This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
With just a little over two weeks left in the NBA regular season, this will be one of the last weekends to enjoy a full slate of DFS NBA action. Look for the NBA backcourts to continue to step up and provide cheap value as teams rest players and try out (or tank with) new lineups down the stretch. As always, all players listed below are under the $6,000 threshold to help build value into your daily fantasy rosters. Here's a look at today's value plays.
Sunday Value Plays
Point Guard
Jeremy Lin, LAL, $5,800: Take a look at Lin's fantasy point totals since entering the starting lineup four games ago: 42.50, 29.90. 29.10, 31.90. That's six times he's finished with value over his salary, doing it in every game that he's started over the past week. Lin's minutes have increased in three of the past four games, and he will face a Brooklyn Nets team that may be short-handed again with Deron Williams missing Saturday's practice due to an illness. Lin has been playing his best basketball in March, so it's a good time to pop Super Lintendo into your lineup.
Ishmael Smith, PHI, $5,700: Smith's scoring output has been a little uneven of late, but you can certainly count on him from an assists standpoint, producing seven assists or more in six of the past seven games. He's produced in excess of 28 fantasy points on FanDuel in four of his last six games and draws a favorable matchup in the defensive turnstile known as Kyrie Irving today. The Cavaliers have allowed an eye-popping 26.6 points per game to opposing point guards in the last five contests. That's enough for me to give Smith another shot this Sunday.
Shooting Guard
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, DET, $5,500: Caldwell-Pope has enjoyed a fair amount of success with Greg Monroe (knee) out of the lineup, increasing his shot attempts from 11.9 on average this season to 16.7 over the past two weeks. The second-year shooting guard enjoyed two back-to-back monster fantasy lines, scoring 38 fantasy points against Boston and 39 fantasy points against Toronto last week. Miami generally defends the shooting guard position well, but Dwyane Wade just had fluid drained from his gimpy knee over the weekend and is questionable to play on Sunday. With this price point, 25 fantasy points seem like a safe floor for KCP today.
Small Forward
C.J. Miles, IND, $4,300: Now here's a guy that's been in and out of the Sunday Value Plays lineup, but he has earned his way back in with a couple of nice scoring totals in the past week, and he also has one of the lowest price tags of anyone in today's article. Miles got himself back into action by dropping 11 treys in his last four games and putting together a nice 26-point performance against a good Milwaukee Bucks defense on Thursday. Miles will likely get the benefit of not having to face Monta Ellis, who is considered doubtful for Sunday's game with an injured calf. Injury creates opportunity, and Miles has a good chance to take advantage of that opportunity for the Pacers on Sunday.
Matt Barnes, LAC, $5,200: This Clippers wingman is the prototypical cheap cash game play on FanDuel, scoring no less than 20 fantasy points in six of his past eight games while averaging above 30 minutes during that time frame. He's very consistent, but also has a limited ceiling, with his highest scoring output in that span being 37 fantasy points against Oklahoma City on March 11. You know what you're getting in Barnes. He's probably not gonna help you win a GPP, but if you're playing the cash games, he's about as safe of a bargain play as you can get.
Power Forward
Josh Smith, HOU, $5,700: A rib injury along with a partially collapsed lung suffered by Terrence Jones has given Smith the minutes he needs to become fantasy relevant again, and he's made the most of it by scoring in double figures in five of his last six games. He capped his recent run off with a double-double against Minnesota on Friday, good for 43 fantasy points. With injuries to three different players in their frontcourt, and Dwight Howard working his way back into game-shape, Smith is likely in line for a heavy dose of minutes again today against the Wizards.
Marcus Morris, PHX, $5,800: If you're looking for more consistency, Marcus Morris is most likely your guy. He's played 35 minutes or more in seven of his last eight games and has scored no less than 23.60 fantasy points on FanDuel in that span. The Thunder are another team that have been hurt by injuries in their frontcourt, and they've been starting the fouling machine known as Steven Adams in the frontcourt. Adams has logged five or more fouls in five of his last eight games, including two games where he fouled out. FanDuel refuses to raise the price on Morris to over $6K, so I refuse to remove him from lineups whenever he's available.
Center
Tarik Black, LAL, $4,200: Granted, Black is not a great player, in real-life or in the fantasy realm. But honestly speaking, the center position today is putrid. You're probably better off paying up for one of the top four or five centers on the board today. But if you need a punt play, Black is an option. The Lakers continue to give him consistent minutes at the center position while sitting Jordan Hill and Carlos Boozer while in tank-mode. Black has registered six blocks in the past four games and has thrown up a couple double-doubles in the past two weeks. Brook Lopez has never been a strong rebounder, and the Lakers are at home, so Black has a decent shot a double-digit rebounds this Sunday.
