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 one of these lower-salaried options into your lineup.
Let's take a look at some players who can help fill in the gaps in your lineup on FanDuel tonight, using numberFire's daily fantasy basketball projections as a guide.
Zach Collins, PF/C, San Antonio Spurs
Charles Bassey, C, San Antonio Spurs
Collins' FanDuel Salary: $5,000
Bassey's FanDuel Salary: $3,500
There's a ton of value, and a ton of big value on tonight's huge slate because of injuries and trades.
Two of the names at the top of the projected value board here at numberFire are Zach Collins and Charles Bassey for the San Antonio Spurs after the team traded Jakob Poeltl to the Toronto Raptors.
Collins is expected to play 27.7 minutes and rack up 32.7 FanDuel points against a Detroit Pistons defense that ranks 29th in defensive rating. That's the best possible matchup for the Spurs because they themselves rank 30th.
In games against bottom-10 defenses, Collins has maintained a per-minute output of 0.96 FanDuel points. That'll play.
As for Bassey, he's numberFire's top projected value (expected to score 7.27 FanDuel points per $1,000) at minimum salary. Bassey's minutes expectation is just 20.0, yet that comes with 25.5 projected FanDuel points in a positive spot.
Bassey has a 1.07-FanDuel-point-per-minute average against bottom-10 defenses.
Drew Eubanks, C/PF, Portland Trail Blazers
FanDuel Salary: $4,600
In addition to some trade news, Drew Eubanks will benefit from the absence of Jusuf Nurkic.
The tight rotation for the Portland Trail Blazers is leading to a projection of 26.8 minutes in a matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Oklahoma City ranks about average in defensive rating; however, this game has the highest total of the night (241.5) by more than 5.0 points (next best is 236.0).
Eubanks, then, has a top-five composite matchup based on defense-versus-position, total, and spread.
Gabe Vincent, PG/SG, Miami Heat
FanDuel Salary: $4,800
Let's shift away from the frontcourt options and move to the guard position(s).
Gabe Vincent remains a strong value play for the Miami Heat due to the absence of Kyle Lowry, Victor Oladipo, and others. He has a 19.4% usage rate and averages 0.71 FanDuel points per minute with Lowry and Oladipo off the floor, via CourtIQ.
On Wednesday, Vincent played 37.3 minutes and took 11 shot attempts for 17 points as well as 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal on his way to 26.3 FanDuel points. That worked out to 0.71 FanDuel points per minute.
Tonight, the Heat host the Houston Rockets, who are 28th in defensive rating.
Jaden Ivey, SG, Detroit Pistons
FanDuel Salary: $5,600
Let's bring this full circle and get in a value stack opportunity with Jaden Ivey along with the Spurs' frontcourt options.
Ivey and the Pistons get the Spurs' 30th-ranked defensive rating. Ivey's composite matchup is also elite.
Across 14 games against bottom-10 defenses, Ivey has averaged 29.6 minutes, 11.6 field goal attempts, 16.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 0.9 combined steals and blocks for 28.5 FanDuel points per game -- and 0.96 FanDuel points per minute.
numberFire's model is projecting Ivey for 31.6 minutes and 5.74 FanDuel points per $1,000.