3 NBA Player Prop Bets for Wednesday 1/17/24

Player props can be useful in a variety of ways -- from taking advantage of them straight up to measuring a player's potential to produce in daily fantasy basketball on FanDuel. Here, we're going to focus on the former.

Using a wealth of statistical data, including numberFire's daily basketball projections, here are some NBA player prop bets that look appealing via the NBA odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Please note lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published.

NBA Prop Bets

Larry Nance Jr. Over 6.5 Points (-111)

In 10 games since returning from an extended injury, Larry Nance Jr. is averaging 9.0 points per game for the New Orleans Pelicans and has surpassed 6.5 points in seven of those games.

Nance is averaging 20.8 minutes per night in that span, and across his last three games, he is netting 13.7 points per contest. His usage and production are encouraging, and tonight's matchup against the Charlotte Hornets should reinforce that.

The Hornets have the second-worst defensive rating in the league and surrender the sixth-most points per game. Charlotte's 8-29 record pales in comparison to New Orleans' 24-17 record, and the 11.5-point spread shows us this game could get out of hand. This is great news for Nance. We should expect him to play around 20 minutes on a normal night, but a large Pelican lead could help him get additional garbage-time minutes.

The Hornets allow the ninth-most points and eighth-most 3PM to power forwards. Nance scores 25.9% of his points from behind the arc and has gone 9 for 16 (47.4% 3P%) from downtown since making his return to the Pelicans.

Charlotte has a weak interior defense, giving up the eighth-most paint points per game, something has only been exacerbated with starting center Mark Williams missing extended time due to an injury.

When Nance checks into the game tonight, he should find that his matchup is inordinately friendly. He's been scoring 9.0 points per contest since his return despite just one (Golden State Warriors) of his ten games coming against a team that would not, at this moment in time, make the playoffs. Charlotte's defense is nearly non-existent, so I'll put my trust in Nance to eclipse 6.5 points.

Fred VanVleet Over 15.5 Points (-120)

Fred VanVleet has had an interesting season for the Houston Rockets. His game log shows a flurry of 20-plus-point outings followed by some concerning performances where scoring hardly comes into play.

Although tonight's game against the New York Knicks won't be a cakewalk, I think we could see an outburst from VanVleet tonight.

On the season, VanVleet is averaging 17.1 points per game. He's playing the second-most minutes per game (37.0) in the entire NBA, and with a 6.0-point spread on tap, we should expect VanVleet bench minutes to be far and few between.

The Knicks give up the fifth-fewest points (tied) per game, but they allow only the 12th-fewest points to point guards. So, while New York has a great defense, they can be more prone to giving up big numbers to point guards.

New York surrenders the ninth-most points to ball handlers off pick-and-rolls. VanVleet leads all Houston players in points via pick-and-rolls and ranks 19th in the league in this regard. The Knicks also allow the ninth-most field-goal makes (FGM) in transition, and no player on Houston scores more transition points than VanVleet does.

Dating back to 2020, VanVleet has scored at least 16 points in 10 straight games against the Knicks. He's averaging 25.4 points per contest in that span, including four games against the Knicks last season in which he scored at least 28 points in each one. He owns this Knicks team and seems to particularly show out at Madison Square Garden, averaging 24.2 points in his last five games at MSG. Add in that he will go up against former teammate OG Anunoby, and I think we will see VanVleet do just about everything to make use of his 37.0 minutes on the court.

I'm quite bullish on VanVleet, and since he is capable of big scoring nights, I'd check out VanVleet to Score 20+ Points at +210 and VanVleet to Score 25+ Points at +750.

Isaiah Stewart Over 15.5 Pts + Reb (-115)

Isaiah Stewart is averaging 17.7 combined points and rebounds (PR) this season, but in two games since returning from a toe injury, he is putting up 22.5 PR per night (22.0 and 23.0 PR performances).

With Cade Cunningham out for the Detroit Pistons, Motor City has lost a player who shoots a team-leading 19.0 FGA per game, so players such as Stewart have been granted more scoring opportunities than usual.

I think Stewart will continue to pick up the scoring slack in tonight's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The T-Wolves are one of the best teams in basketball, so I can't speak highly of this matchup. However, Minnesota's size is unparalleled, featuring big players such as Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, and Naz Reid. Even their guards and forwards -- Jaden McDaniels, Kyle Anderson, and Anthony Edwards -- are pretty lengthy, which means Detroit will need to have Stewart on the court plenty for size purposes.

The good news is, Stewart is averaging 20.7 PR per 36 minutes. He played 38 minutes on Monday, a minute trend that should continue with this matchup and being Cunningham out.

Some of the top teams in the league have been expressing interest in Stewart, and his name continues to pop up on the trading block. It's clear Detroit is in the midst of shopping him around, so we shouldn't be surprised if he becomes a priority. The Pistons will probably look to give Stewart ample court time to beef up his numbers, and in turn, beef up his value in the trade market, so I'm happy to take the over here.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.