Daily Fantasy Basketball: Some DraftKings Values for March 4th

If you play daily fantasy sports (and who isn't these days?!), you know that one of the keys to success is uncovering undervalued players to allow you to load up on studs elsewhere.

In case you've never played daily fantasy basketball, you select your team based on a player's salary and your team's salary cannot exceed the game salary-cap maximum.

For DraftKings leagues, rosters consist of eight players and the salary cap is $50,000, which averages to roughly $6,250 per player. To give you an idea of the range for Tuesday's games, Thunder SF/PF Kevin Durant ($10,900) has the contest's highest salary while many are tied for the lowest at the game-minimum salary ($3,000).

There are a number of benefits compared to traditional full-season re-draft leagues, such as:

• you don't have to worry about being saddled by players sidelined by injury;
• having a late pick doesn't rule out owning studs like Kevin Durant or LeBron James;
• you get the instant gratification of winning your league(s) that night.

And you know that enthusiasm you have after drafting your fantasy team(s)? Well, you get to experience that feeling on a nightly basis with daily fantasy basketball.

OK, with the preliminary stuff out of the way, here are some value plays to consider for Tuesday (March 4th) DraftKings leagues:

PG - Darren Collison, Los Angeles Clippers (at PHO), $4,300: With Jamal Crawford expected to miss a few more games, Collison could get another start on Tuesday. In his past two games, Collison has averaged 28.25 fantasy points per game by scoring 17.0 points with 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

PG - Ishmael Smith, Phoenix Suns (vs. LAC), $3,600: In his past four games, Smith has averaged 28.63 fantasy points per game. During that stretch, Smith has averaged 9.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.25 assists and 2.5 steals per game.

SG/SF - Tyreke Evans, New Orleans Pelicans (at LAL), $6,000: Not as cheap as he is in FanDuel leagues ($5,400), but Evans is still a value here at $6,000. Against the Kings, his former team, Evans was only two assists shy of a triple-double with 27 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists and scored 54.5 fantasy points. The Lakers have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season.

SG/SF - Kent Bazemore, Los Angeles Lakers (vs. NOP), $4,400: Although Bazemore has played in only 28 and 27 minutes in his past two games, his two lowest totals since joining the Lakers, he has scored 20-plus fantasy points in all six of his games as a Laker.

SG/SF - Wesley Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers (vs. NOP), $5,200: Against the Blazers yesterday, Johnson extended his streak of games with 36-plus minutes and 35-plus fantasy points to three games. During that stretch, he has averaged 14.67 points, 8.0 boards, 3.0 assists, 3.0 blocks and 1.0 steal per game.

SF - Caron Butler, Oklahoma City Thunder (vs. PHI), $3,900: Nearly $1,000 cheaper on DraftKings than FanDuel, Butler will make his Thunder debut on Tuesday and he gets an extremely favorable matchup against the Sixers. With Thabo Sefalosha (calf) out for the next month or so, Butler could start. Either way, he should get plenty of minutes in his debut.

PF/C - Markieff Morris, Phoenix Suns (vs. LAC), $5,700: Morris has scored more than 32 fantasy points in back-to-back games and in five of his past six. Only six teams have allowed more fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season than the Clips.

PF/C - Alexis Ajinca, New Orleans Pelicans (at LAL), $4,100: Ajinca had a dud against the Kings in his last outing, but he has scored 30-plus fantasy points in three of his past five games and has a pair of double-doubles during that span. No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing centers so Ajinca may bounce back nicely at a very modest cost.

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For those interested in FanDuel leagues, I posted some FanDuel values earlier this morning here.

If you play in full-season leagues, check out my rest-of-season Fantasy NBA rankings.

Keep track of our Fantasy NBA updates by following us on Twitter, "liking" us on Facebook and/or adding us to your Google+ circle.

Daily Fantasy Basketball: FanDuel Values for March 4th

If you play daily fantasy sports (and who doesn't these days?!), you know that one of the keys to success is uncovering undervalued players to allow you to load up on studs elsewhere.

In case you've never played daily fantasy basketball, every player has a salary and your roster cannot exceed the game's salary-cap maximum.

For FanDuel leagues, rosters consist of nine players and the salary cap is $60,000, which averages to roughly $6,667 per player. To give you an idea of the range for Tuesday's games, Thunder SF Kevin Durant ($11,900) has the contest's highest salary while many are tied for the lowest at the game-minimum salary ($3,500).

There are a number of benefits compared to traditional full-season re-draft leagues, such as:

• you don't have to worry about being saddled by players sidelined by injury;
• having a late pick doesn't rule out owning studs like Kevin Durant or LeBron James;
• you get the instant gratification of winning your league(s) that night.

And you know that enthusiasm you have after drafting your fantasy team(s)? Well, you get to experience that feeling on a nightly basis with daily fantasy basketball.

OK, with the preliminary stuff out of the way, here are some value plays to consider for Tuesday (March 4th) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder (vs. PHI), $7,400: While there is the potential that Westbrook, Durant, etc. sit in the fourth quarter of a potential blowout (as Sean noted in his DraftStreet post), Westbrook's salary ($7,400) as a stud point guard is still more than $2,000 less than that of Chris Paul ($9,600). Even in 25 minutes (like against the Bobcats on Sunday), Westbrook can still score 35 fantasy points. Against the league's worst defense, three quarters of Westbrook may be more than enough.

PG - Ishmael Smith, Phoenix Suns (vs. LAC), $4,600: In his past four games, Smith has averaged 27.68 fantasy points per game. During that stretch, Smith has averaged 9.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.25 assists and 2.5 steals per game.

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SG - Tyreke Evans, New Orleans Pelicans (at LAL), $5,400: Evans appeared on my FanDuel list yesterday and he delivered for DFS owners that started him by dropping 50 fantasy points. Against the Kings, his former team, Evans was only two assists shy of a triple-double with 27 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Evans is a must-start against the Lakers, who have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season.

SG - Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs (at CLE), $4,700: Despite playing less than 30 minutes in each game, Ginobili has averaged 29.5 fantasy points per game over his last three games. During that stretch, Ginobili has averaged 15.3 points, 7.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 block per game.

SG - Kent Bazemore, Los Angeles Lakers (vs. NOP), $4,400: Although Bazemore has played in only 28 and 27 minutes in his past two games, his two lowest since joining the Lakers, he has scored 20-plus fantasy points in four consecutive games and in five of his six as a Laker.

SG - Ray Allen, Miami Heat (at HOU), $3,500: Provided that Dwyane Wade sits out another game, Allen is a solid option at the contest-minimum salary. The Rockets have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards.

SF - Wesley Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers (vs. NOP), $4,900: Against the Blazers yesterday, Johnson extended his streak of games with 36-plus minutes and 33-plus fantasy points to three games. During that stretch, he has averaged 14.67 points, 8.0 boards, 3.0 assists, 3.0 blocks and 1.0 steal per game.

SF - Caron Butler, Oklahoma City Thunder (vs. PHI), $4,700: Butler will make his Thunder debut on Tuesday and he gets an extremely favorable matchup against the Sixers. With Thabo Sefolosha (calf) out for the next month or so, Butler could start. Either way, he should get plenty of minutes in his debut.

PF - Markieff Morris, Phoenix Suns (vs. LAC), $6,000: Morris has scored more than 30 fantasy points in back-to-back games and in five of his past six. Only six teams have allowed more fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season than the Clips.

PF - Tristan Thompson, Cleveland Cavaliers (vs. SAS), $5,900: Thompson has seven double-doubles in his past 10 games and he missed a double-double in two of those games by only one rebound. Thompson is averaging 15.3 points, 11.5 rebounds and 31.1 fantasy points in his past 10 games.

C - Alexis Ajinca, New Orleans Pelicans (at LAL), $4,200: Ajinca had a dud against the Kings in his last outing, but he has scored 29-plus fantasy points in three of his past five games and has a pair of double-doubles during that span. No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing centers so Ajinca may bounce back nicely at a very modest cost.

Compete in FanDuel's Daily Fantasy Basketball Championship: $1.2 million in cash prizes >> Or find other FanDuel NBA games here.

If you play in full-season leagues, check out my rest-of-season Fantasy NBA rankings.

Keep track of our Fantasy NBA updates by following us on Twitter, "liking" us on Facebook and/or adding us to your Google+ circle.

Daily Fantasy Basketball: FanDuel Values for March 3rd

If you play daily fantasy sports (and who doesn't these days?!), you know that one of the keys to success is uncovering undervalued players to allow you to load up on studs elsewhere.

In case you've never played daily fantasy basketball, every player has a salary and your roster cannot exceed the game's salary-cap maximum.

For FanDuel leagues, rosters consist of nine players and the salary cap is $60,000, which averages to roughly $6,667 per player. To give you an idea of the range for Monday's games, Timberwolves PF Kevin Love ($11,600) has the contest's highest salary while many are tied for the lowest at the game-minimum salary ($3,500).

There are a number of benefits compared to traditional full-season re-draft leagues, such as:

• you don't have to worry about being saddled by players sidelined by injury;
• having a late pick doesn't rule out owning studs like Kevin Durant or LeBron James;
• you get the instant gratification of winning your league(s) that night.

And you know that enthusiasm you have after drafting your fantasy team(s)? Well, you get to experience that feeling on a nightly basis with daily fantasy basketball.

OK, with the preliminary stuff out of the way, here are some value plays to consider for Monday (March 3rd) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Jordan Farmar, Los Angeles Lakers (at POR), $5,300: Despite backing up point guard Kendall Marshall ($6,300), Farmar played more minutes and scored more fantasy points than Marshall on Friday. In 29 minutes, Farmar scored a career-high 30 points while adding seven assists and a steal. On Monday, the Lakers will play the Blazers, who have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing point guards over the past 15 days.

PG - Will Bynum, Detroit Pistons (vs. NYK), $4,600: Bynum has scored 25-plus fantasy points in three of his four games. The Knicks have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards over the past 15 days.

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SG - Tyreke Evans, New Orleans Pelicans (at SAC), $5,400: Against the Clippers on Saturday, Evans scored 22 points and added nine rebounds, five assists and a steal in 40 minutes. Assuming Evans continues to get big minutes, he could really stick it to his former team on Monday. No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing shooting guards over the past 15 days than the Kings (51.60 FPA).

SG - Kent Bazemore, Los Angeles Lakers (at POR), $4,400: In five games since being acquired by the Lakers, Bazemore has played at least 27 minutes in every game and scored 26-plus fantasy points in three of those five outings. Against the Kings on Friday, Bazemore scored 12 points and added six boards, two blocks and two steals. Portland ranks 25th in scoring defense (102.9 PPG allowed).

SG - Marcus Thornton, Brooklyn Nets (vs. CHI), $3,500: Against the Bucks on Saturday, Thornton did not do much except score. In 24 minutes, Thornton scored 25 points and added two rebounds. Nada más. While he doesn't have a favorable matchup against the league's second-best scoring defense, Thornton should score enough to exceed his contest-minimum salary.

SF - Nicolas Batum, Portland Trail Blazers (vs. LAL), $6,900: Only slightly more expensive than the average salary of contest starters, Batum has scored 30-plus fantasy points in four consecutive games. During that four-game stretch, he has averaged 16.5 points, 9.5 boards, 4.75 assists, 1.25 blocks and 1.0 steals. Not only has he been extremely productive recently, but no team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing small forwards than the Lakers over the past 15 days.

SF - Mike Dunleavy, Chicago Bulls (at BKN), $5,200: Once again, Dunleavy had another solid outing as the Bulls blew out the Knicks on Sunday. Dunleavy has averaged 30.85 fantasy points with a minimum of 24.9 over his past four games.

SF - Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks (vs. UTA), $4,800: Middleton has scored 30.9 and 28.3 fantasy points in his previous two outings and the good times should continue to roll for Middleton with Caron Butler in Oklahoma City.

PF - Derrick Favors, Utah Jazz (at MIL), $6,600: Since returning from injury, Favors had his most productive outing on Sunday with 17 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, three blocks and a steal. Favors has a more favorable matchup on Monday as the Bucks have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season.

PF - Andray Blatche, Brooklyn Nets (vs. CHI), $5,100: Against the Bucks on Saturday, Blatche went off for 45.6 fantasy points. Playing 30 minutes, Blatche posted a double-double (19 points, 13 boards) and added two assists, a block and three steals. Although he played only 18 minutes in his previous game, Blatche missed a double-double by one point and one rebound and added four steals to score 29.3 fantasy points. In most of my FanDuel leagues, I'll start Love and Favors at PF but Blatche is worth consideration with more than 1.56 fantasy points per minute played over his past two games.

C - Alexis Ajinca, New Orleans Pelicans (at SAC), $4,200: For the second time in four games, Ajinca posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds against the Clips on Saturday. In three of those four games, Ajinca scored more than 29 fantasy points.

Compete in FanDuel's Daily Fantasy Basketball Championship: $1.2 million in cash prizes >> Or find other FanDuel NBA games here.

If you play in full-season leagues, check out my rest-of-season Fantasy NBA rankings.

Keep track of our Fantasy NBA updates by following us on Twitter, "liking" us on Facebook and/or adding us to your Google+ circle.

Daily Fantasy Basketball (Feb. 26th): FanDuel Bargains

If you play daily fantasy sports (and who doesn't these days?!), you know that one of the keys to success is uncovering undervalued players to allow you to load up on studs elsewhere.

In case you've never played daily fantasy basketball, every player has a salary and your roster cannot exceed the game's salary-cap maximum.

For FanDuel leagues, rosters consist of nine players and the salary cap is $60,000, which averages to roughly $6,667 per player. To give you an idea of the range for Wednesday's games, Thunder SF Kevin Durant ($12,000) has the contest's highest salary while many are tied for the lowest at the game-minimum salary ($3,500).

There are a number of benefits compared to traditional full-season re-draft leagues, such as:

• you don't have to worry about being saddled by players sidelined by injury;
• having a late pick doesn't rule out owning studs like Kevin Durant or LeBron James;
• you get the instant gratification of winning your league(s) that night.

And you know that enthusiasm you have after drafting your fantasy team(s)? Well, you get to experience that feeling on a nightly basis with daily fantasy basketball.

OK, with the preliminary stuff out of the way, here are some value plays to consider for Wednesday (Feb. 26th) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Jeff Teague, Atlanta Hawks (at BOS), $5,800: Since missing the Pistons game on the 21st, Teague has scored at least 26 points with six-plus assists in back-to-back games. With the injuries on the Hawks, Teague should continue to be aggressive on the offensive end once again on Wednesday.

PG - Trey Burke, Utah Jazz (vs. PHO), $5,900: Burke had an off night on Monday (21.5 fantasy points), but he had a minimum of 31.6 fantasy points in each of his previous three games. Look for him to bounce back here.

SG - Vince Carter, Dallas Mavericks (vs. NO), $5,200: Carter has now scored 33-plus fantasy points in back-to-back nights. Against the Knicks on Monday, Carter had 23 points, three rebounds, three assists and a block.

SG - Kent Bazemore, Los Angeles Lakers (at MEM), $3,600: Against the Pacers last night, Bazemore led the Lakers in minutes (39) and points (23) and has now scored 15-plus points in all three of his games with the Lakers. In addition, Bazemore has a total of seven steals in his three games with the Lakers.

SF - Paul Pierce, Brooklyn Nets (at POR), $5,800: With at least 33 minutes in each of his past two games, Pierce scored 25 points with seven boards and four dimes on Sunday for 35.4 fantasy points. On Wednesday, the Nets will face the Blazers, who have allowed the fourth-most points per game this season.

SF - Kyle Singler, Detroit Pistons (at SAS), $4,200: Although the matchup is far from ideal, Singler has scored at least 20 fantasy points in five of his past six games including 30.6 on Monday against the Warriors.

PF - Tobias Harris, Orlando Magic (at PHI), $6,700: After three consecutive games with 35 or more fantasy points, Harris had an off night Tuesday: 11 points, four rebounds and one assist. That said, nothing helps a player bounce back like facing the Sixers.

PF - Brandon Bass, Boston Celtics (vs. ATL), $4,500: It's unclear whether Jared Sullinger (concussion) will miss another game, but Bass has played 30-plus minutes in four consecutive games. Averaging a little more than 25 fantasy points per game during that stretch, Bass has averaged 14.5 points, 6.75 rebounds, 1.0 steal and 1.0 block per game.

C - Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic (at PHI), $7,000: Averaging a double-double on the season, Vucevic had 19 points and 14 boards against a depleted Wizards frontcourt on Tuesday. Vucevic has now scored more than 30 fantasy points in six of seven games and he faces a fantasy-friendly Sixers team on Wednesday night.

C - Alexis Ajinca, New Orleans Pelicans (at DAL), $3,600: With 27 minutes in each of the past two games, Ajinca followed up a solid performance (nine points, nine rebounds) with a double-double (19 points, 12 rebounds) on Monday.

C - Kelly Olynyk, Boston Celtics (vs. ATL), $3,700: If Sullinger misses another game, it could mean additional minutes for Olynyk once again. On Monday, Olynyk had 21 points, eight rebounds, four assists and a steal.

[Update: Both Olynyk and Sullinger are out tonight.]

Daily Fantasy Basketball Championship: $1.2 million in cash prizes

If you play in full-season leagues, check out my rest-of-season Fantasy NBA rankings or my waiver-wire post from Sunday.

Keep track of our Fantasy NBA updates by following us on Twitter, "liking" us on Facebook and/or adding us to your Google+ circle.