5 best value forwards for daily DraftKings and FanDuel fantasy basketball for October 23rd | 2021-22 NBA season

#3 Keldon Johnson

San Antonio Spurs v Denver Nuggets

Estimated Salary: $4,900 - $5,700

The San Antonio Spurs roster is filled with youth, in outlier fashion for the seasoned legendary head coach Gregg Popovich. In fact, this is the youngest group of talent that Popovich has ever manned in his career, headlined by Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, Jakob Poeltl and Keldon Johnson.

Keldon Johnson was the young buck on this past summer's Team USA Olympic roster that took home the gold metal. That experience, combined with a gained trust from his head coach, lined up the 2021-22 season as a breakout opportunity for Johnson.

So far, it has been just that, and fantasy basketball owners should keep tabs on breakouts. Players with notable upticks in production compared to the prior season will still be priced lowly, as you can see here.

Keldon Johnson did play 37 minutes last night, but his set fantasy basketball salary is simply too low to not garner serious consideration.

---

#2 Jerami Grant

San Antonio Spurs v Detroit Pistons

Estimated salary: $6,700 - $7,400

The Detroit Pistons fanbase is patiently awaiting the debut of the first overall pick who fell into their lap in the 2021 NBA Draft. Cade Cunningham does not have a set arrival date, but it should not be all too long for those in the Motor City.

Meanwhile, Dwane Casey will continue to revolve the offense around Jerami Grant. Grant led the team in scoring last season with 22.3 points while also tallying 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 blocks on average. The second highest scorer on the roster for a notable amount of time was Josh Jackson at 13.4 points.

A clear first option on a team usually draws a much higher fantasy basketball salary. The well-rested Pistons will face a tired Bulls roster from a matchup the night before.

---

#1 Scottie Barnes

Washington Wizards v Toronto Raptors

Estimated salary: $4,000 - $5,100

If anyone claims to expect Toronto Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes to score more than 20 points within his first two games in uniform, they are almost certainly lying. There were probably more people who thought Barnes would not surpass 20 more than twice in the entire season.

Similar to breakout candidates, fantasy basketball players should keep tabs on incoming rookies as they tend to have lower salaries. Scottie Barnes has outperformed his current evaluation in both of his games so far, especially last night against Boston with a total of 45 fantasy basketball points.

Barnes did participate in 35 minutes of NBA action last night, but the Raptors comfortably blew out Boston by a total of 115-83. Scottie Barnes is a rookie who you should strongly consider drafting to your daily fantasy basketball roster.