NBA

5 Daily Fantasy Basketball Value Plays for 1/17/17

Jay Kim  —  @ThirtyDimes Jan 17th, 2017
Lou Williams has been hot, and the Los Angeles Lakers' clash with the Denver Nuggets is expected to be a high-scoring matchup. Which other low-cost options are in a good spot?

One of the keys to finding success in daily fantasy basketball is uncovering potential value plays. If you're looking to roster a stud player or two, you need to consider squeezing in one of these lower-priced options into your lineup.

Let's take a look at five players who can help fill in the gaps in your lineup.

Jameer Nelson, PG, Denver Nuggets

FanDuel Price: $3,600
Projected FanDuel Points: 21.2
Projected FanDuel Value: 5.88

Not so fast, Emmanuel Mudiay -- the ageless veteran Jameer Nelson has been more than a relief point man for the Denver Nuggets. Nelson is averaging only 4.2 less minutes per game than Mudiay on the season, and he's been playing well of late. Over his past three games, Nelson has averaged 14 points, 5.7 assists, and 2.3 three-pointers in 26 minutes.

Nelson boasts the highest projected value among all point guards playing tonight, and he'll be taking on the Los Angeles Lakers, who have the worst defense on Tuesday's slate.

Louis Williams, SG, Los Angeles Lakers

FanDuel Price: $4,600
Projected FanDuel Points: 22.6
Projected FanDuel Value: 4.91

Louis Williams is only playing 24.1 minutes per game this season, but he has impressive per-36 averages of 26.4 points and 7.4 free-throws made. Williams is always locked and loaded as he is on pace to set career-highs in both field goal attempts (12.5) and points (17.6). Over his past two games, Williams is averaging 19.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 3.5 three-pointers -- so he's cooking right now.

The Lakers take on the Nuggets, who offer the third-best matchup to opposing shooting guards among teams playing tonight. Furthermore, their matchup has a massive over/under of 230.5, so Williams could be in for a fruitful stat line.

DeMarre Carroll, SF, Toronto Raptors

FanDuel Price: $4,600
Projected FanDuel Points: 21.3
Projected FanDuel Value: 4.62

DeMarre Carroll is back to his workhorse self as he's been playing without a minutes restriction over the past week. In his last four games, Carroll is putting up 18.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.3 three-pointers made.

Carroll is trending as the hottest player among all small forwards on Tuesday's slate. He's playing 55.39% above his season average in terms of fantasy points per night over his last five games. As a bonus, Carroll gets an ideal matchup with the Brooklyn Nets, who offer the best matchup to opposing small forwards tonight.

Kenneth Faried, PF, Denver Nuggets

FanDuel Price: $4,500
Projected FanDuel Points: 23.4
Projected FanDuel Value: 5.2

It's been a roller coaster season for Kenneth Faried, but he has remained a strong contributor with per-36 averages of 15.6 points and 13.1 rebounds. Faried is coming off a 10-for-12 shooting night in which he totaled 20 points and 5 rebounds, and he's also been thrust back into a starting role.

Faried has the fourth-highest projected value among all power forwards playing tonight, and he'll be taking on the Lakers, who allow an effective field goal percentage of 54% to opponents.

Lucas Nogueira, C, Toronto Raptors

FanDuel Price: $3,800
Projected FanDuel Points: 18.7
Projected FanDuel Value: 4.93

Over his last three contests, Lucas Nogueira has averaged a whopping 29 minutes per game. In those three games, he's averaged 7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, and 1.3 steals. The Toronto Raptors play the Nets tonight for the second time in less than a week. In two games versus the Nets, Nogueira is averaging 8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4 blocks.

According to our tools, Nogueira is trending as the third-hottest player among all centers on Tuesday's slate. He's playing 61.53% above his season average in terms of fantasy points per night over his last five games. The Nets offer the second-best matchup to opposing centers tonight, so Nogueira could put up decent value.