This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Friday features a full slate of 12 games. Targeting players with recent upticks in production due to a new scenario while avoiding those fighting for playing time is the theme to value tonight. The player pool has considerable depth with plenty to choose from. The only position more or less mandating a fair expenditure is at Center.
Thursday Value Plays
Point Guard
Isaiah Canaan, PHI, $4,700: Canaan has solidified himself at the point for the 76ers, a position that has been surprisingly productive regardless of who has been leading it. His 47.4 fantasy-point performance Wednesday gives just a little insight into the high upside Canaan posses now that's he's the starting point guard for the Sixers.
Rajon Rondo, DAL, $5,400: Rondo still hasn't meshed with his new Mavericks squad yet, but he has a knack of showing up for big games. In what figures to be a very high scoring game with Golden State, Rondo will look to finally pool together a night of points, assists and rebounds at a price far below his potential.
Shooting Guard
Victor Oladipo, ORL, $7,200: Oladipo has been a consistent fantasy performer over the past month, but Wednesday's 46.3 fantasy-point performance against the Suns represents the upward direction Oladipo is expected to take as he develops in the league. He has the ability to accumulate stats in every category, and for that reason, he's especially useful in 50/50's thanks to his consistent production.
Small Forward
LeBron James, CLE, $11,200: James has been exhilarating since the All-Star break, and his high production has all but unanimously come with him being on the bench in the in the fourth quarter because they keep running their opponent off the court. If James and his Cavs are going to get a tight game, the conference-leading Hawks are possibly the best team the East offers. The bigger the game, the more minutes James sees, and the more you can expect him to produce.
Mike Dunleavy, CHI, $3,900: Dunleavy appears to be the largest benefactor from Butler's current absence due to injury. Dunleavy saw 38 minutes Thursday, and posted 26.8 fantasy points (production well worth his deeply discounted price tag).
Power Forward
Nikola Mirotic, CHI, $4,500: Mirotic has solidified himself as a go-to scorer for the Bull in the absence of Derrick Rose (knee), Jimmy Butler (elbow), and Taj Gibson (ankle). His fantasy-point production through the first three games of March has been 39.8, 32.6, and 40.1, and any resemblance of those numbers is well worth his price. Mirotic is FanDuel's value of the night.
Center
Rudy Gobert, UTA, $7,500: Gobert is averaging 20 rebounds over his last two games and three blocks over the past six. Nothing about the 76ers should pose to much of a threat to Gobert as he looks to continue posting big lines regardless of his opponent. If Gobert was going to hit a road block, it would have likely come against Marc Gasol, but Gobert, instead, decided to pull down a career-high 24 boards against Gasol. He's putting up numbers like Hassan Whiteside but comes at a discount.
Using a big man from Detroit, Andre Drummond ($8,600) and/or Greg Monroe ($8,000) make a lot of sense. Between the two board-clearing big men, Detroit should take down a lot of rebounds against the Dwight Howard-less Houston Rockets.
