FanDuel NBA: Sunday Value Plays

FanDuel NBA: Sunday Value Plays

This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.

Sunday's all-day slate provides us with just five games to pluck value options from, but it's certainly enough. Luckily, there's a solid combination of pricing and opportunity for a number of players that makes them potentially appealing fantasy-point-per-dollar selections, including several who should log extended minutes. Let's jump into highlighting some of Sunday's best bargains:

POINT GUARD

Rajon Rondo, LAL at PHI ($6,100): Rondo is averaging a solid 27.6 fantasy points this season, but he's scored 27.9 to 48.7 in six of his last seven games as a starter. The workhorse veteran plays heavy minutes in nearly every contest, as he played 35 or more in each of the aforementioned games. He's likely headed for more of the same Sunday against a Sixers squad that's allowed 36 fantasy points per game to point guards, including 44.7 in the last five. Rondo is averaging just less than a fantasy point per minute (0.96) during his starting stint, a sample that includes a 27.9 fantasy-point output against Philadelphia on Jan. 29.

Tyler Johnson, PHO at SAC ($4,500): Johnson could well be in for his first start in a Suns uniform Sunday after debuting Friday against the Warriors. The former Heat guard played 28 minutes off the bench in that game, and although a poor shooting performance prevented him from making a splash, Sunday's matchup may help him make up for it. The Kings allow the third-most fantasy points per game to point guards (43.4), along with the second-most points (21.5) and third-most assists (7.8). Johnson has scored north of 30 fantasy points more than once this season and likely will benefit from plenty of one-on-one matchups if new backcourt mate Devin Booker (hamstring) returns from a hamstring injury as expected.

SHOOTING GUARD

Terrence Ross, ORL at ATL ($5,700): Ross didn't quite put up the same eye-popping numbers Saturday that he generated in three of the previous four games, but the veteran wing scored another 15 points against the Bucks on his way to 24.3 fantasy points. In those other three games, Ross scored 38.5 to 43.8 fantasy points, so he has the potential to outproduce his price. The Hawks could be just the opponent to coax another stellar output from him, considering Ross lit them up for 39.5 fantasy points in 27 minutes Jan. 21. Atlanta also comes in allowing 36.9 fantasy points per game to shooting guards and the most in the league (39.9) per game to small forwards, the two positions Ross fills. They're also yielding the third-highest offensive efficiency rating (24.8) to twos, sixth highest (22.5) to threes and second highest (47.4) to second units overall, making Ross all the more appealing.

Andre Iguodala, GS vs. MIA ($4,500): Iggy continues to offer solid across-the-board production in both a real-world and fantasy sense nearly each time he takes the court. That's most recently evidenced by the fact he's scored 23.2 to 36.2 fantasy points in five of his last seven games, and 18.8 in a sixth game during that span. Those are all solid-to-stellar returns on his current price, and with a role that typically affords him minutes in the mid-20s on average, his strong production could well continue Sunday. The Heat allows 34.1 fantasy points per game to small forwards, including the sixth most (46.2) in the last five games. With a relatively modest number of reliable value options at the three Sunday – and plenty of potential opportunity on the defensive glass thanks to Miami's pedestrian 44.5 percent shooting – Iguodala makes for a safe cost-savings play.

SMALL FORWARD

Jonathan Isaac, ORL at ATL ($5,900): Isaac continued his strong sophomore surge Saturday versus the Bucks, totaling 28.2 fantasy points on the strength of a team-high 17 points. The second-year big has scored at least 28.2 fantasy points in seven consecutive games and nine of his last 10. Moreover, all but two of those tallies have been more than 30. The Hawks make for an appealing target, considering Isaac totaled 32.3 fantasy points against them in 32 minutes in their prior meeting Jan. 21. Given Atlanta's weaknesses against small forwards, as well the 1.11 fantasy points per minute Isaac is averaging in his last 10 games, he shapes up as a bargain at his price.

J.J. Redick, PHI vs. LAL ($5,400): Redick is coming off 39.1 fantasy points against the Nuggets on Friday, his sixth game in the last eight with more than 25 fantasy points. The veteran sharpshooter should be heavily involved in what could be the fastest-paced game of the day Sunday. That would leave him poised for a potentially nice return versus a Lakers squad that's allowed the second-most fantasy points per game (39.7) to shooting guards this season, along with the most points (22.6) and highest shooting percentage (45.0). Los Angeles also allows the second-most made threes (2.9) per game to two-guards, while Redick is taking a career-high 7.9 attempts from behind the arc and draining them at an impressive 39.3 percent clip.

POWER FORWARD

Marvin Bagley, SAC vs. PHO ($6,300): The Phoenix frontcourt has been permeable all season, putting a pair of affordable Kings in play Sunday. Bagley enters Sunday's game after scoring 56.4 fantasy points in 30 minutes against the Spurs just three games ago. Bagley also boasts fantasy-point tallies of 30.3, 31.1, 35.4 and 43.7 in his last seven games, providing a glimpse of the excellent upside he offers even as he remains in a second-unit role. He'll look to exploit a Phoenix squad allowing the eighth-most fantasy points (39.3) per game to power forwards on the season, including 48.6 in the last five games. The Suns also allow the sixth-highest offensive efficiency rating in the paint (60.3), while Bagley is logging just less than 65 percent of his scoring in that area of the floor.

Harry Giles, SAC vs. PHO ($3,900): Giles is also in play for many of the same reasons as Bagley, and his significantly lower price helps mitigate the fact that his production carries a bit more variance than that of his teammate. However, the second-year big has been coming on in some recent contests, scoring 23.8 to 29.9 fantasy points in three of the last seven games in which he's logged double-digit minutes. The Suns' struggles versus power forwards were just highlighted, and it's also worth noting they allow the fifth-highest offensive efficiency rating (82.4) to frontcourts. Giles has played center in addition to power forward, making the 39.0 fantasy points per game the Suns allow to fives – tied for second most in the NBA – yet another factor in Giles' favor.

CENTER

JaVale McGee, LAL at PHI ($5,500): Ivica Zubac is now with the crosstown-rival Clippers, making McGee's minutes and usage a lot more secure. The veteran big man has scored 26.5 to 42.3 fantasy points in four of his last five games, with the high end of that range notably having come against the Sixers on Jan. 29. McGee encouragingly logged a solid 29 minutes against the Celtics on Friday, the Lakers' first game since the Zubac trade. He should be set for a similar allotment Sunday in an attempt to matchup with Joel Embiid down low, and it's worth noting the Sixers come in tied for the fifth-most fantasy points allowed per game to centers (35.8). Philadelphia also allows a bottom-10 figure in points in the paint per game this season (50.2), a figure that's bumped up to 58.7 in their last three contests. In turn, McGee scores 84.9 percent of his points in that part of the floor.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Juan Carlos Blanco plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: jcblanco22, FanDuel: jc_blanco22, DraftPot: jc_blanco22, FantasyDraft: jc_blanco22, OwnThePlay: jcblanco22.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juan Carlos Blanco
Winner of the FSWA 2016 Newcomer of the Year Award, Juan Carlos Blanco has been playing fantasy sports for over 20 years and covers NBA, MLB, NFL, CFL and Arena Football for Rotowire.com, including serving as the beat writer for teams in multiple sports. He has previously written for KFFL.com and remains an avid season-long and daily fantasy player in multiple sports as well.
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