This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
FanDuel.com Value Plays for the Week
If you've never played on FanDuel.com before, we recommend reading our Daily Fantasy Basketball 101: How to Win on FanDuel (Tournament Play) strategy article.
POINT GUARD
Chris Paul, PG, LAC ($8,200): That's right, once again healthy Chris Paul currently costs a mere $8,200- versus the $10,000+ he should eventually cost, against the FanDuel cap. In his last game before the All-Star break versus Portland (and only his second game back from his long shoulder injury layoff), Paul showed a return to form with 20 points, 12 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals in almost 39 minutes of action. He is a great value right now and should be owned in all FanDuel Formats as long as he is healthy and such a bargain. Again, he is a steal right now, make sure he is on your roster every night he plays.
Going Forward: In the next calendar week, Paul has matchups on Tuesday versus the Spurs, Friday versus the Grizzlies, Sunday versus the Thunder, and Monday versus the Pelicans. Not all of those matchups (Spurs, Grizzlies) are great on paper, but Paul is one of those guys you play regardless of the matchup.
SHOOTING GUARD
Arron Afflalo, SG, ORL ($6,100): Afflalo is having a breakout season as he is averaging career-highs across the board with 19.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists versus 2.1 turnovers per game at the All-Star break- which is most disconcerting to someone who passed him up in their head to head league draft for the likes of Steve Nash and Andrew Bynum, but I digress. Afflalo is a player to target in FanDuel with a salary cap value of only $6100 given his 29.1 FDPPG (FanDuel Points Per Game)- heck his own teammate rookie Victor Olidipo averages 26.1 FDPPG and has a salary of $600 more. While it is true his last two games before the break were duds- only 8.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 0.5 steals in 32 minutes per game, he should bounce back to his season averages after the All-Star break.
Going Forward: The Magic have 5 games in the upcoming calendar week: this Tuesday versus the Bucks, Wednesday versus the Cavs, Friday versus the Knicks, Sunday versus the Raptors and next Tuesday versus the Wizards. The matchups versus the Bucks on Tuesday and the Knicks on Friday are the most fantasy-friendly, but all of these games should be opportunities for Afflalo to shine, assuming of course he does not get traded.
SMALL FORWARD
Luol Deng, SF, CLE ($6,000): Although he has been a major disappointment in Cleveland, only averaging 14.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in 17 games with the Cavs as opposed to the 19.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists he was averaging with the Bulls in 23 games this year. Deng still has a chance to turn things around in the second half of the season, which could make his very reasonable $6,000 FanDuel salary even more appealing. Deng will have had almost a week to rest his sore achilles when the Cavs are back in action this Tuesday night. Because he has been so up and down from game to game, Leagues and Head-to-Head are the best formats to deploy Deng at this time given his potential to have a big game (or not) periodically.
Going Forward: The Cavs play five games in the next calendar week: this Tuesday versus the Sixers, Wednesday versus the Magic, Friday versus the Raptors, Sunday versus the Wizards and next Tuesday versus the Raptors again. Deng has the potential to put up solid numbers in all of these matchups, but the Sixers and Magic games are the ones to target as he should be able to exploit those teams' porous defenses.
POWER FORWARD
Dirk Nowitzki, PF, DAL, ($7,500): Dirk is a great value at a $7,500 salary. The guy is averaging 34.9 FDPPG for the season on 21.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.6 blocks versus only 1.4 turnovers per game so far this season. His FanDuel value is better than the likes of Tim Duncan at 34.8 FDPPG and $8,600, Zach Randolph at 33.0 FDPPG and $7,700 and is really a better value than Paul Millsap at 35.5 FDPPG but at $8,500. The only thing to watch out for with Dirk is that he might get the occasional game off down the stretch to keep him healthy for the playoffs.
Going Forward: The Mavericks play four games in the next calendar week: this Tuesday versus the Heat, Friday versus the Sixers, Saturday versus the Pistons and next Monday versus the Knicks. Though Dirk is still a solid play against almost any team, the matchups versus the Sixers and Knicks should provide the best opportunity for Dirk to put up big fantasy numbers.
CENTER
Zaza Pachulia, C, MIL, ($4,300): Pachulia is currently the healthiest body in the Bucks big-man rotation and will start at center for at least the next several weeks with Larry Sanders sidelined with a fractured orbital bone (ouch). His numbers are not eye popping on the season- 7.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.0 assists versus 1.7 turnovers per game in 23 games played, but the extra run he will get should help boost his numbers as the season goes forward. For example, Pachulia is only shooting 39% from the field so far this season as compared to his career shooting percentage of 46.2%- so his points are bound to get closer to double figures. Bottom line, Pachulia is good for almost any FanDuel format at 19.1 FDPPG with a very reasonable salary of $4,300.
Going Forward: The Bucks play four games in the next calendar week: this Tuesday versus the Magic, Thursday versus the Nuggets, Saturday versus the Pacers and next Monday versus the Sixers. Pachulia is a strong play in all of those games except the Pacers- where he would probably be rendered useless by the likes of Roy Hibbert and David West.
