Daily Fantasy Basketball: FanDuel Values for April 5th

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 Saturday's games, Timberwolves PF Kevin Love ($11,200) 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 Saturday (April 5th) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Ramon Sessions, Milwaukee Bucks (vs. TOR), $6,600: Playing at least 40 minutes per game in his past six contests, Sessions is averaging 19.67 points, 5.67 assists and 4.33 rebounds per game during that span. In those six games, he has averaged 32.92 fantasy points per game with a minimum of 24.3 in each game.

PG - Shaun Livingston, Brooklyn Nets (at PHI), $4,800: Livingston scored 34.8 fantasy points yesterday and has at least 32 fantasy points in two of his past three games. No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing point guards this season than the Sixers.

PG - Jerryd Bayless, Boston Celtics (at DET), $4,300: Not only is Rajon Rondo out for tonight's game, but Avery Bradley has also missed his past two games. Bayless should have an excellent opportunity to take advantage of the fantasy-friendly matchup tonight. The Pistons have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards based on FanDuel scoring.

PG - Greivis Vasquez, Toronto Raptors (at MIL), $4,300: Kyle Lowry (knee) has missed his past two games, and if he misses another, Vasquez should have a third straight productive outing. In his past two games, Vasquez is averaging 12.5 points, 5.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game.

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SG - Victor Oladipo, Orlando Magic (vs. MIN), $6,600: In his past eight games, Oladipo is averaging 16.75 points, 5.0 assists, 3.75 rebounds and 2.38 steals per game. During that span, he has scored a minimum of 23.4 fantasy points in every game and has averaged 29.38 fantasy points per outing. The T'Wolves have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season.

SG - Terrence Ross, Toronto Raptors (at MIL), $4,200: While he has lacked consistency, Ross has scored 31-plus fantasy points in three of his past six games including yesterday's game against the Pacers.

SG - Marcus Thornton, Brooklyn Nets (at PHI), $3,600: Speaking of inconsistency, Thornton has struggled to put together back-to-back solid performances. That said, the 76ers give him an excellent opportunity to score at least 20 fantasy points in back-to-back games for the first time since he did so on Mar. 21st and 23rd.

SF - Kyle Singler, Detroit Pistons (at BOS), $4,500: Over his past three games, Singler has scored 23 or more fantasy points twice and he has played 39 minutes in back-to-back games. In his past three games, he has averaged 13.33 points, 3.67 rebounds, 2.0 assists and a block per game.

SF - Chase Budinger, Minnesota Timberwolves (at ORL), $3,700: It's unclear whether Kevin Martin (foot) will play tonight, but if he's out, it should mean more minutes and fantasy points for Budinger. Budinger has four games of 24-plus fantasy points in his past six games and the Magic have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards this season.

PF - Andray Blatche, Brooklyn Nets (at PHI), $4,500: If Kevin Garnett returns after missing 19 games, it could take some minutes from Blatche, but the matchup against the Sixers is ideal from a fantasy perspective. Blatche has scored at least 20 fantasy points in three of his past four games and five of his past seven.

PF - Cody Zeller, Charlotte Bobcats (at CLE), $3,900: With Josh McRoberts out again, Zeller will get another opportunity to put up respectable fantasy numbers. In his past three games, he has averaged 21.83 fantasy points per game.

C - Spencer Hawes, Cleveland Cavalieres (vs. CHA), $5,900: While he's unlikely to match last night's performance, Hawes had a double-double (16 points and 10 rebounds) scored 49 fantasy points last night. In addition to his double-double, he added six steals and two blocks. He now has 36.1 and 49.0 fantasy points in his past two games, respectively.

C - Henry Sims, Philadelphia 76ers (vs. BKN), $5,700: While the Nets don't present a favorable matchup, Sims has scored at least 30 fantasy points in five of his past eight games. During that eight-game stretch, he has averaged 15.63 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

C - Jonas Valanciunas, Toronto Raptors (at MIL), $5,500 : Valanciunas has scored a minimum of 26 fantasy points in six consecutive games and he has 30-plus fantasy points in four of those outings. During that span, he has averaged 16.5 points and 9.33 rebounds per game. The Bucks have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season.

C - Kyle O'Quinn, Orlando Magic (vs. MIN), $4,600: With Nikola Vucevic (Achilles) out last night, O'Quinn played 30 minutes and put up 10 points with six rebounds, five blocks and three steals. If Vucevic is unable to go again tonight, O'Quinn is a low-priced option at center to strongly consider.

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Daily Fantasy Basketball: FanDuel Values for March 5th

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, 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 Wednesday (March 5th) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Jeff Teague, Atlanta Hawks (at POR), $6,700: In his past four games, Teague has scored at least 26 points and 33.6 fantasy points per game. In his most recent game, Teague scored 29 points and added nine assists, six boards, two steals and a block for 52.7 fantasy points. It's unclear if Paul Millsap (knee) will play tonight and if he does, Teague may score fewer points, but he's a solid value as the 13th-highest priced point guard for tonight's games. Only the 76ers have allowed more fantasy points to opposing point guards this season than the Blazers.

PG - George Hill, Indiana Pacers (at CHA), $4,700: Hill returned to the court last night after missing two games and he gets a favorable matchup tonight against the Bobcats. Over the past 15 days, the Bobcats have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards.

PG - Will Bynum, Detroit Pistons (vs. CHI), $4,600: While I'd like to see Bynum get more minutes, he's been productive with the time he's getting. In 18 minutes against the Knicks on Monday, Bynum scored 16 points and added three rebounds, three assists and three steals for 27.1 fantasy points. In his past three games, he has averaged 15.33 points, 5.67 assists and 1.67 steals per game despite the modest playing time.

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SG - Vince Carter, Dallas Mavericks (at DEN), $5,800: Over his past five games, Carter has scored more than 30 fantasy points four times. During that run, he has averaged 18.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. The Nuggets have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season.

SG - Kevin Martin, Minnesota Timberwolves (vs. NYK), $5,800: After a multi-game absence due to his thumb injury, Martin is averaging 24.0 points per game since returning. While he's primarily a one-category (points) producer, Martin has 25.4 and 36.8 fantasy points in his two games back. In addition, the Knicks have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to shooting guards this year.

SG - Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (vs. SAC), $4,300: While the rookie from Greece has been a little inconsistent with his fantasy production, he has scored 26-plus fantasy points in four of his past seven games. During that seven-game span, Antetokounmpo has averaged 23.83 fantasy points per game. The Kings have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing SGs this season.

(As great as Paul George has been playing, it's hard to keep him out of my lineups tonight. At a reasonable price for a stud player ($8,900), George has scored at least 37 fantasy points in eight consecutive games and he has 41.4-plus in five of those games including 49.4 last night. With the Bobcats allowing LeBron to score 61 on Monday, George should be in for a big night.)

SF - Nicolas Batum, Portland Trail Blazers (vs. ATL), $6,900: While his price has crept up slightly, he's still pricely barely above the average cost of a starter ($6,667). Batum has appeared in many of these FanDuel posts as a multi-category stat stuffer. In his past five games, Batum has scored a minimum of 30.7 fantasy points in each game and has averaged 38.52 per game. Over that stretch, Batum has averaged 16.6 points, 10.6 boards, 4.8 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals. The Hawks have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards this season.

SF - Wilson Chandler, Denver Nuggets (vs. DAL), $5,200: After missing a game against the Nets, Chandler has been solid in his two games back including a double-double (25 points, 10 rebounds) on Monday. The Mavs are in the bottom third in the league at limiting fantasy points to opposing small forwards.

SF - Maurice Harkless, Orlando Magic (vs. HOU), $4,400: Harkless has been inconsistent this season overall, but he has been consistently productive in his past four games. Since Feb. 25th, Harkless has played more than 30 minutes per game and averaged 14.75 points, 4.5 boards, 1.25 blocks and 1.0 steals per game. He has scored between 22.1 and 29.7 fantasy points in each of those four games and gets a solid matchup against the Rockets (19th at defending small forwards this season).

PF - Andray Blatche, Brooklyn Nets (vs. MEM), $5,100: It's unclear whether or not Kevin Garnett (back spasms) will play tonight, but Blatche has been productive for three consecutive games with 29.3, 45.6 and 26.5 fantasy points, respectively. The matchup against the Grizzlies isn't great so I like Blatche assuming KG is out. Otherwise, I'd definitely look for a different option to pair with Kevin Love, who is a must-start in daily formats.

PF - Brandon Bass, Boston Celtics (vs. GS), $4,600: Bass has scored at least 23 fantasy points in three consecutive games and in five of his past six games. The minutes for the Celtics' bigs can be a bit uncertain when Bass, Jared Sullinger, Kris Humphries and Kelly Olynyk are all available, but Bass has played 30-plus minutes in five of his past six games (and the exception was 27 minutes).

PF - Trevor Booker, Washington Wizards (vs. UTA), $3,500: The matchup against the Jazz isn't great as Utah has allowed the eighth-fewest fantasy points to opposing power forwards, but the value of Booker's production should exceed his contest-minimum cost as injuries have opened the door for him. In his last two outings, which includes a tough matchup against the Grizzlies, Booker has averaged 14.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.

C - Robin Lopez, Portland Trail Blazers (vs. ATL), $6,100: There are a lot of talented centers going tonight with Joakim Noah, DeMarcus Cousins, Al Jefferson, Dwight Howard and Andre Drummond among those playing. If you're looking for a slightly cheaper option, Lopez has been hot lately with at least 40 fantasy points in three of his past six games. During that six-game run, which included a Feb. 23rd dud (six points, five rebounds), Lopez is averaging 13.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game.

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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.

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NBA Consensus Power Rankings, Week 3

The Miami Heat are still the unanimous No. 1 team in our NBA Power Rankings by all four of our rankers.

While the top three teams in our power rankings remain unchanged (Miami, Oklahoma City and Chicago), the Thunder and Bulls are no longer the unanimous No. 2 and No. 3 teams, respectively.

At the bottom of our rankings, the Wizards are still the league's worst team and it's unanimous. Washington remain the league's only team yet to win a game this season.

Although the Kings were the first team to fire their head coach this season, it may not be long for the Wizards fire coach Flip Saunders, especially in light of comments by Andray Blatche.

"Flip is definitely doing his job," Blatche said, per Ken Berger of CBS Sports. "I just don't feel like guys are listening and following behind what he says and what he wants us to do."

"Guys want to try to do it their own way, and it's not working," Blatche said. "The record shows that. I feel like everybody should go home and focus and think and take consideration for what Flip is saying, because it can't hurt. It damn sure ain't helping us our way."

Here are some stats about this week's NBA Consensus Power Rankings:

- Biggest jump from last week: Utah Jazz (+10.0)
- Biggest drop from last week: Golden State Warriors (-7.5)
- Team with widest difference between high and low ranker: Indiana Pacers (9)

[See our full NBA Consensus Power Rankings.]

Each week, we respond to one roundtable question and here's this week's question:

The Sixers have finished first in the Atlantic Division only once (2000-01) since they did in the 1989-90 season. Where will they finish in 2011-12?

Will the Sixers Win the Atlantic?

Where will the 76ers finish in the Atlantic Division this season? 1st 2nd 3rd 4th or 5th view results

John (follow on Twitter): Early in the season, the Sixers are off to a good start. At 6-2, they're on top of the division and hold a two-game lead over the Celtics and Knicks. With New Jersey unable to land another big name to go along with Deron Williams in the offseason and Toronto not expected to be very good this year, it looks like a three-team race. The Celtics are aging and already injury-plagued, while the Knicks still don't play a shred of defense. The division appears to be wide open, and with a solid young team in Philadelphia, some are predicting them to win the East. While I do think they will make the playoffs, I expect the Knicks to buckle down a bit defensively and win the division. I think the Sixers will finish second.

Sean (follow on Twitter): I think they finish third in the Atlantic division behind the Knicks and Celtics. The Knicks aren't playing too well right now, but I think Tyson Chandler is the difference. We have already seen what the loss of Chandler has done to the Mavericks this year. Philly will end up with the No. 5 seed and I think will win their first-round playoff series versus the Celtics, and then fall short to the Heat in the Eastern Semis. The 76ers have one of the deepest teams in the league in my opinion, and that will come into play this season especially with so many games jam packed together.

Dan (follow on Twitter): The 76ers have been a great story so far, as they have a great infusion of youth and inspired play by Andre Iguodala, and the dual point guards of Lou Williams and Jrue Holliday. The 76ers have been spreading the ball around, as they are fourth in the league in points per game; however, Lou Williams leads the team with 17.6 PPG. I don't think they will win the division though. I think they will finish second in the division to the Knicks, yet ahead of the Celtics, and put them in the No. 6 seed for the weak Eastern Conference playoffs.

Kevin (follow on Twitter): As a Sixers fan, I think it's fair to say that I'm partially biased. But the stats also speak a bit for themselves: Philadelphia ranks first in the NBA in scoring differential (+15.3). The only other team in the league to have a double-digit differential is Miami (+11.7). Philadelphia currently ranks first in the NBA in team defense (85.6 points per game allowed) and opposition field goal percentage (39.5 percent). In addition, they have good depth as eight players are averaging at least 23 minutes per game with their young and athletic nucleus. Although I'm used to suffering as a Sixers' fan, they will win the Atlantic this season and finish as the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference after Miami and Chicago.

To see where all 30 teams fall in our power rankings going into Week 3, click here.

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Related: Our End-of-season NFL Consensus Power Rankings