RADIO
The problem with playing at daily fantasy sports sites is that it can sometimes be hard for the average player to find an edge over those with the kind of bankroll to max-enter contests. If you’re playing a large-field tournament with hundreds of thousands of entries, your 3 entries are inherently going to have a worse chance of succeeding than the professionals’ 150 entries apiece. That’s just the way it is.
That said, that certainly doesn’t mean the average DFS player can’t succeed. It may just require additional research, though a bit of luck can’t hurt, either. Contrarianism can win when it comes to DFS. So, here are a few buy-low candidates to consider in daily fantasy basketball moving forward.
When looking for a trustworthy online betting site, it’s a must to find one with a strong reputation, good customer service and customer rewards. The same can be said for daily fantasy sports. Rather than risking your money at some sketchy site you’ve never heard of, you’re far better off playing with the established names like DraftKings or FanDuel.
Malcolm Brogdon, PG, Milwaukee Bucks
With the insane level of talent in the NBA’s current rookie class, it’s pretty easy to forget that last season’s Rookie of the Year was awarded to...Malcolm Brogdon? Yep, the Bucks’ former second-round pick won the award last year after posting modest averages of 10.2 points, 4.2 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game.
While the former Virginia guard has upped his scoring in year two, Brogdon hasn’t been the most reliable source of production in DFS. What gives? Well, after beginning the year as the Bucks’ starting point guard, Brogdon was sent to the bench after Milwaukee acquired Eric Bledsoe from the Suns in early November.
Bledsoe took Brogdon’s spot in the starting unit, and the latter’s production took a hit as a result. Brogdon already wasn’t the highest-usage player in a Bucks offense that also features Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, so adding another player like Bledsoe into the rotation naturally took away from Brogdon’s potential contributions.
Despite their talent level, the Bucks haven’t been consistently playing up to their potential all season. That responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of head coach Jason Kidd, and it seems as though he knows it. Following an embarrassing blowout loss at home to the Raptors last week, Kidd made the decision to reinsert Brogdon into the starting lineup in place of Tony Snell.
In Brogdon’s first game back as a starter, he finished with 10 points, 9 rebounds and a couple of steals in 32 minutes. He only shot 5-14 from the floor, too, so his output could’ve been even better if he’d been shooting the way we know he’s capable. If Brogdon is going to stick with the starters for a while, his fantasy value is going to gradually come back up.
He’s typically been priced in the $5k range on DK/FD for the last couple of months, but we could see that number start to creep up as he gets more regular playing time. For now, though, he makes for an excellent buy-low candidate that should smash his relatively cheap price tag.
Tyrone Wallace, PG, Los Angeles Clippers
Tyrone who? Yep, Tyrone Wallace. You’ve probably not heard much about this guy, but last week the Clippers made the decision to sign Wallace to a two-way contract. With the Clippers battling numerous injuries once again this season, Doc Rivers is working with an incredibly thin rotation.
In his first NBA game over the weekend against the Warriors, Wallace logged 31 minutes and finished with 13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists. He only shot 4-12 from the field, but he did knock down his lone attempt from 3-point range.
Wallace was absolutely tearing the G League to shreds with the Agua Caliente Clippers. In 23 games, Wallace averaged 22.8 points, 6 rebounds and 5.4 assists. We obviously can’t expect those averages to project to the NBA level, but, based on his first game, it looks as though Wallace will get plenty of opportunity to make his way with LAC.
He’s still going to be priced near the minimum on most DFS sites, which makes him a very strong buy-low guy. Most in the industry haven’t heard of him, but you can bet that’ll change before long if he keeps getting minutes and producing in said minutes. There will be some duds along the way, as is the case with any young player, and his role will take a hit whenever the Clips get the likes of Austin Rivers and Milos Teodosic back from their injuries.
For now, though, all aboard the Wallace bandwagon.
Domantas Sabonis, PF, Indiana Pacers
Few thought much of the haul the Pacers got in return for superstar Paul George over the summer. Victor Oladipo looked like a relative bust in his first few pro seasons, while Domantas Sabonis didn’t raise many eyebrows as a rookie last season. A few months later, though, it’s safe to wonder whether Indiana legitimately won this trade with OKC.
Oladipo suddenly looks like a superstar, while Sabonis has more than held his own, as well. After being miscast as a stretch-4 type in his lone year with the Thunder, the Pacers have allowed Sabonis to play a more traditional position down on the block. The results have been extremely positive. The former Gonzaga standout is averaging about 12 points and 8 rebounds in only 24 minutes per game.
While the minutes have been rather inconsistent, it looks as though Nate McMillan is finally ready to hand the big man a larger role. Sabonis’ minutes have slowly been trending upward over the last handful of games at the expense of Thaddeus Young. Over the last few games, both Young and Sabonis have been logging minutes in the high-20s/low-30s.
That bodes well for Sabonis’ production moving forward. Indiana knows what it has in the veteran, Young, and it’s time to see what the youngster can do with more on his plate. Sabonis has been a very strong per-minute fantasy contributor this season, so, naturally, more minutes means more production.
The sites still haven’t priced him properly given the sudden minutes hike, so take advantage of it while you still can. The Pacers have been one of the more fun DFS outfits so far this season, and more Sabonis means more opportunity to target Indiana. More Domantas.
