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. There is little doubt that the single most important position on anyone’s FanDuel lineup is that of the PG2. It is easy to simply buy high on guys like Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook and so forth; however, it is that PG2 spot that everyone skimps 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 Point Guards - Eastern Conference
Elfrid Payton Orlando Magic
Payton had to be one of my favorite plays last season as FanDuel price fixers just never seemed to value him quite right. One need not look any further than Payton’s last month of the season to see reason for great optimism. Payton averaged 13.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 8.4 apg and 1.8 steals per game in March of last season. Payton has grown this offseason and he should continue the strong play into this season. The value will be here early as folks won’t yet be all over this kid. Give it about a month before his popularity pushes his price past the point of production here. This will be a popular play for certain so make sure to keep a solid baseline for his pricing in comparison to that second-tier price shelf where so many players spend the year.
Marcus Smart Boston Celtics
Last season Smart provided spot-relief in certain matchups; however, he was just entirely too inconsistent many nights to be considered despite the cheap price tag. This season, Smart has matured and despite the hand-injury, he will take a step forward in terms of player development. Look for the season to open with Smart priced quite low which will provide some decent FanDuel value for the first month of the season before the price jumps.
Isaiah Canaan Philadelphia 76ers
Canaan looks to be the guy getting the lion share of minutes at the point for Philly to start the season. For a starting point guard his opening price will be well below that of almost every other starting point guard in the league. Mind you this comes with good reason as Canaan really hasn’t done much to capture the hearts of FanDuel players just yet. Canaan’s best month of the 2014-15 season saw him average 25.9 minutes a night and give 12.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg and 2.9 apg which isn’t going to give fantasy owners any 40-plus point nights; however, it is steady production for a near-minimum priced point guard.
Pierre Jackson Philadelphia 76ers
Jackson is a bit of a wildcard, but one certainly worth keeping an eye on. With a new contract in hand, an abundance of confidence and an inexperienced point guard ahead of him in Canaan; there is real opportunity here for Jackson to show what he can do. There is obviously some talent here or Jackson wouldn’t be getting these opportunities coming back off injury. If jackson can carve out a backup role here he could very well prove to be an amazing minimum salaried guy.
Langston Galloway New York Knicks
Last season Galloway provided great relief as an extremely serviceable and affordable PG2 option. Not only was Galloway running the show in New York, but he was contributing nicely with solid stat lines. Even as the Knicks season was on complete life support; Galloway averaged a season best 14.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.9 apg and 1.5 steals per game in the Knicks last eight meaningless games. Galloway won’t be as cheap as he was last season; however, he should start the season below the average price for point guards and so long as his play continues that would provide solid value in that secondary role.