Good afternoon dailyfantasysports.org readers and welcome to our Tuesday edition of top NBA value picks. With only five games scheduled for this evening, you can expect to see many commonalities between you and your opponent’s lineup. Guys like Tony Parker, Dwayne Wade, and Lebron James can and should be expected on the overwhelming majority of rosters tonight, or at least some combination of the three. What’s going to set you apart from your competition however remains constant; your choice in value picks. Before you take a look at our top selections for this evening, how about looking at a quick rundown of the guaranteed money being dished out tonight over on Fanduel.
- $2500 NBA Shot, $2 entry fee, 1389 player cap – Multi Entry
- $1500 NBA Assist, $5 entry fee, 333 player cap – Single Entry
- $4000 NBA Rebound, $10 entry fee, 445 player cap – Multi Entry
- $4000 NBA Slam, $25 entry fee, 176 player cap – Multi Entry
- $5000 NBA Dunk, $100 entry fee, 56 player cap – Multi Entry
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Note: All prices reflect Fanduel pricing structure. All value picks are priced at or below.
POINT GUARD
Isaiah Thomas – Sacramento Kings – $4700: Thomas was inserted into the starting lineup last Friday and has certainly taken advantage of his newfound role early on. Thomas has now recorded 20 or more FD points in three straight games, and exploded on Sunday night finishing two rebounds shy of a triple-double. His 42 FD point performance was certainly the best game of his young career, but now that Thomas is the starting point guard in Sacramento, we should see big nights like this going forward. Don’t expect his price tag to remain below $5000 for much longer.
HONORABLE MENTION: Brandon Knight – Detroit Pistons ($6000)
SHOOTING GUARD
Gary Neal – San Antonio Spurs – $5200: After last night, Neal has now scored double digit point totals in three of his last 5 games, and will to continue that recent trend tonight as he prepares to take on the Portland Trail Blazers. He is averaging close to 19 FD points a night, and is getting the majority of his fantasy production via the three-ball. I’m not in love with the Neal value pick tonight, but your SG options tonight are severely limited.
HONORABLE MENTION: Daniel Gibson – Cleveland Cavaliers ($5500)
***Please note that Jamal Crawford will take over as the starting PG in Portland tonight, but that his price tag of $6200 was a bit too high to be considered a “value pick” for this article. Nonetheless, increased minutes from a guy costing under $6500 is good news for daily fantasy players.
SMALL FORWARD
Tristan Thompson – Cleveland Cavaliers – $4900: If you haven’t had the opportunity to watch Thompson this season, I suggest you do so. When healthy this kid is a freak of nature in terms of athletic ability and put on a display Sunday night against the Sacramento Kings. Finishing with a double double (15 & 12), Thompson also recorded 3 blocks and a steal in route to finishing with 34 FD points in just 30 minutes of action. He appears to be fully recovered from an early season injury, and with a recent injury to starting center Anderson Varejao, Thompson should be in line for increased minutes along with increased fantasy value.
HONORABLE MENTION: Matt Bonner – San Antonio Spurs ($5100)
POWER FORWARD
Gustavo Ayon – New Orleans Hornets – $5900: Although Ayon struggled last night after recording only 14 FD points, he should still be considered a viable fantasy value pick. Gustavo did record three straight 30+ FD point performances coming into last night, and injuries to both Emeka Okafor and Jason Smith have opened the door for Ayon to show the Hornets what he can do on a consistent basis.
HONORABLE MENTION: None.
CENTER
Marreese Speights – Memphis Grizzlies – $5800: Speights will rarely provide daily fantasy owners with a spectacular performance, but has been rather consistent over his last five games, which is a big step for a player who just two weeks ago was almost non-existent in the Grizzlies rotation. Speights is averaging just under 25 FD points a night over his last five, and has shown the ability to be a dominating force during that stretch as well scoring 20 points while grabbing 18 rebounds in 38 minutes against the Nets last Wednesday. Speights will have a decent matchup tonight against the 76’ers who will be without Elton Brand & Spencer Hawes. Side note: Speights has drafted back in 2008 by the 76’ers, but never really got a chance to prove himself on the court, payback tonight?
HONORABLE MENTION: DeJaun Blair – San Antonio Spurs ($5500) *Scored 31 FD points against the Trail Blazers in a previous meeting this season.
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here is a question that applies to both value picks as well as the big names (like the ones you mentioned in the beginning of this article). Would the big names as well as the value picks be valuable if the games are blowouts? I am thinking of the Kings/Heat game and Pacers/Hornets game. More so with the Kings/Heat. But would one be better suited to put players in their lineup from the other games to get maximum production?
Chris,
Great question. I think the Miami Heat players aka Wade / James will still get 30+ minutes regardless of the scoreboard tonight. They have blown out several teams this year, and the majority of the time both players will get you 30+ FD points. I think Wade and James are better suited for blowout games than say a Danny Granger or Roy Hibbert who have legitimate back ups who have been an integral part of the Pacers rotation all season.
that is certainly true with Lebron/Wade about getting their points. So, based on that analysis and I stick with them in my roster, would it be wise to use players oustide of the Ind/No game since they have decent backups, if it is a blowout? Or do you think it will remain close enough to use the Indiana players?
I think it will stay close enough, NOH have played teams competitively as of late.
You always have to put players on your roster you feel will get you the most production. Example – Lebron in 30 minutes can still get you 40+, however a player like Prince in the mid 6k range could play 40 minutes and get you 25 fantasy points.
Between Gibson and Knight, who should I take for that final spot?
Pete,
I think right now you have to go with Knight for a couple reasons. He is almost guaranteed to exceed Gibson’s playing time tonight, as Gibson is just returning from an injury and you might agree the Cavs have more depth at the guard position than the Pistons right now. Also I believe Knight will come out fired up tonight going against the number one pick in the draft, might have something to prove tonight. He will be a key factor if the Pistons plan on leaving Cleveland with a “W” tonight. Your thoughts?
Playing time was the one thing that concerned me, especially not knowing how much the injury could limit him tonight, so I think I’m gonna go with Knight. I also have Cousins against the Heat tonight. Not sure if it’s the smartest of picks (possible blowout, etc) but I can see him picking up a lot of rebounds and having one of his big games.
Good luck tonight Pete. I like where your heads at with the Cousins pick. I’m more concerned with his ability to stay out of foul trouble, if he can do that I can foresee a big fantasy night.
Thanks, appreciate the advice. It’s been a tough last few days. Looking for a nice bounce back effort tonight.