Fantasy NBA: DraftKings and FanDuel Value Plays for Feb. 24
When it comes to daily fantasy sports (DFS), and basketball in particular, there's a lot of data out there that can help you make lineup decisions. One source of helpful data is FantasyLabs, an analytical sports resource site that features DFS projections as part of its stock of premium content.
FantasyLabs provides a wealth of data available at the fingertips of the DFS player to help identify top plays, save time in building multiple lineups, and look at where the value is in a given slate of games based on factors ranging from projected ownership to simple projected points per dollar. Players can even tweak the model based on what they weight to be the most important factors, and the FantasyLabs model will spit out a rating for the individual user that ranks players based on his or her preferences. There's also up-to-the-minute news scrolling in a sidebar that makes it easy to follow breaking injury reports.
We're going to provide a sampling for free right here on PokerNews Sports. Each day this recurring article runs, we'll go over three of FantasyLabs' top value plays on both DraftKings and FanDuel using the premium projections. We'll take a look at why these players could represent value and show you what FantasyLabs expects out of them statistically.
All stats are projected totals at the time of writing. Ceiling and floor represent the top 15 percent and bottom 15 percent of a player's projected outcomes, respectively.
FanDuel Value Plays
| Player | Price | Minutes | Proj. Points | Ceiling | Floor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PF Serge Ibaka (TORvsBOS) | $5,900 | 34.7 | 30.5 | N/A | N/A |
The Raptors made the first big trade of deadline season when they acquired Ibaka, and he'll immediately step in as their best big by a country mile. He's bit risky in the first few games with a new team in case his minutes are depressed as he figures out Toronto's system, but Ibaka should be stepping in and playing a big role sooner than later. Boston's poor-rebounding frontcourt gives him a great chance to get off to a fast start, and he should have way more open looks with Kyle Lowry as his point guard than the likes of Elfrid Payton.
| Player | Price | Minutes | Proj. Points | Ceiling | Floor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SF Brandon Ingram (LAL@OKC) | $3,600 | 29.6 | 18.7 | N/A | N/A |
The Lakers sold off veteran Lou Williams and have already benched veterans like Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov. They are hell-bent on tanking as hard as possible in a bid to keep their top-three protected pick, and that should mean more minutes for long-term project Ingram. Clearly, not much is expected on a per-minute basis, but if he sees anywhere near 30 minutes, he has the potential to go miles past his value threshold at almost the minimum price.
| Player | Price | Minutes | Proj. Points | Ceiling | Floor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PG John Wall (WAS@PHI) | $10,300 | 37.7 | 46.9 | N/A | N/A |
Another team selling off assets was the Sixers, and their once-solid defense looks considerably less so with Joel Embiid out and Nerlens Noel traded. It'll be open season on the basket with Jahlil Okafor in the game, and the Wizards should run up a nice total here. Wall is a candidate for a massive game as long as the Wizards aren't up 20+ by the time the fourth quarter rolls around, but at least this one's on the road.
DraftKings Value Plays
| Player | Price | Minutes | Proj. Points | Ceiling | Floor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C Dirk Nowitzki (DAL@MIN) | $5,500 | 30.7 | 28.7 | N/A | N/A |
The Noel pickup could cut into Nowitzki's minutes at C and push him farther away from the basket which might be bad for his rebounds. But, coach Rick Carlisle is famously averse to trusting young players, so expect them to bring Noel along slowly. It seems the plan is to keep going super-small, and Nowitzki was just hitting a nice stride as the break hit. His 38-year-old legs will benefit more than most from the break, and Minnesota's poor defense awaits.
| Player | Price | Minutes | Proj. Points | Ceiling | Floor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C Greg Monroe (MILvsUTA) | $5,500 | 28.3 | 30.2 | N/A | N/A |
"Moose" Monroe was one of the hottest players going into the break, with three straight games of 38+ DK points. The loss of Jabari Parker means more shots for Monroe, and an increased need for his scoring. Plus, the alternative of playing Thon Maker against the brawny, brutal Jazz front line is just scary to think about. Expect a heavy load for Monroe, and low ownership in GPPs due to the low-scoring Utah matchup.
| Player | Price | Minutes | Proj. Points | Ceiling | Floor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PG Isaiah Thomas (BOS@TOR) | $9,000 | 35.7 | 44.9 | N/A | N/A |
Two Eastern Conference contenders have a huge game here that should be one of the higher-scoring on the slate with a nice total of 215.5. Thomas hit a bit of a rut before the break with eight straight games of missing value at under 50 DK points, but he's still taking piles of shots. His price dropped from over $10,000 to just $9,000, and it's time to buy low here. Thomas will be chucking as usual and the break may have helped him as he's been carrying a workload he's never seen in his career.
Want to see all of today's top plays on DraftKings and FanDuel? Try FantasyLabs' premium tools!
