5 best value guards for daily DraftKings and FanDuel fantasy basketball for October 22nd | 2021-22 NBA season

#3 LaMelo Ball

Indiana Pacers vs Charlotte Hornets

Estimated salary: $7,700 - $8,300

LaMelo Ball is a fantasy basketball favorite, and will soon be priced as one. His tally of 59 fantasy points on the Charlotte Hornets' season debut against Indiana may be less of an outlier than betting sites may realize.

Ball recorded 31 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals during his 29 minutes of game time. The point total is unsustainable, but his assist count and rebounding rate seem reasonable averages for the second-year guard.

Terry Rozier is listed as questionable for the Hornets' second game of the year in Cleveland against the Cavaliers. It's no secret the Cavs are a poor team in their current state, and Rozier being unavailable could up LaMelo Ball's responsibility.

A salary of around $8,000 is still too low for the fantasy basketball star. I would caution against the possibility of a blowout, but consider that to whatever extent you may choose to.

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#2 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Oklahoma City Thunder vs Utah Jazz

Estimated salary: $6,700 - $7,500

Nothing excites me in daily fantasy basketball like two bottom-of-the-barrel teams with a focus on development squaring off. The Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Houston Rockets on October 22nd fits that definition almost perfectly. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander seems like the best player in that game by a comfortable margin.

SGA's opening night salary was $7,200, and he ended the night with an underwhelming contribution of 26 fantasy basketball points. Context is crucial,l though, and the young Thunder were matched up against what could be considered the league's best defense, the Utah Jazz.

With limited other serious weapons alongside him, Gilgeous-Alexander successfully slowed down in a way that Houston could not dream of pulling off. So a fantasy basketball star-level performance is on the cards for the Oklahoma City Thunder's 23-year-old budding star.

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#1 Jalen Green

Houston Rockets vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Estimated salary: $4,800 - $5,500

The second overall pick, in the most recent NBA Draft is a microwave scorer. Jalen Green is going to have his off-nights as he gets accustomed to the NBA. The opening night against the Minnesota Timberwolves proved to be one of those moments.

While the Wolves have been a notably underwhelming defense in the years before, Green participated in his first NBA regular-season game alongside his youthful Houston Rockets teammates.

As I mentioned before in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's highlight, a Rockets and Thunder showdown piques my fantasy basketball interest. I feel comfortable labeling Jalen Green as one of the few low-risk and genuinely high-upside guards in October 22nd's slate of NBA games.