NBA

3 NBA DraftKings Value Plays to Target on 1/26/21

Brett Oswalt  —  @bRo14thekid Jan 26th, 2021
Marcus Morris is set to step up in the absence of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. Which other low-salaried options can you look to on Tuesday night?

A major key to success in daily fantasy basketball is uncovering potential value plays. If you're looking to roster a stud or two, you need to consider squeezing one of these lower-salaried options into your lineup.

Let's take a look at three players who can help fill in the gaps in your lineup on DraftKings tonight.

Robin Lopez, C, Washington Wizards

DraftKings Salary: $4,900

Tuesday's short-sized slate is full of injuries and COVID-related absences, but that hasn't resulted in a lot of obvious values. For the most part, player salaries have been adjusted accordingly, leaving only a few guys worth looking at under the $5,000 mark. One of those is Washington center Robin Lopez.

Lopez joined Washington in more of a reserve role, but since Thomas Bryant's season-ending injury back on January 9th, the veteran has been asked to step up, starting each of the last two games and averaging 25.2 minutes a game in the process. He had been splitting time with Moritz Wagner, but he is expected to sit out Tuesday's game, as he remains in health and safety protocols. So, Lopez's only means of competition will be new addition Alex Len.

Assuming Lopez gets a 25-to-30 minute workload, he has a fairly high floor. He's averaged 0.88 DK points per minute on the year and 1.09 over his last two games alone. A matchup with the Houston Rockets -- ranked eighth-worst against centers -- bodes well for his chances of returning value tonight.

Marcus Morris, SF/PF, Los Angeles Clippers

DraftKings Salary: $4,700

Like the Wizards, the Los Angeles Clippers are dealing with a fallout of players being placed in the league's health and safety protocols. The only difference is that their issue isn't a matter of quantity -- it's quality. The only two players -- in addition to the injured Patrick Beverley -- to be ruled out for Tuesday are Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, meaning the Clips will be without their starting shooting guard and small forward.

Marcus Morris is undoubtedly the top option to step in for one of those two at small forward. He's played both forward spots this season, and though he's come off the bench, he has averaged 22.6 minutes a night. And as for his involvement, he has averaged a solid 8.8 attempts (4.8 from three) thanks to a 20% usage rate, according to NBA.com.

In the four games Morris has played at least 24 minutes this season, he has averaged 11.5 points on 8.5 shot attempts a game, to go along with 5.5 boards. With the Atlanta Hawks giving up 110.1 points per game on the league's 11th-highest pace, Morris could easily pop off for a 30-point game for the shorthanded Clips.

Jerome Robinson, SG/SF, Washington Wizards

DraftKings Salary: $4,000

The Washington backcourt is hurting for bodies even more than the frontcourt. With all of Ish Smith, Troy Brown and Deni Avdija already out, and Raul Neto questionable, Jerome Robinson is likely to start a second straight game at the three. The last time out he benefited from playing minutes alongside the firepower of Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook, turning in 16 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and a total of 31.75 DK points in 35 minutes.

Robinson has just a 14.2% usage rate on the season, but he's seen that climb to 17.2% in the lowest two games he has played. In that time, he's shot an improved 43.5% from the floor with five three-pointers.

Washington and Houston should carry a high over/under with both teams ranked in the top 10 in pace over the first month. That raises the floor of a value play like Robinson, particularly on a slate like this, making him a near must-play in all formats.


Brett Oswalt is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Brett Oswalt also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username BRO14THEKID. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.