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Daily fantasy basketball participants have ten NBA games to build a roster out of and monitor on October 22nd, 2021. On the 21st, my five value forwards were Terance Mann, De'Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Luke Kennard.
With the results fully registered from both DraftKings and FanDuel, let's review my predictions. Mann ($4,500 DK) and Reddish ($3,900 DK) were stellar projections, as both players tallied an identical 27.25 fantasy basketball points. De'Andre Hunter punched above his weight class with 22.75 points at a salary of $4,700.
My top two recommendations of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Luke Kennard were also productive, but to a slightly lesser extent. Hardaway still returned, what I would consider, a fair return on his $6,400 evaluation with 19 fantasy basketball points. Kennard, meanwhile, was an extremely low risk at his $3,300 salary, and he managed 14.75 points.
It was not a bad start to my fantasy basketball predictions. As for the 22nd, here are the five forwards whom I think have the best fantasy basketball value:
#5 Kyle Kuzma
Estimated salary: $5,700
Kyle Kuzma made his debut for the Washington Wizards alongside Bradley Beal, Spencer Dinwiddie and Montrezl Harrell this Wednesday. Kuzma was expected to shoulder more offensive responsibility than he did during his time with the LA Lakers, and that proved true in game one.
His final statline was 22 points, 15 rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in 34 minutes of playing time against the Toronto Raptors. He attempted the second-most shot attempts, only trailing Beal, on his way to 38.25 DraftKings fantasy basketball points.
Beal is listed as questionable for today's showdown against the Indiana Pacers. If the Wizards' leading scorer is sidelined, Kuzma could become a focal point of the offense and submit a significant fantasy basketball production.
#4 Josh Giddey
Expected Salary: $4,100 - $5,300
The 19-year-old Australian point guard, who stands at 6' 8", didn't record a mind-blowing statline on his debut. His final tally was a mere four points, ten rebounds and three assists while shooting two of seven from the field in 28 minutes.
Those numbers were good for a total of 20.5 DraftKings fantasy basketball points on a budget salary of $3,800. Depending on your site of choice, Giddey's price did not jump much at all.
The difference in defense between the Utah Jazz and tonight's Houston Rockets is gargantuan, though. So the Oklahoma City Thunder are going to give their most recent lottery pick the minutes needed to produce, and his salary is low enough that I would strongly consider him for your daily fantasy basketball rosters.
#3 Michael Porter Jr.
Estimated salary: $6,300 - $7,200
The absence of Jamal Murray with an ACL injury along with a recently signed maximum contract extension has led many to expect Michael Porter Jr. to take a significant jump in production this season.
Someone on the Denver Nuggets roster will need to make up for Murray's missed offensive contributions. The 6' 10" shooter did that with 24 points, five assists, six rebounds and two steals on opening night in Phoenix.
MPJ met the expectations set by his $6,400 DraftKings fantasy basketball salary, with 34 fantasy points. Tonight's matchup against the San Antonio Spurs is notably more favorable for Porter than the Suns, and he should benefit from that.
#2 RJ Barrett
Estimated Salary: $5,800 - $6,400
It's difficult to properly gauge fantasy basketball production in an overtime game, and even more difficult in a double-overtime like the New York Knicks' season opener. I'll withhold Barrett's final tallies in 47 minutes of playing time against the Boston Celtics for that reason.
A notable aspect is that Barrett led the Knicks in total minutes played with Julius Randle and Evan Fournier at his heels. Tom Thibodeau is known for heavily relying on his starters, and significant minutes along with a wide spread averages is favorable for fantasy basketball.
Moreover, playing against the future-focused Magic should make for a comfortable night for Barrett and the Knicks. His price point around $6,000 could return great value for daily fantasy basketball participants.
#1 Obi Toppin
Estimated Salary: $3,600 - $4,300
Obi Toppin's rookie season was disappointing for a prospect labeled 'NBA-ready' coming out of Dayton. He began to find his groove later in the New York Knicks' season, and could contribute more consistently in his sophomore campaign.
I'm always looking for low-salary players with decent potential to return for an above-average night in fantasy basketball. Toppin is the forward who fits the mold tonight.
As I mentioned with Barrett, playing against the Orlando Magic especially piques my interest and a potential blowout situation could mean increased playing time for Toppin.
Toppin is not going to highlight your DraftKings of FanDuel daily fantasy basketball lineup, but a cheap cherry on top always helps.
Guess the Lakers players!
