There is one certainty when it comes to winning money with FanDuel Basketball and that is you must have a lineup comprised of as much top-tier talent as you can afford. Of course by buying high on many of the game’s best players it leaves little cash left to fill out a balanced lineup. To this end, one must find value plays that are coming into underpriced on the night and who are poised to outperform their assigned price tag. After the point guard spot, in particular the PG1 spot, the next most important piece to fill out is the center position. Not only is this the only roster spot where only one player is used; this is a spot that too often folks skimp on and it is here that many a dollar is won and lost.
In advance of any set pricing coming out from FanDuel on the upcoming NBA season, we will take a look at players from each position and from each conference who are poised to contribute nicely in those secondary roles. While none of these guys are going to carry your lineup night in and night out, they will give you that value play that could just make the difference between winning and losing money.
Top 5 Fantasy Value Plays for Centers - Western Conference
Jusuf Nurkic Denver Nuggets
Nurkic is poised to take a big step forward this season as his rookie season was really a work-in-progress for both him and the Nuggets. Despite the learning curve, Nurkic did start in 27 games for the Nuggets; however, he averaged just 17.8 minutes per game over the season. This year the Nuggets will definitely want to see what they have here as they also drafted and signed their own second-round pick in Nikola Jokic as yet another international big man for the front line. Nurkic showed good promise as the season wore on and with a season of experience and confidence under his belt everyone will be looking for him to build off of his 6.9 ppg and 6.2 rpg averages.
Roy Hibbert Los Angeles Lakers
Finding value is all about buying low and right now there isn’t anyone whose stock is lower than that of Roy Hibbert. After finally being jettisoned out of Indiana, the big man is looking for a fresh start in Los Angeles. Hibbert won’t be seeing much in terms of offensive touches so if he wants to get stats he better be hustling on the glass as the guard heavy lineup of the Lakers will certainly be hoisting shots. Hibbert is certainly still capable, although his value is really in half-court offensive sets as his mobility in running the floor is limited. The Lakers figure to get out and run as their offensive sets last season were awful. Hibbert is certainly worth monitoring early in the season to see how he adjusts and just how he can fit in with the Lakers.
Meyers Leonard Portland Trailblazers
Leonard figures to be the starter in Portland by virtue of elimination. While the Blazers will probably run Mason Plumlee out there at the five spot as well, the starter minutes are Leonard’s to lose at this point. Now entering his fourth year in the league, Leonard will be looking take advantage of this opportunity. He showed decent promise last season over the last two months and fantasy general managers will want to see that momentum continue over.
Tyson Chandler Phoenix Suns
Chandler signed a big deal this offseason with Phoenix which was a bit surprising given his age; however, many a player have come to the Valley of the Sun and had a nice career resurgence. Chandler should fit in nicely with the Suns uptempo game as he has always been good at running the floor and finding those open lanes for easy buckets. Chandler was one of the few in the Association to average a double-double last season and he figures to duplicate that effort this season. While Chandler is consistent and productive he still lags behind in terms of price due to his lack of explosive stat potential. Chandler is a nice consistent option; however, he isn’t likely going to go off for huge nights scoring wise, although the occasional big rebounding night is always a boost.
Rudy Gobert Utah Jazz
Gobert really stepped up last season after the midseason trade of Enes Kanter from Utah. Gobert will certainly be on many a FanDuel lineup as he is capable of posting some huge stat nights due to his rebounding and defensive stats. While Gobert’s value will certainly escalate throughout the season; take advantage of his pricing early on as he will undoubtedly be at his cheapest early in the season. While Gobert’s season averages are decent enough, it was his play over the last two months that really resonates with fantasy owners. Gobert averaged 10.9 ppg, 14.9 rpg, 1.9 apg and 2.3 blocks during the month of March and he followed that up with 12.3 ppg, 12.0 rpg, 2 apg and 2.3 blocks per game over the last eight games of the season in April.