Having eclipsed 30+ FPTS in 3 of his last 5 games, Isaiah Stewart looks to be in another good spot tonight with Mason Plumlee out of the lineup for Detroit.
See below for a breakdown of value plays for tonight’s slate of games on Fan Duel by FantasyPros.
LaMelo Ball (CHA) $7,500 vs. CHI
I usually refrain from naming players above $7,000 in salary as so-called “value plays,” but LaMelo Ball seems slightly underpriced given the situation of the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets are without Gordon Hayward and Miles Bridges, leaving the majority of the ball-handling duties to Ball and Terry Rozier. Ball gets to take part in a pace-up game versus the Chicago Bulls as the Hornets hope to hold onto a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Caleb Martin (CHA) $5,000 vs. CHI
Yes, P.J. Washington is set to return to the lineup for Charlotte on Thursday. But that doesn’t mean that Caleb Martin didn’t earn himself some minutes at small forward in his last outing. With Bridges and Washington out, Martin posted 34 FD points at minimum price. FanDuel has raised his price to $5,000, but that shouldn’t prevent him from hitting 5x value as he should get a decent number of minutes against the Bulls.
Isaiah Stewart (DET) $5,800 vs. MEM
In recent weeks, I’ve had tons of success in NBA DFS by targeting value players on the Detroit Pistons. Detroit is resting a ton of players due to them having nothing to play for, leaving us with a few players to use at their current prices. Isaiah Stewart has been a popular pick recently, and the Pistons are going to be without Mason Plumlee again on Thursday. While the Memphis Grizzlies aren’t awful against power forwards, Stewart has been playing the center position, which is a position that the Grizzlies have surrendered 56.5 FD points per game to (fourth-most in the NBA).
Dwight Powell (DAL) $4,900 vs. BKN
As previously mentioned, I think grabbing pieces from the showdown between the Nets and the Mavericks is going to be commonplace on Thursday. One way to get exposure to the game, and for cheap, is to insert Dwight Powell at the center position. The Mavericks are going to be without Kristaps Porzingis and Maxi Kleber for the second straight game. Powell has combined for 71.9 FD points in his past two games as he has seen his minutes increased.
Darius Bazley (OKC) $6,500 at GSW
There haven’t been many positives for Oklahoma City this season, besides the emergence of Darius Bazley. The Thunder could be down a few of their starters on Thursday, and Bazley has been one of their go-to scorers in recent games. Bazley also gets a major pace-up game against the Golden State Warriors, who he scored 22 points against less than a month ago. If you have the salary, you could go up from Bazley to Draymond Green in the same game.
Saddiq Bey (DET) $6,400 vs. MEM
When the Pistons faced the Hornets on Tuesday, we witnessed Hamidou Diallo take over as the primary scorer for Detroit. Like other roster members, Diallo is expected to be absent on Thursday, which sets up multiple players for larger workloads on the court. Saddiq Bey struggled with his shot on Tuesday, making just two of his 12 shot attempts, which could cause people to avoid him. While he’s nearly priced at his ceiling, Bey shouldn’t have much trouble against a Grizzlies squad that struggles against small forwards.
Terry Rozier (CHA) $6,200 vs. CHI
It felt extremely disgusting listing three members of the Hornets on this list, but someone has to score for them, right? Charlotte is fighting for a playoff spot, and they are experiencing injuries to marquee players on their roster. The Hornets haven’t gotten many contributions from their bench recently, which puts the onus on guys like Terry Rozier to perform. Rozier has scored fewer than 30 FD points in back-to-back games. However, his scoring will be desperately needed versus a Bulls team that is expected to get Zach LaVine back.
Desmond Bane (MEM) $4,800 at DET
If the season were to end today, the Grizzlies would edge out the Warriors as the eighth seed in the Western Conference, giving them a chance to play in the Play-In Tournament. In the past two games, Desmond Bane has stepped up for Memphis, notching two consecutive games of 30+ FD points. At the cheap price of $4,800, Bane could see 30+ minutes against the Pistons, especially if Grayson Allen is forced to miss the contest due to an abdomen injury he suffered on Wednesday.
Khem Birch (TOR) $5,800 vs. WAS
Khem Birch made some noise early in his tenure with the Toronto Raptors as he became a popular player in lineups due to his ability to contribute in multiple areas. But with the Raptors getting Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam back healthy in recent weeks, Birch’s role has declined a bit. Luckily for Birch, if there’s going to be a game he explodes again, it will be Thursday against a Washington Wizards team that is on a back-to-back, and that has failed to slow down centers this season.
Alex Caruso (LAL) $3,900 at LAC
Things have certainly gone awry for the Los Angeles Lakers this season after it appeared they had a clear shot at repeating as champions. LeBron James and Dennis Schroder will remain sidelined for the Lakers, and Talen Horton-Tucker could possibly be ruled out versus the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night. With the Lakers needing someone to operate the offense, Alex Caruso could see a massive uptick in usage at the cheap price of $3,900. Caruso is a nice salary relief option that allows you to fit in some of the high-priced studs.
