Monday, February 23, 2015

2014-15 NBA Power Rankings Week 17



The Oklahoma City Thunder have been without star forward Kevin Durant for much of the season and are without him again, for now.

After his October surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his foot, Durant made his season debut on December 2nd, but he has missed another 12 games as well so far this season.

Durant has had a second surgical procedure on his foot and will be evaluated in a week.

"The good news is that the fracture itself is healing excellently and from what the doctors conveyed to us we continue to feel very good about the prognosis moving forward," Presti said (via ESPN). "But in the short term, as he's continued to have this discomfort we wanted to determine the best way to alleviate it while still promoting the healing of the initial injury."

At the moment, the Thunder, who own a league-high six-game winning streak, are currently the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference and they are two games ahead of Phoenix and 2.5 games ahead of the Pelicans.

The Pelicans will be dealing with their own injuries, perhaps more significant on a short-term basis, as they will be without power forward Anthony Davis (shoulder) for up to two weeks. In addition, Ryan Anderson is out with a torn MCL as well.

The 'Brow has missed seven games this season and the Pelicans are 2-5 in those games without him.

On the season, Davis is averaging 23.9 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 54.4 percent from the field and 83.1 percent from the line.

The only other player to average 23/10/2.5/1 since three players -- David Robinson, Alonzo Mourning and Hakeem Olajuwon -- did so in the 1995-96 season was Elton Brand (2005-06). Of the nine players, some in multiple seasons, to average 23/10/2.5/1 since 1973-74, none of them (aside from Davis) have shot better than 80 percent from the free-throw line.

Meanwhile, the Suns have traded away Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas to the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics, respectively, although they added Brandon Knight as well.

In other words, it's going to be difficult for the Pelicans and/or Suns to be able to catch the Thunder provided that KD does not miss too much time.

Here are my Week 17 NBA Power Rankings:

1. Golden State Warriors (Record 43-10, Last Week 2)
2. Atlanta Hawks (Record 44-12, Last Week 1)
3. Memphis Grizzlies (Record 40-14, Last Week 3)
4. Cleveland Cavaliers (Record 35-22, Last Week 4)
5. Toronto Raptors (Record 37-18, Last Week 7)
6. San Antonio Spurs (Record 34-21, Last Week 5)
7. Houston Rockets (Record 37-18, Last Week 8)
8. Dallas Mavericks (Record 38-20, Last Week 9)
9. Portland Trail Blazers (Record 36-19, Last Week 6)
10. Los Angeles Clippers (Record 37-19, Last Week 10)
11. Chicago Bulls (Record 35-21, Last Week 11)
12. Oklahoma City Thunder (Record 31-25, Last Week 15)
13. Phoenix Suns (Record 29-27, Last Week 14)
14. Washington Wizards (Record 33-23, Last Week 12)
15. Milwaukee Bucks (Record 31-24, Last Week 16)
16. New Orleans Pelicans (Record 28-27, Last Week 13)
17. Indiana Pacers (Record 23-33, Last Week 19)
18. Detroit Pistons (Record 23-33, Last Week 18)
19. Charlotte Hornets (Record 22-32, Last Week 17)
20. Brooklyn Nets (Record 22-31, Last Week 21)
21. Miami Heat (Record 23-31, Last Week 20)
22. Orlando Magic (Record 19-39, Last Week 27)
23. Utah Jazz (Record 20-34, Last Week 22)
24. Sacramento Kings (Record 19-35, Last Week 23)
25. Boston Celtics (Record 20-33, Last Week 24)
26. Denver Nuggets (Record 20-35, Last Week 26)
27. Minnesota Timberwolves (Record 12-42, Last Week 30)
28. Los Angeles Lakers (Record 14-41, Last Week 29)
29. Philadelphia 76ers (Record 12-43, Last Week 28)
30. New York Knicks (Record 10-45, Last Week 25)

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Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Fantasy NBA DraftKings DFS Values (Feb. 11)

The good news is that it's Wednesday and we have a busy slate of games (12) tonight. The bad news is that we will go a full week without any NBA DFS contests with only one game on tap tomorrow night before the start of the All-Star break.


With that said, here are my favorite DraftKings values ($6,500 salary or less) for Wednesday's NBA games:

PG - Elfrid Payton, Orlando Magic (vs. ORL), $5,400: Like any rookie, Payton has had some ups and downs this season, but he has had scored at least 28.75 fantasy points in back-to-back games and in three of his past four. Over the past month, Payton has averaged 29.13 fantasy points in 15 games. During that 15-game span, he has averaged 10.87 points, 6.73 assists, 4.13 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. And with Tobias Harris out tonight, Payton should also see a slight bump in minutes and usage rate as well.

Others to consider: Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs ($4,900); J.J. Barea, Dallas Mavericks ($4,900); George Hill, Indiana Pacers ($4,900); Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics ($4,700); Ramon Sessions, Sacramento Kings ($4,200); Dante Exum, Utah Jazz ($3,300)

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SG - J.J. Redick, Los Angeles Clippers (vs. HOU), $3,300: With James Harden scoring nearly 150 fantasy points over his past two games, many will spend all the way to Harden ($10,300) at shooting guard tonight. If you're looking for a viable option at the opposite end of the price spectrum, Redick is worth a look. Returning to the starting lineup from back spasms, he scored 15 (real) points and 25.5 fantasy points in 31 minutes on Feb. 9th. Not only is his salary roughly $1,000 less than its typical range, but the Rockets have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season.

Others to consider: Kevin Martin, Minnesota Timberwolves ($6,100); Eric Gordon, New Orleans Pelicans ($5,900); Jamaal Crawford, Los Angeles Clippers ($5,500); Rodney Stuckey, Indiana Pacers ($4,300); Elijah Millsap (if Joe Ingles is ruled out), Utah Jazz ($3,600); J.J. Redick, Los Angeles Clippers ($3,300); Jodie Meeks, Detroit Pistons ($3,300); Courtney Lee, Memphis Grizzlies ($3,100); Garrett Temple, Washington Wizards ($3,000)

SF - Trevor Ariza, Houston Rockets (at LAC), $5,700: Ariza had just 25.75 fantasy points last night, but it was the first time in five games that he had less than 30 fantasy points. Over that five-game span, he has averaged 33.85 fantasy points, which is 5.94x tonight's salary. During that span, Ariza has averaged 15.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.4 steals per game and has connected on 15-of-32 three-point attempts. Given that the Clippers have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards, Ariza should reach or exceed value once again.

Others to consider: Chandler Parsons, Dallas Mavericks ($6,500); Josh Smith, Houston Rockets ($6,400); Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves ($6,200); Nicolas Batum, Portland Trail Blazers ($5,400); C.J. Miles, Indiana Pacers ($4,300); Shabazz Muhammad, Minnesota Timberwolves ($3,400); Tony Allen, Memphis Grizzlies ($3,100)

PF - Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks (vs. UTA), $6,400: With the All-Star break nearly upon us and an opportunity for Nowitzki to rest, perhaps he sees a few more minutes than typical tonight with Rajon Rondo and Tyson Chandler both out. In addition, Monta Ellis is considered questionable for tonight's game. Either way, Nowitzki has a rock-solid floor with a minimum of 20.75 fantasy points in 31 consecutive games. With only two games of 40-plus fantasy points during that same span, however, Nowitzki makes for a better play in cash games than tournaments.

Others to consider: David West, Indiana Pacers ($6,500); Thaddeus Young, Minnesota Timberwolves ($6,000); Jason Smith, New York Knicks ($4,900); Mitch McGary, Oklahoma City Thunder ($3,800); Lance Thomas, New York Knicks ($3,200)

C - Enes Kanter, Utah Jazz (at DAL), $5,800: Kanter has three double-doubles with more than 30 fantasy points in his past four games and he has a chance to have another strong game with Tyson Chandler out. Not that I expect a DeAndre Jordan-type outing from Kanter against a Chandler-less Mavs interior defense, but Kanter has shown some significant upside with back-to-back games of 49.75 and 50 fantasy points a couple of weeks ago.

Others to consider: Marcin Gortat, Washington Wizards ($5,100); Timofey Mozgov, Cleveland Cavaliers ($5,100); Alexis Ajinca (if Anthony Davis is out), New Orleans Pelicans ($3,800);

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Monday, February 9, 2015

2014-15 NBA Power Rankings Week 16

The up-and-down season for the Cleveland Cavaliers has been mostly "up" over the past month.

Starting with a win in the middle of last month over the Lakers, the Cavs ran off 12 consecutive wins before finally losing to the Pacers on Feb. 6th.

With a 15-point win over the Lakers on Sunday, however, perhaps the Cavs will begin another long winning streak. Before the All-Star break, the Cavs will host the Heat on Wednesday and visit the Bulls on Thursday.

Adding some drama to things in Cleveland, LeBron James recently tweeted the following directed at Kevin Love (without explicitly stating so initially but he conceeded so yesterday):



If you remember, Love had said back in the preseason (via ESPN):
"I'm comfortable and just not trying to, I guess, fit in so much," Love said after the game. "I had a talk with the guys on the plane ride over (to Brazil) and also at different practices off the floor and they told me to fit out. Just be myself.

"I kind of laughed and smirked at that. Off the court, I never have any problems with that. But on the court, it's just us having so many weapons and being able to fit together out there on the floor ... You always say check your egos at the door but we also need to bring our egos with us because that's what makes us so great. We wouldn't be here without them."
And here's what Love said when asked about LeBron's tweet:
"I feel like I’ve done all the right things. I haven’t got upset or been down," Love said (per Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal). "There’s moments when I hope I would’ve played better but it’s a long, long season. I don’t know really what he’s talking about. I feel like I’ve sacrificed and I think everyone knows that. I’m not trying to downplay what he said, but I think I’ve done a pretty good job of trying to help this team."
LeBron took to Twitter again this morning, however, to make it clear that he doesn't have a "problem" with Love.
Either way, I'm sure it's not the last we'll hear about this.

Meanwhile, the Cavs are once again the "favorite" to win the NBA Championship (via odds from Sportsbook.ag).



Clippers PF Blake Forward out up to six weeks, possibly much less

Los Angeles Clippers power forward Blake Griffin is scheduled to have elbow surgery for a staph infection on Monday and will miss up to six weeks, but he will be reevaluated after the All-Star break.

At the moment, the Clippers are 33-19 and one-half game ahead of the Spurs for the sixth seed in the Western Conference.

Even with Griffin in the lineup for three of their four games last week, the Clippers have lost four games in a row.

To make matters worse, the schedule gets tougher for the Clippers.

With seven games remaining in February, the Clippers face six teams with a record above .625: Grizzlies (.745) and Rockets (.686) twice each and Mavs (.660) and Spurs (.627) once along with the Kings.

Here are my NBA Power Rankings heading into Week 16:

1. Atlanta Hawks (Record 42-10, Last Week 1)
2. Golden State Warriors (Record 40-9, Last Week 2)
3. Memphis Grizzlies (Record 38-13, Last Week 3)
4. Cleveland Cavaliers (Record 32-21, Last Week 5)
5. San Antonio Spurs (Record 32-19, Last Week 6)
6. Portland Trail Blazers (Record 35-17, Last Week 4)
7. Toronto Raptors (Record 35-17, Last Week 8)
8. Houston Rockets (Record 35-16, Last Week 9)
9. Dallas Mavericks (Record 35-18, Last Week 10)
10. Los Angeles Clippers (Record 33-19, Last Week 7)
11. Chicago Bulls (Record 32-20, Last Week 11)
12. Washington Wizards (Record 32-20, Last Week 13)
13. New Orleans Pelicans (Record 27-24, Last Week 14)
14. Phoenix Suns (Record 29-24, Last Week 12)
15. Oklahoma City Thunder (Record 26-25, Last Week 15)
16. Milwaukee Bucks (Record 28-23, Last Week 17)
17. Charlotte Hornets (Record 22-29, Last Week 16)
18. Detroit Pistons (Record 20-32, Last Week 18)
19. Indiana Pacers (Record 20-32, Last Week 22)
20. Miami Heat (Record 21-29, Last Week 19)
21. Brooklyn Nets (Record 21-29, Last Week 24)
22. Utah Jazz (Record 18-33, Last Week 20)
23. Sacramento Kings (Record 18-32, Last Week 21)
24. Boston Celtics (Record 19-31, Last Week 26)
25. New York Knicks (Record 10-41, Last Week 23)
26. Denver Nuggets (Record 19-32, Last Week 25)
27. Orlando Magic (Record 16-38, Last Week 29)
28. Philadelphia 76ers (Record 12-40, Last Week 27)
29. Los Angeles Lakers (Record 13-38, Last Week 28)
30. Minnesota Timberwolves (Record 11-40, Last Week 30)

[Note: With the six-day NBA All-Star Break hiatus beginning on Friday, our next NBA Power Rankings update will be in two weeks (Feb. 23rd.).] More of our content:
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Thursday, February 5, 2015

Fantasy NBA DraftKings DFS Values (Feb. 5)

In tonight's four-game slate, one of those games is not like the other. All four games are projected to be fairly close (five-point spreads or less), but three of the four games have an over-under of 207 points or more. The other, Hornets vs. Wizards, has an over-under of 186.5 points.

There are a few decent plays in the expected low-scoring affair, but in general, I'll look to roster mostly players from the three higher-scoring games.


With that said, here are my favorite DraftKings values ($6,500 salary or less) for Thursday's NBA games:

PG - J.J. Barea, Dallas Mavericks (at SAC), $3,400: Once again, Barea will draw the start and he has scored at least 23 fantasy points in back-to-back starts with Rajon Rondo sidelined. In order to reach 6x tonight's salary, Barea needs to score only 20.4 fantasy points and he should do that fairly easily. Not only have the Kings have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season, but only the Trail Blazers are projected to score more points tonight than the Mavs based on Vegas odds.

Others to consider: Darren Collison, Sacramento Kings ($6,500); Goran Dragic, Phoenix Suns ($6,100); Isaiah Thomas, Phoenix Suns ($5,400); Devin Harris, Dallas Mavericks ($3,900)

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SG - Jamal Crawford, Los Angeles Clippers (at CLE), $5,000: As J.J. Redick deals with back spasms and is expected to miss another game, Crawford should get another start. Although he made less than one-third of his 22 (yes, 22!) shot attempts on Monday, Crawford scored 30.25 fantasy points in 37 minutes against the Nets. Crawford has played 30-plus minutes in three of his past five games and has scored at least 30 fantasy points in all three of those 30-minute games.

Others to consider: Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards ($6,000); Wesley Matthews, Portland Trail Blazers ($6,000); Ben McLemore, Sacramento Kings ($3,900)

SF - Nicolas Batum, Portland Trail Blazers (vs. PHO), $5,000: I considered going back to the well here with Chandler Parsons, my small forward value pick from yesterday, but I like Batum as much tonight. As noted earlier, the Blazers are projected to score the most points tonight and the Suns have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards this season. Batum made just two-of-seven shots on Tuesday yet finished with 34.5 fantasy points as he added eight rebounds, six assists, two blocks and a steal. And without LaMarcus Aldridge in the lineup, Batum went off for 52.5 fantasy points against the Suns just a couple of weeks ago. I don't expect another 50-point game against the Suns, but Batum's ability to rack up multiple statistical categories give him a strong chance to exceed value.

Others to consider: Chandler Parsons, Dallas Mavericks ($5,700); Matt Barnes, Los Angeles Clippers ($4,200)

PF - Brandan Wright, Phoenix Suns (at POR), $3,000: Wright lacks upside as he has played only 17, 19, 19 and 22 minutes over his past four games, respectively. That said, the efficient Wright has a solid floor -- minimum of 16.0 fantasy points over those four games with an average of 19.5 per game over that four-game span -- to make him a viable punt option at the position at the contest-minimum salary.

Others to consider: Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks ($6,200); Markieff Morris, Phoenix Suns ($5,900); Cody Zeller, Charlotte Hornets ($5,300)

C - Timofey Mozgov, Cleveland Cavaliers (vs. LAC), $5,200: Mozgov has at least 21 fantasy points in eight of his past nine games and has averaged 27.81 per game (5.35x tonight's salary) over that nine-game span. Over that stretch, Mozgov has averaged 10.66 points, 8.78 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 0.78 steals per game with four double-doubles. In addition, the Clippers have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season.

Others to consider: Tyson Chandler, Dallas Mavericks ($6,400); Marcin Gortat, Washington Wizards ($5,000); Robin Lopez, Portland Trail Blazers ($4,400); Alex Len, Phoenix Suns ($3,200)

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Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Fantasy NBA FanDuel DFS Values (Feb. 4)

Earlier today, I posted my favorite value plays on DraftKings and now I turn my attention to FanDuel.

With that said, here are some FanDuel values (salaries of $7,000 or less) for Wednesday's NBA games:


PG - J.J. Barea, Dallas Mavericks (at GS), $3,900: Once again (as it was with my DraftKings post), the primary debate here is between Barea and D.J. Augustin, who has at least 36 fantasy points in four of his past five games. With the two point guards in different salary ranges, however, both provide a solid option at those price points depending on the construction of the rest of your roster. Getting the start on Monday with Rajon Rondo out, Barea finished with 10 points, eight assists and four rebounds as he scored 25.8 fantasy points. Considering that Devin Harris (ankle, knee) is questionable, Barea may even see more than the 29 minutes he played on Monday. Either way, he's a strong value play as his sub-$4,000 salary in the game with tonight's highest over/under.

Others to consider: D.J. Augustin, Detroit Pistons ($7,000); Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzlies ($6,600); Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs ($5,500); Jordan Clarkson, Los Angeles Lakers ($4,800); Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics ($4,600); Jerryd Bayless (if Brandon Knight is out again), Milwaukee Bucks ($4,400)

* FanDuel's $600K NBA Mega Slam: $600,000 in prizes including $50,000 to 1st in tonight's NBA Mega Slam tourney ($25 entry).

SG - Eric Gordon, New Orleans Pelicans (vs. OKC), $6,200: Gordon's salary on FanDuel is less than his DraftKings' price tag ($6,500), which is always favorable for his outlook on FD. Connecting on 9-of-13 three-pointers, Gordon has scored 35-plus fantasy points in back-to-back games. In addition, he has scored at least 22 fantasy points in 12 of his past 14 games with both exceptions being 19-point games demonstrating a solid floor. During that 14-game span, Gordon has averaged 16.29 points, 5.21 assists and 3.14 rebounds per game.

Others to consider: DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors ($7,000); Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks ($6,200); Dion Waiters, Oklahoma City Thunder ($4,800);

SF - Chandler Parsons, Dallas Mavericks (at GS), $6,100: As I noted in my DraftKings post, I tend to play Parsons on the wrong nights, but I will roll with Parsons in a number of tournament lineups tonight. Tonight's matchup is going to be an up-tempo game with a lot of real points and fantasy points alike and his price point should allow him to reach (and exceed) value. Parsons has connected on 10-of-17 three-pointers in his past three games and has now scored at least 23.9 fantasy points in seven of his eight games.

Others to consider: Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves ($6,900); Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks ($5,800); Wilson Chandler, Denver Nuggets ($5,700)

PF - Jared Sullinger, Boston Celtics (vs. DEN), $6,200: As much as I like Sullinger on DraftKings, I like him more on FanDuel (at $300 less) with a price tag roughly $500 less than the average starter salary ($6,667). After a one-game punishment (benching) for being late, Sully was back in the starting lineup last night and delivered 40.8 fantasy points against the Knicks front court. Tonight, he gets an even more favorable matchup against the Nuggets, who have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season. Over his past 19 games, Sullinger has scored 40-plus fantasy points six times and tonight gives him a great opportunity to make it 7-of-20.

Others to consider: Thaddeus Young, Minnesota Timberwolves ($6,800); David West, Indiana Pacers ($6,600); Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets ($6,400); Donatas Motiejunas, Houston Rockets ($5,800); John Henson, Milwaukee Bucks ($5,000); Ed Davis, Los Angeles Lakers ($4,900);

C - Tyson Chandler, Dallas Mavericks (at GS), $6,700: With Joakim Noah priced above $7,000 on FanDuel (both are $6,400 on DraftKings), I need to go in a different direction here given my self-imposed salary limit. As noted earlier, tonight's game features the highest over-under and the Mavs are projected to be one of the higher-scoring teams tonight. Chandler has scored more than 31 fantasy points in back-to-back games and at least 25.6 fantasy points in four consecutive games.

Others to consider: Brook Lopez, Brooklyn Nets ($7,000)

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Fantasy NBA DraftKings DFS Values (Feb. 4)

The best night of the week for the NBA and daily fantasy basketball purposes is Wednesday night. And making tonight better is that the lone late game, Mavericks at Warriors, has the highest over/under (216.5), by far.

Golden State vs. Dallas will tip off at 10:30 PM; all other games have a 9:00 PM start time (or earlier).

In addition to studs like Stephen Curry, some of my favorite value plays can be found in the final game of the night as well.

It's always a great feeling to be in a strong position in a tournament with a healthy allotment of PMR (player minutes remaining) and to watch your team(s) rise up the leaderboard.


With that said, here are my favorite DraftKings values ($6,500 salary or less) for Wednesday's NBA games:

PG - J.J. Barea, Dallas Mavericks (at GS), $3,400: Not only is Rajon Rondo (face) ruled out for tonight, but Devin Harris (knee, ankle) is questionable for tonight's game. Either way, Barea got the start over Harris without Rondo on Monday and finished with 10 points, eight assists and four rebounds as he scored 26.5 fantasy points in 29 minutes. Even though the Mavs are nearly double-digit underdogs to the Warriors, there are still projected to be one of tonight's top-scoring teams with a Vegas-projected total of 103.5. The debate for favorite value point guard came down to Barea and D.J. Augustin, who has back-to-back 52-point games and three of them in his past five, but many of my lineups will feature both point guards.

Others to consider: D.J. Augustin, Detroit Pistons ($6,200); Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs ($5,500); Jordan Clarkson, Los Angeles Lakers ($4,800); Trey Burke, Utah Jazz ($4,600); Jerryd Bayless (if Brandon Knight is out), Milwaukee Bucks ($4,300); Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics ($3,700)

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SG - Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (vs. LAL), $5,800: The Bucks are dealing a bunch of injuries as Brandon Knight, Ersan Ilyasova and Zaza Pachulia all sat out in the team's last game, but the Greek Freak has been playing consistent minutes with strong production. Antetokounmpo has double-doubles in back-to-back games and 30-plus fantasy points in three consecutive games. In addition, he has played at least 33 minutes in six consecutive games.

Others to consider: Eric Gordon, New Orleans Pelicans ($6,400); Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards ($6,000); Joe Johnson, Brooklyn Nets ($5,600); Kevin Martin, Minnesota Timberwolves ($5,500); Arron Afflalo, Denver Nuggets ($5,500); Dion Waiters, Oklahoma City Thunder ($4,500); Avery Bradley, Boston Celtics ($4,200)

SF - Chandler Parsons, Dallas Mavericks (at GS), $5,700: Typically (and frustratingly), I tend to start Parsons when he flops. That said, tonight's game against the Warriors is going to be an up-tempo game with a lot of real points and fantasy points alike and his price point should allow him to reach (and exceed) value. Connecting on 10-of-17 three-pointers in his past three games, Parsons has now scored more than 30 fantasy points in back-to-back games with at least 26.5 fantasy points in seven of his eight games. Of course, he was in many of my lineups in the one exception (5.75 fantasy points) during that eight-game span. (Perhaps my inclusion of Parsons on this list is your cue to stay as far away as you can.)

Others to consider: Wilson Chandler, Denver Nuggets ($5,700); Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks ($5,600); Josh Smith, Houston Rockets ($5,300); Luol Deng, Miami Heat ($5,000); Jared Dudley (if he starts again), Milwaukee Bucks ($4,500);

PF - Jared Sullinger, Boston Celtics (vs. DEN), $6,500: After a one-game punishment (benching) for being late, Sully was back in the starting lineup last night and delivered 41.75 fantasy points against the Knicks front court. Tonight, he gets an even more favorable matchup against the Nuggets, who have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season. Over the past 14 games (minus the one-game benching), Sullinger has scored more than 25 fantasy points in every game.

Others to consider: David West, Indiana Pacers ($6,300); Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets ($6,200); Donatas Motiejunas, Houston Rockets ($5,600); John Henson, Milwaukee Bucks ($5,000); Kris Humphries, Washington Wizards ($4,600); Patrick Patterson, Toronto Raptors ($4,300); Ed Davis, Los Angeles Lakers ($4,200)

C - Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls (at HOU), $6,400: Over a one-week span (Sat., Jan. 31st to Fri., Feb. 6th), the Bulls will play only one game -- tonight against the Dwight Howard-less Rockets. Over his past three games, Noah has scored a minimum of 34.5 fantasy points and averaged 43.5 fantasy points. During that three-game span, he averaged 12.0 points, 14.0 rebounds and 6.67 assists with a block and a steal per game.

Others to consider: Brook Lopez, Brooklyn Nets ($6,300); Robert Sacre, Los Angeles Lakers ($3,300)

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Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Fantasy NBA FanDuel DFS Values (Feb. 3)

Earlier today, I posted my favorite value plays on DraftKings and now I turn my attention to FanDuel.

With that said, here are some FanDuel values (salaries of $7,000 or less) for Tuesday's NBA games:


PG - Larry Drew, Philadelphia 76ers (vs. DEN), $3,500: Michael Carter-Williams (shin/ankle) sat for the final 19 minutes of last night's game, which puts his status for tonight's game in jeopardy. Priced at the contest-minimum salary, Drew would get the start if MCW can't go and could see 30-plus minutes. Expectations should be tempered, however, as Drew scored just 11.0 fantasy points the last time that happened (Jan. 26th), but he would be a decent plug-and-play option that gives you plenty of salary-cap relief.

Others to consider: D.J. Augustin, Detroit Pistons ($7,000); Darren Collison, Sacramento Kings ($6,700); Trey Burke, Utah Jazz ($5,600); Langston Galloway, New York Knicks ($5,300); Mario Chalmers, Miami Heat ($5,100); Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics ($4,600); Tyler Johnson, Miami Heat ($4,300); Larry Drew, Philadelphia 76ers ($3,500)

* FanDuel's $225K NBA Slam: $225,000 in prizes including $25,000 to 1st in tonight's NBA Slam tourney ($25 entry).

SG - Arron Afflalo, Denver Nuggets (at PHI), $5,500: With the same salary on both sites, Afflalo is at more of a discount, if you will, on FanDuel (82.5% of average starter salary) than he is on DraftKings (88.0%). Afflalo has had a couple of modest outings (8.7 and 13.9 fantasy points, respectively), but he should bounce back against the Sixers. Before those two modest performances, Afflalo had averaged 29.22 fantasy points over his previous five games and the Sixers have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season.

Others to consider: Wesley Matthews, Portland Trail Blazers ($5,800)

SF - Joe Ingles, Utah Jazz (at POR), $4,400: Ingles does a little bit of everything and that little bit of everything has led to five consecutive games with at least 20 fantasy points. Ingles needs 22.0 fantasy points to reach 5x value and he's averaged 23.52 per game over his past five games. During that span, he has averaged 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game.

Others to consider: Robert Covington, Philadelphia 76ers ($5,700); Wilson Chandler, Denver Nuggets ($5,700); Nicolas Batum, Portland Trail Blazers ($5,400); Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Philadelphia 76ers ($4,700)

PF - Jerami Grant, Philadelphia 76ers (vs. DEN), $3,600: Listed as my favorite small forward play on DraftKings for today's games, selecting my favorite power forward play on FanDuel was more difficult. That said, Grant scored a career-high (real) 18 points and 26.4 fantasy points last night. Not only is Grant 8-of-11 from behind the arc over his past three games, but he has had eight-block and four-block games over the past couple of weeks. In his past six games, Grant is averaging 18.75 fantasy points per game and he could approach last night's production especially if MCW sits while offering plenty of salary-cap relief at only $100 above the minimum salary.

Others to consider: Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets ($6,400); Jared Sullinger, Boston Celtics ($6,200); Nerlens Noel, Philadelphia 76ers ($6,100); Brandon Bass, Boston Celtics ($5,300); Jason Smith, New York Knicks ($4,600); J.J. Hickson, Denver Nuggets ($4,400); Louis Amundson, New York Knicks ($4,300)

C - Hassan Whiteside, Miami Heat (at DET), $7,000: Whiteside was one rebound shy of a double-double (20 points and nine rebounds) in his past game, but he had a triple-double (with blocks) and two double-doubles in his previous three games. During that four-game span, he has scored at least 36.7 fantasy points in each game and has averaged 16.5 points, 15.5 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game. With the Pistons fourth in the NBA in points in the paint (44.8/G), that could lead to plenty of opportunities for rebounds and blocks. Either way, the Pistons have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season.

Others to consider: Tyler Zeller, Boston Celtics ($4,900); Jusuf Nurkic, Denver Nuggets ($4,800)

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Fantasy NBA DraftKings DFS Values (Feb. 3)

On a five-game NBA slate on Tuesday, there are only three players priced above $8,800 -- Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins ($10,500), Golden State's Stephen Curry ($10,300) and Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge ($9,400).

While I'll have some exposure to all three of those high-priced studs, Curry will undoubtedly be the one that I have the most in my lineups. If there's any concern, it's that this game turns into a blowout as the Warriors are favored by 9.5 points and Curry has played less than 30 minutes in two of his three matchups against the Kings this season.

That said, Curry is averaging more than 46 fantasy points per game this season, the Kings have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing point guards and are projected to score the most points, by far, tonight based on Vegas odds.

On any given night, Curry has 60-point upside. Only three players in the league have more games with 60-plus fantasy points than Curry (seven games) -- Anthony Davis and James Harden (both 11 games) and Cousins (eight).

In order to fit Curry (and/or Boogie and/or LMA) into your lineup(s), you'll need to find some value plays elsewhere.


With that said, here are my favorite DraftKings values ($6,500 salary or less) for Tuesday's NBA games:

PG - Trey Burke, Utah Jazz (at POR), $4,600: Even if he isn't starting, Burke has played at least 31 minutes in three consecutive games. And over his past four games, Burke has scored 30.0, 20.0, 20.0 and 29.0 fantasy points, respectively, and he has been averaging 16 shot attempts per game over that stretch. Meanwhile, Damian Lillard and the Blazers have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season.

Others to consider: Darren Collison, Sacramento Kings ($6,400); D.J. Augustin, Detroit Pistons ($6,200); Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics ($3,700); Larry Drew, Philadelphia 76ers ($3,000)

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SG - Tyler Johnson, Miami Heat (at DET), $3,900: Listed as a point guard on FanDuel, Johnson is listed as a shooting guard on DraftKings, which makes me like him more on DK. Playing only three NBA games in his career, Johnson now has impressive back-to-back outings and scored a massive (given his minimum-salary price tag) 38.25 fantasy points on Sunday. Doing a bit of everything, he has averaged 8.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks in those two games. Far from the level of "Hassanity," Johnson has nonetheless provided the team with a spark and should continue to see minutes in the mid-20's, at least, as long as Dwyane Wade remains out.

Others to consider: Wesley Matthews, Portland Trail Blazers ($5,800); Arron Afflalo, Denver Nuggets ($5,500)

SF - Jerami Grant, Philadelphia 76ers (vs. DEN), $3,000: Listed in yesterday's post as well, Grant is once again priced at the contest-minimum salary. Grant won't see much more than 26 minutes on any given night, but he should easily reach value while providing lots of salary-cap relief. Scoring a career-high (real) 18 points and 29.75 fantasy points last night, he has connected on 8-of-11 three-point attempts over his past three games. Few players have his potential to make multiple three-pointers and block multiple shots (remember his eight blocks vs. NYK last month?) on a given night. In his past six games, Grant is averaging 20.92 fantasy points per game (6.97x his salary) with a minimum of 16.5 fantasy points (5.5x) and could approach last night's production if Michael Carter-Williams (ankle/shin) sits.

Others to consider: Wilson Chandler, Denver Nuggets ($5,700); Luol Deng, Miami Heat ($5,000); Nicolas Batum, Portland Trail Blazers ($4,900); Joe Ingles, Utah Jazz ($4,300)

PF - Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets (at PHI), $6,200: Too inconsistent for cash games, Faried has plenty of upside tonight as a tournament play against the Sixers, who rank last in the NBA in rebounding differential (-4.5). In addition, the Sixers have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season. Over his past 19 games played, The Manimal has six games with at least 40 fantasy points including games with 57.25 and 61.25 fantasy points, but he has also has six games during that span with less than 25.0. Faried needs just 31.0 fantasy points to reach 5x value and he's averaged 33.34/G during that 19-game span.

Others to consider: Nerlens Noel, Philadelphia 76ers ($5,200); Brandon Bass, Boston Celtics ($5,200); Robert Covington, Philadelphia 76ers ($5,000); Jason Smith, New York Knicks ($4,700); Louis Amundson, New York Knicks ($3,700)

C - Andrew Bogut, Golden State Warriors (at SAC), $4,800: More often than not, I'll pay up for center tonight, but Bogut could potentially see a bump in minutes from his 24 per game as they get a difficult matchup against Cousins. Bogut has been averaging a little more than one fantasy point per minute this season and he's priced at 5.4 times his average fantasy production this season (25.9/G).

Others to consider: Robin Lopez, Portland Trail Blazers ($4,500); Jusuf Nurkic, Denver Nuggets ($4,400); Tyler Zeller, Boston Celtics ($4,100);

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Monday, February 2, 2015

2014-15 NBA Power Rankings Week 15


Here are my NBA Power Rankings heading into Week 15:

1. Atlanta Hawks (Record 40-8, Last Week 1): Another week and three more wins as the Hawks extend their winning streak to 19 games. They have already won more games than they have all of last season (38). Keeping their win streak in tact for one more week will be tough with matchups against the Pelicans, Wizards, Warriors and Grizzlies this week.

2. Golden State Warriors (Record 37-8, Last Week 2): No team has a greater point differential than the Warriors (+11.2/G) -- the Hawks rank second (+7.3).

3. Memphis Grizzlies (Record 35-12, Last Week 3): Zach Randolph has extended his streak of games with a double-double to 12 and he has 17 of them in his past 18 games played.

4. Portland Trail Blazers (Record 32-16, Last Week 4): An All-Star "snub," Damian Lillard is one of just three players to average at least 21 points, four rebounds, six assists, two three-pointers made and one steal per game. The other two are James Harden and Stephen Curry.

5. Cleveland Cavaliers (Record 29-20, Last Week 9): Kyrie Irving scored a career-high 55 points and knocked down a franchise-record 11 (of 19) three-pointers on Wednesday. The Cavs have now won 10 games in a row and will host the lowly Sixers on Monday.

6. San Antonio Spurs (Record 30-18, Last Week 5): It's not too often that a player (in this case, Boris Diaw) hits his coach with a half-court shot attempt. Amazingly, it generated almost no response from Gregg Popovich [via Tom Ziller]:



7. Los Angeles Clippers (Record 33-15, Last Week 6): DeAndre Jordan, who leads the league in field goal percentage (73.1%) and rebounding (13.5/G), has blocked at least three shots in five consecutive games. It's the second-longest streak of his career; the longest (seven games) happened earlier this season.

8. Toronto Raptors (Record 33-15, Last Week 11): After a 6-for-34 shooting slump and scoring a total of 14 points over a three-game stretch, DeMar DeRozan has averaged 20.4 points over his past five games.

9. Houston Rockets (Record 33-15, Last Week 7): The Rockets will be without center Dwight Howard for "at least a month" as he battles a right knee injury.

10. Dallas Mavericks (Record 32-17, Last Week 12): Rajon Rondo will miss at least the next three games with an orbital fracture to his left eye and a nasal fracture.

11. Chicago Bulls (Record 30-19, Last Week 10): Pau Gasol now has nine consecutive double-doubles with an average of 15.44 points and 14.67 rebounds as well as 2.33 blocks per game during that span. No player has more double-doubles this season than Gasol (30).

12. Phoenix Suns (Record 28-21, Last Week 14): Goran Dragic (5.5) currently ranks fourth in the NBA in fast-break points behind Russell Westbrook (6.9), James Harden (6.0) and Stephen Curry (6.0).

13. Washington Wizards (Record 31-17, Last Week 8): It's been a rough stretch for the Wizards as they have lost four of their past six games.

14. New Orleans Pelicans (Record 25-22, Last Week 15): Tyreke Evans is one of 13 players to average at least 10 points per game in the paint. The only other guard with that distinction is Westbrook.

15. Oklahoma City Thunder (Record 23-24, Last Week 13): Although they were without Kevin Durant for two of the games, the Thunder lost four of their past five games and are currently four games out of the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.

16. Charlotte Hornets (Record 20-27, Last Week 16): Even without Kemba Walker (knee surgery), the Hornets have won two of their past three games. For the month of January, they have a 10-4 record.

17. Milwaukee Bucks (Record 25-22, Last Week 17): If you play NBA DFS, O.J. Mayo and consistency are two things typically not put in the same sentence. Over his past 11 games, however, Mayo has 20-plus fantasy points (DraftKings scoring) in every game. His longest such streak before that this season was just four games.

18. Detroit Pistons (Record 18-30, Last Week 18): Andre Drummond leads the NBA in 2nd-chance points (4.8 per game) and Greg Monroe ranks sixth (3.6/G) in that category.

19. Miami Heat (Record 21-26, Last Week 19): After posting a triple-double (with blocks) last Sunday, it was another strong week for Hassan Whiteside. Although he was one rebound shy of going three-for-three in double-doubles, he averaged 17.3 points and 16.3 rebounds this past week.

20. Utah Jazz (Record 17-30, Last Week 25): The Jazz (18.6/G) rank third in the NBA in field goals made within five feet behind only the Pelicans (20.1) and Pistons (19.0).

21. Sacramento Kings (Record 17-29, Last Week 23): DeMarcus Cousins was selected as the All-Star replacement for Kobe Bryant and he becomes the team's first All-Star since 2004.

22. Indiana Pacers (Record 17-32, Last Week 21): David West is averaging 12.8 points per game, a team high among qualified leaders, yet he ranks only 78th in the NBA in scoring.

23. New York Knicks (Record 10-38, Last Week 29): After winning only five of their first 41 games, the Knicks have started the "second half" of the season by winning five of their past seven games.

24. Brooklyn Nets (Record 18-28, Last Week 20): The Nets have lost four in a row and 12 of their past 14 games, but Jarrett Jack has a total of 49 points, 26 assists, 13 rebounds and three steals in his past two games.

25. Denver Nuggets (Record 19-29, Last Week 22): In the middle of last week, the Nuggets lost by 30 points to the Grizzlies. It was their third loss of 30-plus points (only the Sixers have more, five).

26. Boston Celtics (Record 16-30, Last Week 26): One year after posting a .305 winning percentage, the Celtics winning percentage stands at .348. If they finish this season with a sub-.350 winning percentage, that will mean that two of their worst five seasons in franchise history will have occurred in back-to-back seasons.

27. Philadelphia 76ers (Record 10-38, Last Week 27): On Friday night, Nerlens Noel finished with six blocks and four steals. Over his past 12 games, he's averaging 2.33 blocks and 1.91 steals per game.

28. Los Angeles Lakers (Record 13-35, Last Week 28): In three games last week, rookie starting point guard Jordan Clarkson scored at least 18 points in each game.

29. Orlando Magic (Record 15-35, Last Week 24): The Magic have lost eight consecutive games and head coach Jacque Vaughn is on the verge of being fired according to media reports.

30. Minnesota Timberwolves (Record 8-39, Last Week 30): After recently getting Kevin Martin and Nikola Pekovic back from injury, they are on the verge of finally getting starting point guard Ricky Rubio back.

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