RADIO
As November creeps closer, we start to get a feel for the season, identifying patterns in both a player's production and daily fantasy salary. It’s important for DFS owners to monitor changes in both aspects, and take advantage of the best value plays.
Here are three players who have become too expensive to rely on, and three other whose struggles have made them too affordable to ignore.
Let's take a look.
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DFS Value Risers - Week 3
George Hill (PG/SG, SAC)
Hill signed a three-year deal worth $57 MM this offseason, but after a strong first two games, hasn’t contributed much over the last week and a half. Through five games played, the 31-year-old is averaging 9.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists, but hasn’t score in double figures since Oct. 20 against the Mavericks. The Kings appear interested in giving their rookies larger roles in the offense, but Hill’s minutes haven’t diminished, so it’s reasonable to expect his production to eventually increase. It won’t take much for Hill to hit value at his current price tag in the low $4k range, so he could be worth a flier in tournaments for the near future.
Marcus Smart (SG/SF, BOS)
Among the Celtics’ young wing players — Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum being the others — Smart is currently the cheapest despite being the most productive thus far. The 23-year-old has averaged 11.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 0.4 blocks and 1.8 steals, eclipsing 30 Draftkings points in three of his five games played. He isn’t a particularly strong shooter — 32.8 percent shooting after converting at just a 35.9 percent clip last year — but his ability to stuff the stat sheet makes him valuable nonetheless. Smart’s price is down in the low $5k range, and he should remain an appealing DFS play as long as it stays there.
Enes Kanter (PF/C, NYK)
The Knicks have not been giving Willy Hernangomez much run so far this year, allowing Kanter to maximize his potential. The 25-year-old has mustered 14.2 points per game on 61.0 percent shooting with an average of 10.5 rebounds, including three double-doubles in six games. His price has jumped up around $6k, but that is still reasonable considering he has surpassed 36 DK points in two of his last four games played. Kanter can be a solid option just about every night until his cost inevitably increases.
DFS Value Fallers - Week 3
Devin Booker (SG/SF, PHO)
It’s no secret that Booker can light up a scoreboard, but some cold shooting nights have led him to just 20.5 points per game to go along with 6.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists. The 21-year-old sharpshooter has two games with at least 50 DK points, but has failed to reach 40 in any of his other four contests. Coming off a 34-point showing against the Trailblazers on Saturday, his salary flew up to almost $8k. That price is simply too much to invest in such an inconsistent scorer (three games under 40 percent shooting), at least for cash games.
Will Barton (SG/SF, DEN)
Barton is capable of putting together the occasional big performance, but he is not the most consistent producer— 32.5 DK points on Friday, 10.0 on Sunday. His price has been jacked up above $6k, meaning he will need to post at least 30 points in order to hit 5x value (which he’s done just twice in seven games) and 36 points in order to meet 6x value for tournament play (he’s reached this mark once). Feel free to fade Barton until his cost drops back into the $5k range.
Joel Embiid (C, PHI)
Embiid is enjoying a solid start to what he hopes to be his first full season, but he has yet to step up and play at an elite level. The 23-year-old center is averaging 20.8 points (52.2 percent from the floor), 10.0 boards, 3.0 assists and a whopping 4.5 turnovers. He continues to shoot threes despite hitting just five of his 21 attempts so far, has only totaled six blocks across his first six games played, and has yet to reach 30 minutes in any contest. He hasn’t dropped below $8k on Draftkings in almost two weeks despite not hitting 6x at his current cost all season. Embiid still possesses a ton of upside, but until he begins playing up to his true potential, he remains difficult to rely on in tournament play.
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