (DEN): $6,200 vs. SAC
So here is the only guy I’m considering as a cash game option for under $6,800. Gallinari is fairly consistent despite the DVP matchup, and I am okay using him in cash games if I need the extra salary. I prefer him for tournaments though as he has hit over 30 FanDuel points in five of his last 11 games.

Wilson Chandler (DEN): $5,600 vs. SAC
I would consider Chandler in tournaments today too. He should have lower ownership than Gallinari and has scored over 30 fantasy points on FanDuel in four of his last seven games.

Jae Crowder (BOS): $5,000 vs. UTA
The matchup is not great as the Jazz are tied for the slowest pace in the NBA. The projected game total is only 200 too. All of that said, Crowder has the ability to put up fantasy points with his peripheral stats.

Even if he is not having a great scoring night he has the ability to hit 5x value. Crowder is only cash game considerable for me.

Power Forward

There is a ton of value at this position today. If Kawhi Leonard returns, then I will probably not play a power forward over $6,100 tonight. Nikola Jokic has been phenomenal lately, but the value is not as good as his price keeps going up and up. He is the only guys I’d consider playing and more likely in tournaments than cash games as Denver is in the second of a back-to-back (even though Jokic only saw 25 minutes last game).

Ersan Ilyasova (PHI): $6,100 vs. MIN
I would consider Ilyasova in cash games and if Jahlil Okafor or Joel Embiid sit then Ilyasova is tournament playable too. Both are expected to play, so I will likely only look at him for cash games. The matchup is not great, though, so I’d probably look elsewhere.

Tobias Harris (DET): $6,000 vs. IND
I cannot believe I’m recommending a third Piston. Harris has been great though and has seen consistent minutes in the 30s. He is both cash and tournament playable for me in this slate, although I am leaning only cash games.

The matchup is about average. He scored 13 points and grabbed seven boards the last time these teams met.

Gorgui Dieng (MIN): $5,600 @ PHI
Philadelphia is 27th in DVP against the power forward position the last ten games. Dieng sees great minutes and put up a double-double the last time these two teams met. Out of the three names I have mentioned,

Dieng is likely my favorite option. James Johnson could be in play again depending on injury news for Miami and Thaddeus Young is the other guy I like tonight.

Center

I love Joel Embiid tonight. He should play and has a great matchup as the Timberwolves are 29th in DVP to the center the last five games. I think he has great value, but not sure if I can argue a guy being a value option when he costs over $7,000. That said, he is only the seventh most expensive center available, so he may be considered a value tonight.

Oh, and I must point out I am likely paying up at this position too. Marc Gasol could be a strong option if he plays and he is not the only one.

Myles Turner (IND):$ 6,600 @ DET
I only like Turner in tournaments. He is not consistent enough for me in cash, but he can put up some monster games. At his current salary, he would need to hit nearly 40 FanDuel points for 6x value.

He has proven he can do that at times, which makes him a tournament option. The matchup is great too as the Pistons are 25th in DVP to the center position over the last 10 games.

Marcin Gortat (WAS): $6,100 @ DAL
Gortat is very consistent, and I go to him often in cash games. His upside will be limited in my opinion for tournaments as he is coming off a 40-minute game.

The matchup is not great either as Dallas is ranked seventh in DVP against the center position. If you decide to play cheap at this position, though, Gortat is likely the guy.

Side note: It is a shame we cannot play more than one center tonight as I believe once the night is over there will be more high scoring centers than any other position.

That does it! Good luck tonight!