NBA daily fantasy is a major part of the NBA fandom in today’s landscape. NBA fans are playing daily fantasy by the millions and spending boatloads of money on it. In daily fantasy, NBA superstars are a must, however, the most important aspect of daily fantasy is finding those under the radar value plays. Finding that value play is also what typically separates the lineups that win big, from the lineups that don’t win at all. Tonight is a tough slate to hit it big on as there is limited action with only four games on the docket, most notably the Los Angeles Lakers against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
NBA Daily Fantasy Advice
NBA Daily Fantasy Must Plays
LeBron James, Damian Lillard, or Anthony Davis
In daily fantasy, superstars and high usage players are a must. LeBron James is the most expensive play tonight on FanDuel at $12,000. Anthony Davis is the second most expensive at $11,200. Damian Lillard is the third most expensive at $9,800.
One of these plays is a must tonight, and it might be ideal to try to get two of them in the lineup. James is currently averaging 53.41 fantasy points per game on FanDuel. Davis is currently averaging 50.42 fantasy points per game. Lillard is currently averaging 47.56 fantasy points per game.
The best play for tonight is to pair James and Lillard together. Davis is listed as a game-time-decision with right shoulder soreness so he is a risky play. The difference between Lillard and Davis in price ($1,400) is not worth the difference in their average fantasy production (2.86 points). It would be wise to spend that extra $1,400 on another position.
Second Tier Plays
Buddy Hield, Kyle Kuzma, and Aron Baynes
With James and Lillard taking up $21,800 of the allotted $60,000 salary, finding second-tier plays will be crucial. The Sacramento Kings are currently looking more like an infirmary ward than a basketball team with De’Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley both out, and Trevor Ariza a game-time-decision tonight. Buddy Hield is an excellent play. He is a little more expensive than other second-tier plays for tonight at $7,900, but he is worth it. His usage should be through the roof for a beat-up Kings team.
Kyle Kuzma is an excellent play at only $5,400 tonight, especially if Davis does indeed miss the contest. Kuzma’s fantasy average isn’t anything to write home about, but he did play limited minutes for a few games when he first came back from injury. He has the potential to have a huge night and he would be the second option to James if Davis is out.
Aron Baynes is almost a must-play in daily fantasy at this point, especially tonight with the limited high-end options at center. Baynes only costs $6,200 and since taking over for the suspended Deandre Ayton, he has averaged 17.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.1 blocks per night.
Value Plays
Ky Bowman, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Nerlens Noel
All three of these players come in at under $5,000. Ky Bowman is the most expensive of the three at $4,700. With D’Angelo Russell and Stephen Curry out due to injury, Bowman will get a ton of ball-handling duties against a New Orleans Pelicans team that plays at a top-five pace with a bottom-five defensive rating. Simply put, Bowman should have ample opportunity to put up a solid fantasy score and he is very cheap.
The Pelicans, like the Golden State Warriors, are also beat up. Rookie guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker has played at least 30 minutes in each of the past two contests with Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, J.J. Redick, and Frank Jackson all missing time. He should be in line for major minutes once again tonight and at only $4,500, he is a steal.
Nerlens Noel is unlikely to produce a lot by way of scoring. He has only been in double figures three times all season. However, at $4,200, he does enough everywhere else to warrant being a value pick for tonight. He is Steven Adams‘ primary backup and he should see about 20 to 25 minutes tonight. That is ample time for him to make an impact on the glass and defensively. The hope is that he can provide around 25 fantasy points and provide tremendous value.
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