This article is part of our FantasyDraft NBA series.
Each week, RotoWire will provide value plays for your daily fantasy basketball lineups on FantasyDraft. Users have a salary cap of $100,000 to select a lineup comprised of eight players. Of these eight players, you must select three guards, three forwards/centers and two utility players. The scoring is as follows:
Points Scored – 1.0 point for each point scored
3-Point Basket – 0.5 bonus points for each three-pointer made
Assist – 1.5 points for each assist
Rebound – 1.25 points for each rebound
Steal – 2.0 points for each steal
Block – 2.0 points for each blocked shot
Turnover – minus 0.5 points for each turnover
Double-Double – 1.5 bonus points for double-double
Triple-Double – 3.0 bonus points triple-double
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The target for each player to reach value is 2.5x the player's salary. If a player costs $10,000 against the cap, expected value is 25 fantasy points.
Without further ado, here are this week's value plays for daily fantasy basketball on FantasyDraft.
Value Plays
Guard
Gerald Green, PHO, $6,000 – With Brandon Knight (ankle) out, Gerald Green becomes the likely starter alongside Eric Bledsoe in the Suns backcourt. In four games as a starter this season, Green is averaging 25.4 fantasy points per contest. With his salary at just $6,000, his production as a starter exceeds value by over 10 fantasy points.
As a starter this season, Green is averaging nearly 27 minutes and takes an average of 13 shots per game. His shots per game will give him ample opportunity to reach value at his price point alone. In addition to his ability to score points, Green has also averaged four rebounds, three assists, and a steal per game as a starter this season, which just furthers his value on FantasyDraft.
Arron Afflalo, POR, $9,000 – After the unfortunate season-ending Achilles injury to Wesley Matthews, Afflalo is the starter at shooting guard for the Blazers going forward. As a starter this season, Afllalo is averaging 22.9 fantasy points per game, but most of that was in Denver.
Since Matthews' injury, Afflalo has started one game where he took 12 shots and played 32 minutes. With the increase in minutes, Affalo is likely to take double-digit shots each game, giving him value at his current price point where just 22.5 fantasy points is needed to reach value.
Forward/Center
Marvin Williams, CHA, $6,600 – Williams is another injury replacement as starter Cody Zeller (shoulder) is day-to-day. Williams has started 18 games this season, averaging only 7.3 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in 24.9 minutes per start. But in his last start with Zeller being sent to the bench, Williams scored 32.25 fantasy points. In the games since his last start, Williams has averaged just under one fantasy point per minute.
Should Zeller miss time, Williams' value on FantasyDraft increases, as he has started just one game this season with Zeller unavailable. In that game, Williams played 38 minutes and scored 29.8 fantasy points. Considering his price of $6,600, Williams is an excellent value should Zeller miss time.
Notable Injuries
Kevin Durant (foot) is out Wednesday, but he's likely to return soon. As soon as he returns, Russell Westbrook's value takes a significant hit, as his price will be much too high. Until Durant returns, however, Westbrook is the best player in fantasy basketball as he is averaging a triple double per game without Durant this season.
Blake Griffin (elbow) is day-to-day. Griffin is likely to return on Sunday, which means Spencer Hawes' value as a cheap option diminishes.
Hassan Whiteside (suspension) is suspended for one game. Whiteside will miss Wednesday's game, which gives Chris Andersen a temporary boost in fantasy value.
Kemba Walker (knee) is day-to-day. Walker is likely to play in Wednesday's game, which means the end of Mo Williams' run as a top fantasy option at his price point.
More injury information can be found here.
Good luck, and do not forget to join the fun at FantasyDraft and sign up now.
