This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Saturday features a seven-game slate that provides a number of value options to mix and match within cash games and tournament lineups. We're here to help you find the best players and matchups to help maximize value within your rosters. Here's a look at today's value plays.
Point Guard
Kyle Lowry, TOR at PHI ($9,000): With the loss of DeMarre Carroll to knee surgery, Toronto knows that it needs their star players to raise their level of production, and Lowry has answered the call. Lowry has scored at least 43 fantasy points in four straight games, capping it off with a double-double against the Wizards. If the player you want to roster has to play a back-to-back road game, you want it to be against a team like the Sixers, who have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season, and the most fantasy points overall to point guards in the last week. Lowry is one of the more expensive options available, but he is still $1,500 cheaper than Stephen Curry and has the much softer matchup.
Shooting Guard
Victor Oladipo, ORL vs. WAS ($6,000): He's baaaaaaaack! Orlando head coach Scott Skiles has finally seemed to find the right spot in the lineup to get Oladipo on track as the new starting point guard. Luckily, FanDuel is generally slow in changing position eligibility, so anytime you have the opportunity to play a point guard in your shooting guard slot, you generally should take advantage of it. Oladipo is averaging a return of 6.1x value on his price tag in four of the past five games. This is a player that should be priced above $7,000 according to his production last season. Combine the discounted cost with the strong increase in fantasy scoring and you have a great low-cost option for cash games and tournaments at shooting guard.
Klay Thompson, GSW at SAC ($7,800): This game is far and away the top total on the board at an insane 222 points, so it's definitely important to get some lineup exposure here. We all remember Thompson making NBA history last season by scoring 37 points in a quarter against the team they play Saturday, the Sacramento Kings. Klay has been on a roll over the past week, scoring at least 40 fantasy points in five straight games, including 50.70 Friday night on the road in Portland. Look for him to expose Sacramento's 29th-ranked shooting guard defense.
Small Forward
Tobias Harris, ORL vs. WAS ($5,700): One sort of cheat code that I like to apply to my DFS lineups involves finding out who is matched up against Otto Porter, and then locking that player to my lineups. I like to call Porter the "welcome mat," since he has been ranked 29th or last (currently 30th) in fantasy points allowed to opposing threes all season long. Playing Tobias Harris seems to be a bit risky with the lack of recent production, but he did seem to finally be pulling himself out of a funk with a solid 38.4 fantasy points Friday night against Brooklyn. The price tag has also come down a full $1,100 since late November, making him a much more reasonable option at under $6K.
James Johnson, TOR at PHI ($3,500): With two of the better small forward options in Nicolas Batum and Omri Casspi both battling injuries, the options become very thin quite quickly on this slate. That's why I am more than comfortable with rolling with Johnson against the Sixers. He's still listed at minimum salary despite the fact that he's played at least 20 minutes in each of the past three games. He also only needs about 18 fantasy points to earn 5x value on his price. Philadelphia has defensive issues all over the place, and the small forward position is no exception, where they rank 29th in fantasy points allowed to the position.
Power Forward
Cody Zeller, CHA at LAC, $4,900: If you're not paying up for Draymond Green, Zeller makes a lot of sense a value play. If you remember back to last week, Zeller was my power forward recommendation here as well. He repaid those who rostered him then with 33.3 fantasy points, good for 7x value on the road in Toronto. He managed to return 7x value again Friday night with 33.2 fantasy points against Phoenix. Look for him continue to produce against a Clippers squad that has become desperate enough to start Paul Pierce at power forward in their last game.
Center
Jonas Valanciunas, TOR at PHI ($5,900): It should go without saying that DeMarcus Cousins is the chalk play at center today. The problem is that he's expensive at $10,500, which will limit your ability to also get guys like Klay Thompson and Kyle Lowry. Here's another surprise for you: the Sixers are bad at defending the center position, ranking last in fantasy points allowed to the position. While the level of inconsistency from Valanciunas should serve as a bit of a concern, the matchup and discount price point are too much of a net positive to pass on.
