Fantasy NBA FanDuel DFS Values (Jan. 29)

Earlier today, I posted some value plays that I like 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 Thursday's NBA games:

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PG - Elfrid Payton, Orlando Magic (vs. MIL), $6,000: Payton has displayed incredible consistency for a rookie point guard by scoring more than 25 fantasy points in eight consecutive games. Over that stretch, Payton has averaged 13.13 points, 8.0 assists and 2.13 steals per game. Although the Bucks have held opposing point guards to the fewest fantasy points this season, Payton does a number of different things to generate fantasy points.

PG - Langston Galloway, New York Knicks (at IND), $4,800: Playing 30 or more minutes in all five of his starts, Galloway has scored at least 20 fantasy points in all five of those games. Based on average production of 29.16 fantasy points per game as a starter, he's priced at 6.08 times his bargain-basement salary. During that five-game span, he has averaged 15.2 points, 2.0 three's, 5.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Especially if Carmelo Anthony sits on the second night of a back-to-back, Galloway may need to shoulder more of the scoring load.

PG - Beno Udrih, Memphis Grizzlies (vs. DEN), $4,200: If Mike Conley (wrist) misses another game (and he's considered to be a game-time decision), then Udrih is a strong value play even though Nick Calathes was more productive in their last game. Unfortunately, the Grizzlies pay at 8 PM so it's possible that we won't know Conley's status prior to the 7 p.m. lineup lock. That said, Udrih has played at least 20 minutes in five of his past seven games and has at least 21 fantasy points in four of those five 20-minute games.

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SG - Arron Afflalo, Denver Nuggets (at MEM), $5,900: Afflalo has scored more than 20 fantasy points in 13 of his past 14 games and has averaged 26.62 during that 14-game span. The Grizzlies have one of the league's best defenses and play at the fifth-slowest pace in the league, but Afflalo has a high floor and scored 28.2 fantasy points in his first matchup against the Grizz.

SG - Jordan Clarkson, Los Angeles Lakers (vs. CHI), $3,700: Clarkson is nearly a must-start for me tonight. Not only is he starting at point guard and only $200 above the minimum salary, but the combo guard is listed at shooting guard on FanDuel (unlike DraftKings, PG). Plus, we have to start two SGs on FanDuel. In his third consecutive start on Tuesday, Clarkson played more than 36 minutes, scored 18 (real) points and 27.1 fantasy points, all of which were highs this season. He has scored at least 19.6 fantasy points in two of his three starts and he just needs to score 18.5 fantasy points to reach 5x value.

SF - Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks (at ORL), $5,500: Compared to other positions, small forward leaves a lot to be desired tonight. Having to start two of them exacerbates the issue. That said, Middleton has scored at least 20 fantasy points in 11 of 13 games and he has averaged nearly 30 fantasy points (29.83) over his past three.

SF - Lance Thomas, New York Knicks (at IND), $4,000: With or without Carmelo Anthony in the lineup, Thomas has been productive in his past three games. The game during that span that Melo missed, however, Thomas played 41 minutes compared to 25 minutes in the other two games. That said, he has scored at least 21.5 fantasy points in all three games with an average of 26.8. If Melo sits, Thomas becomes an especially attractive value play at small forward.

PF - David West, Indiana Pacers (vs. NYK), $6,500: Although he rarely hits 40-plus fantasy points, West is remarkably consistent and priced below the average starting salary ($6,667). In his past 25 games, West has scored less than 20 fantasy points only twice and those two games were 19.6 and 18.7 points, respectively. During that same 25-game span, he's averaging 28.52 FPPG and has averaged a line of 13.12/7.28/3.56 with 1.0 steals and 0.8 blocks per game as well.

PF - Jason Smith, New York Knicks (at IND), $4,200: Smith had his first double-double of the season last night with 11 points and 11 rebounds while adding six assists and a steal. He has now played 32-plus minutes in five consecutive games. Smith has scored at least 30 fantasy points in two of his past three games and at least 24 fantasy points in four of his past five games.

C - Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls (at LAL), $6,500: Like West, I like Noah a little more on FanDuel than DraftKings. In both cases, they are priced slightly higher than the average salary on DraftKings but slightly less than the average salary on FanDuel. It was good to see Noah get his first double-double in 11 games and blow up for 47 points in his last game. While repeat numbers (18/15 with six assists and two steals) shouldn't be expected for tonight's game, it's excellent that he feels as good as he has all season and has an exploitable matchup against the Lakers tonight.

More of our content:

• ROS Fantasy Basketball Rankings
• 2015 NBA Mock Draft
• 2015 NFL Mock Draft

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Fantasy NBA DraftKings DFS Values (Jan. 29)

Salaries are fairly low at the top tonight as only six players, four of which are bigs (PF/C), are priced at $8,000 or more, which includes brothers Pau Gasol ($9,300) and Marc Gasol ($8,000).

Both Gasol brothers have great matchups -- Pau vs. LAL and Marc vs. DEN -- and stacking them will be a popular strategy tonight. Marc's teammate Zach Randolph ($8,200) is a strong play as well as the Nuggets allow the second-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards and Z-Bo has 10 consecutive double-doubles.

If you load up on high(er)-priced bigs, the good news is there is plenty of value at guard tonight to allow you do so.

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

PG - Elfrid Payton, Orlando Magic (vs. MIL), $5,600: With impressive consistency for a rookie point guard, Payton scored an eight-game low of 26.5 fantasy points against the Grizzlies on Monday. Over that stretch, Payton has averaged 13.13 points, 8.0 assists and 2.13 steals per game. Although the Bucks have held opposing point guards to the fewest fantasy points this season, Payton does a number of different things to generate fantasy points.

PG - Langston Galloway, New York Knicks (at IND), $4,300: Playing 30 or more minutes in all five of his starts, Galloway has scored at least 32 fantasy points in four of those five games. Based on average production of 30.95 fantasy points per game as a starter, he's priced at 7.2 times his bargain-basement salary. During that five-game span, he has averaged 15.2 points, 2.0 three's, 5.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game. If Carmelo Anthony rests on the second night of their back-to-back, Galloway may need to shoulder more of the scoring load.

PG - Jordan Clarkson, Los Angeles Lakers (vs. CHI), $3,800: Starting his third consecutive game at the point on Tuesday, Clarkson played more than 36 minutes, scored 18 (real) points and 28.25 fantasy points, all of which were highs this season. He has exceeded 20 fantasy points in two of his three starts and he just needs to score 19.0 fantasy points to reach 5x value.

PG - Beno Udrih, Memphis Grizzlies (vs. DEN), $3,200: If Mike Conley (wrist) misses another game, then Udrih is a strong value play even though Nick Calathes was more productive in their last game. That said, Udrih has played at least 20 minutes in five of his past seven games and has at least 22 fantasy points in four of those five games with 20-plus minutes.

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SG - Arron Afflalo, Denver Nuggets (at MEM), $6,100: Afflalo has scored at least 22.5 fantasy points in 13 of his past 14 games and has averaged 28.7 during that 14-game span. The Grizzlies have one of the league's best defenses and play at the fifth-slowest pace, but Afflalo has a high floor and scored 29.75 fantasy points in his first matchup against the Grizz.

SG - Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (at ORL), $5,400: The allotment of minutes by Jason Kidd is as difficult to predict as the allocation of workloads to running backs by Bill Belichick, but the Greek Freak has seen 33-plus minutes in five of his past six games. During that span, he has averaged 25.67 fantasy points per game -- or slightly less than 5x his salary (4.75). With his all-around statistical contributions, The Alphabet has upside for 35-40 points (and would be 1 and 2 in the player nickname rankings tonight).

SG - O.J. Mayo, Milwaukee Bucks (at ORL), $4,400: With limited upside as a bench player getting less than 30 minutes per night, Mayo has still been consistent with at least 21.5 fantasy points in nine consecutive games and an average of 25.97 during that stretch. Mayo needs just 22.0 fantasy points to reach 5x value.

SF - Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks (at ORL), $5,200: On nights with a large slate of games, I typically avoid the Bucks with the possible exception of Brandon Knight. On a night with four games, I'm more willing to roll with some Bucks in my lineups. That said, Middleton has scored at least 25 fantasy points in three consecutive games and in six of his past nine. Based on the options throughout the price scale tonight, small forward is my least favorite position, which means that Middleton will likely be my most-owned Buck tonight.

PF - David West, Indiana Pacers (vs. NYK), $6,300: Perhaps one of the least exciting options in daily fantasy basketball, West is consistently productive, which is exciting in its own way. In his past 25 games, West has scored less than 20 fantasy points only once and that one game was 19.5 points. During that same 25-game span, he's averaging 30.18 FPPG and has averaged a line of 13.12/7.28/3.56 with 1.0 steals and 0.8 blocks per game as well.

PF - Jason Smith, New York Knicks (at IND), $3,900: Smith had his first double-double of the season last night with 11 points and 11 rebounds while adding six assists and a steal. Smith has played 32-plus minutes in five consecutive games and he has scored at least 25.5 fantasy points in four of those games.

C - Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls (at LAL), $6,300: Although we shouldn't expect another 50 fantasy points, Noah had an 18/15 double-double with six assists and two steals in Tuesday's overtime win at Golden State. Noah has recently mentioned that he feels as healthy as he has felt all season and he should easily reach value in an exploitable matchup against the Lakers.

C - Zaza Pachulia, Milwaukee Bucks (at ORL), $4,600: If Ersan Ilyasova (groin) misses tonight's game, Pachulia may get a bump in minutes. (Pachulia has played roughly two minutes less over his past six games with Ilyasova in the lineup than he had in the previous 10 games without him.) Either way, he has a favorable matchup against the Magic, who have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing centers. Over his past 16 games, Pachulia is averaging 27.86 fantasy points, which is 6.06 times tonight's salary.

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Daily Fantasy Basketball: FanDuel Values for March 17th

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, Thunder SF Kevin Durant ($11,800) 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 17th) FanDuel leagues:

PG - George Hill, Indiana Pacers (vs. PHI), $5,100: For the second time in three games, Hill will face the 76ers, who have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season. On the 14th against the Sixers, Hill finished with 14 points, nine assists, six rebounds and two steals for 35.7 fantasy points.

PG - Shaun Livingston, Brooklyn Nets (vs. PHO), $4,300: Livingston has scored 20-plus fantasy points in four consecutive games. The Suns have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season.

PG - Phil Pressey, Boston Celtics (at DAL), $3,500: With Rajon Rondo not ready to play back-to-backs, Rondo will sit tonight after playing yesterday. That means, Pressey should get another start. In his last start (Mar. 12th vs. NYK), Pressey had 21.5 fantasy points (nine points, five assists and five rebounds).

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SG - Gary Neal, Charlotte Bobcats (vs. ATL), $3,900: In three consecutive games played, Neal has scored at least 18 points and more than 21 fantasy points. The Hawks have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season.

SG - Willie Green, Los Angeles Clippers (at DEN), $3,600: If Darren Collison and Jamal Crawford both sit tonight, Green could be a sneaky start. With both out last night, Green played 36 minutes and scored 16.8 fantasy points. He has scored in double digits in three consecutive games and the Nuggets have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards.

SF - Matt Barnes, Los Angeles Clippers (at DEN), $5,600: In seven of his past eight games, Barnes has scored more than 20 fantasy points and he has a nice matchup on Monday. The Nuggets have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards this season.

SF - Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Charlotte Bobcats (vs. ATL), $3,900: Kidd-Gilchrist had a three-game low of 18.3 fantasy points yesterday, but he had scored 24-plus fantasy points in his previous two games. MKG has played at least 25 minutes in three straight games. The Hawks have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards.

PF - Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets (vs. LAC), $7,200: In nine games this month, The Manimal has averaged 37.34 fantasy points per game and has scored at least 29.6 fantasy points in eight of those games. Faried is averaging 21.89 points, 9.78 boards and a steal per game this month. The Clips have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards.

PF - David West, Indiana Pacers (vs. PHI), $6,800: Like Hill, West gets his second Philly matchup in three games. In their first matchup, West had 31.9 fantasy points and he has averaged 32.83 fantasy points per game over his past three.

PF - Derrick Favors, Utah Jazz (at HOU), $6,200: Against the Spurs yesterday, Favors had a double-double (career-high 28 points, 10 rebounds), three steals and scored 47.5 fantasy points. Favors has now scored at least 25 fantasy points in five consecutive games. The Rockets have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season.

PF - Kris Humphries, Boston Celtics (at DAL), $5,000: Over his past five games, Humphries has scored a minimum of 26 fantasy points in each game and has two games with 42-plus fantasy points including yesterday's game. With three double-doubles in that span, he has averaged 15.4 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

PF - Josh McRoberts, Charlotte Bobcats (vs. ATL), $4,900: Like Humphries, McBob was on yesterday's list and he scored 25.2 fantasy points against the Bucks with nine points, six boards and six assists. He has now scored 20-plus fantasy points in four straight games and in six of his past seven. The Hawks have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season.

C - J.J. Hickson, Denver Nuggets (vs. LAC), $5,500: Over his past three games, Hickson has averaged 14.0 points, 9.33 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. The Clippers have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to centers this season.

C - Roy Hibbert, Indiana Pacers (vs. PHI), $5,000: Tonight's matchup is great and Hibbert is worth consideration due to it. That said,Hibbert had only four points and three rebounds against the Sixers on Friday, but he blocked five shots. In his past five games, Hibbert has scored 18.0 to 23.8 fantasy points.

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Daily Fantasy Basketball: FanDuel Values for March 14th

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 Friday's games, Timberwolves ($11,800) 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 Friday (March 14th) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs (vs. LAL), $6,600: Despite the favorable matchup against the Blazers, Parker had a disappointing performance on Wednesday with only 17.3 fantasy points (nine points, five assists, four rebounds and four turnovers). In his previous two games, Parker had 35-plus fantasy points and gets another favorable matchup against the Lakers to redeem himself. Only the Sixers and Cavs have allowed more fantasy points to opposing point guards.

PG - George Hill, Indiana Pacers (at PHI), $4,800: In his past two games, Hill has averaged 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Tonight, Hill and the Pacers face the Sixers and Hill has a great opportunity to exceed the 29.05 fantasy points he's averaged in those two games.

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SG - Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs (vs. LAL), $4,800: Even though he played only 18 minutes on Wednesday, Ginobili scored 27.2 fantasy points and he now has at least 24.9 fantasy points in three consecutive games. The Lakers allow more fantasy points to opposing shooting guards than any other team in the league.

SG - Austin Rivers, New Orleans Pelicans (vs. POR), $3,700: Rivers has seen 26-plus minutes in back-to-back games and he has produced with at least 24.9 fantasy points in each game. In those two games, he has avergaed 13.5 points,7.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

SF - Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs (vs. LAL), $6,400: The theme continues as another Spur with a fantasy-friendly matchup vs. the Lakers makes this list. In his eight games since returning from injury, Leonard has scored more than 25 fantasy points in all eight games played. During that stretch, Leonard has averaged 14.63 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.38 steals and 1.5 blocked shots.

SF - Ryan Kelly, Los Angeles Lakers (at SAS), $4,500: Kelly continued his hot streak last night with 28.8 fantasy points against the Thunder. During a three-game stretch, he has averaged 35.5 fantasy points per game. Even though the Spurs are tough against small forwards, he's still worth consideration here due to his modest salary and (recently) immodest production.

SF - Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors (vs. CLE): Green has a much more favorable matchup than Kelly as the Cavs have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards. Green does a bit of everything and he has scored more than 20 fantasy points in five of his past six games.

PF - David West, Indiana Pacers (at PHI), $6,700: At roughly the average cost of a nine-man FanDuel starting lineup, West is an above-average option. Over his past 10 games, West has averaged 31.94 fantasy points per game. The Sixers have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards.

PF - Amir Johnson, Toronto Raptors (vs. MEM), $5,200: With Patrick Patterson out, Johnson should be in line for another productive outing at his modest cost. Johnson has scored 36.0 and 37.3 fantasy points in his two most recent games and has averaged 18.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 2.0 steals per game.

PF - Thomas Robinson, Portland Trail Blazers (at NOP), $4700: With LaMarcus Aldridge (back) out for tonight's game, Robinson should see an increase in minutes against the Pelicans. As we saw with a game last month, Robinson showed his potential for a monster game (14 points, 18 rebounds and two blocks in 33 minutes vs. MIN). If Robinson gets 20-plus minutes vs. the Pelicans, who have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards, Robinson could deliver for DFSers.

PF - Drew Gooden, Washington Wizards (at ORL), $3,500: In his past four games, Gooden has played only 17 to 19 minutes per night, but he has averaged nearly 20 fantasy points (19.83) per game. The Magic have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season.

C - Miles Plumlee, Phoenix Suns (at BOS), $4,100: Plumlee has averaged 26 minutes and 24.65 fantasy points in his past two games. In those two games, he has averaged nearly a double-double (10.5 points and 9.5 rebounds) and a block per game.

C - Henry Sims, Philadelphia 76ers (vs. IND), $3,900: Of course, Sims is not going to give fantasy owners 20 points, 10 boards, three assists, three steals and two blocks every night like he did on Wednesday against the Kings. That said, Sims has played 20-plus minutes in eight consecutive games and has scored at least 20 fantasy points in three of his past five games.

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Daily Fantasy Basketball (Feb. 27th): 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 Thursday's games, Heat SF LeBron James ($11,400) 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 Thursday (Feb. 27th) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Aaron Brooks, Denver Nuggets (vs. BKN), $4,200: With only a four-game slate tonight, there aren't a ton of bargains and that is especially true with point guards. If Ty Lawson (ribs) misses another game, and it's possible he returns tonight, I'd consider Brooks as the Nets have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing point guards over the past 15 days.

* Note: The Nuggets tip off late (10:30 PM ET), which means Lawson's status may not be known by the contest start time (7:00 PM).

SG - Marcus Thornton, Brooklyn Nets (at DEN), $3,600: After missing a couple of games with food poisoning, Thornton made his debut with the Nets and played 27 minutes scoring only nine points with two rebounds and one assist. Thornton and the Nets' shooting guards have a nice matchup against the Nuggets, who have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to the position over the past 15 days.

SG - O.J. Mayo, Milwaukee Bucks (at IND), $3,900: While he doesn't have a great matchup against the league's best overall defensive team, Mayo is coming off a 25-point performance (31.7 fantasy points) in 35 minutes against the 76ers on Monday. He had played only 23 and 17 minutes, respectively, in his previous two games.

SG - Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (at IND), $4,400: Not a great matchup, as I noted with Mayo, but the rookie from Greece has 29-plus fantasy points in three of his past four games. Of course, the lone exception was the matchup against the Pacers (17.7 fantasy points).

SF - Jeff Adrien, Milwaukee Bucks (at IND), $3,700: Not that you should load up on Bucks, but Adrien has a salary barely above the game minimum and has posted back-to-back games with double-digit boards. In each of of those games, he has posted 22-plus fantasy points.

PF - David West, Indiana Pacers (vs. MIL), $6,800: Considering that only Carmelo Anthony ($10,800) has a higher salary at the position, West is not necessarily a bargain but his salary is only slightly above the starter average ($6,667). West has had strong outings in back-to-back games including 30 points, seven boards and five assists against the Bucks on Saturday. In the past two games, he has averaged 42.4 fantasy points.

PF - Amir Johnson, Toronto Raptors (vs. WAS), $4,900: Consistent but not spectacular in his past five games, Johnson has scored a minimum of 22.2 points in each of those games. Tonight, Johnson and the Raptors face a Wizards' front court that will be without Nene Hilario and possibly Kevin Seraphin.

C - Marcin Gortat, Washington Wizards (at TOR), $6,700: Miami's Chris Bosh is the most expensive center tonight at $7,300. As productive as Bosh has been over his past three games (24.67 PPG, 40.53 Fantasy PPG), Bosh and the Heat face the Knicks, who have defended the position well.

The Polish Hammer is slightly less expensive option and he's been productive and consistent (five consecutive double-doubles). During that five-game stretch, Gortat has averaged 16. 4 points and 11.2 rebounds per game and he has scored in a minimum of 30.9 fantasy points each game. Over the past 15 days, the Raptors have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing centers.

C - Timofey Mozgov, Denver Nuggets (vs. BKN), $4,300: If at first you don't succeed ... Getting the start against the Blazers, Mozgov had a decent line (14 points, six boards, two blocks and an assist) while J.J. Hickson, who went to the bench, blew up with a 16/25 night. That said, I wouldn't bank on Hickson having another monster night off the bench and I think Mozgov has a better night this time around. (Hickson's salary is $5,900, fourth-most at center tonight.)

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Consensus NBA Power Rankings, Week 14

Now that we are at the midway point of the 2013-14 NBA season, we asked our power rankers for a midseason pick to win it all.

Here are their responses:

John Trifone: Miami Heat

At the midway point of the season, it's tough to pick any team to come out of the West. Teams like Memphis, Denver, and Minnesota, who would be vying for the three seed in the East, are currently on the outside looking in. If I had to pick right now, I would take Oklahoma City to come out of the West, although San Antonio, Portland, and Golden State are not too far behind. The Clippers and Rockets also certainly have a shot, but I think they are just a bit more of an underdog to do so.

The East is much easier, at least, to get down to two. It's pretty clear that barring a major upset, it's going to be Miami and Indiana in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Indiana has been the most impressive team in the NBA all year, but I'm still going to take them to fall short again this year to the Heat. Miami knows what they're doing, and they don't need to prove that they can win 70 games in the regular season. They can comfortably rest players whenever needed, and can still lock up the two seed without much of a problem. That means that they will have to be able to beat the Pacers in Indiana this summer, but they know that they can win on the road.

This might be the year that Indiana knocks off the two-time champs, but I believe that the Heat are still too strong, and will manage the team the way they need to in order to be playing their best ball when it matters most.

In a matchup of the NBA Finals two years ago, I like the Heat to come out on top once again. Although KD is having an MVP season, and will likely bring home that hardware, I expect LeBron James to take home another ring. Miami won their previous Finals matchup in five games, and although this one may be more competitive, I like the Heat to win in six games.

Kevin Hanson: Indiana Pacers

While winning the regular season may not be as high on the list of other contending teams, the Pacers clearly want the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs — and that makes sense. After all, the Heat have advanced to the Finals in the past three seasons and have won it all two years in a row. In addition, the Pacers were one game away, which was ultimately a loss in Miami, from getting to the NBA Finals.

The Pacers lead the NBA in scoring defense (90.2 points allowed per game) and have held their opponents to a league-low 41.3 percent from the field. Only the Thunder have a better rebounding differential than the Pacers.

Although LeBron James is still the best player on the planet, Paul George is one of the league's best defenders — and best all-around players, for that matter — to help contain LeBron. With Dwyane Wade (knee) not the same as he was several years ago, I think the Pacers get over the hump this year with a Game 7 win in Indy.

The Western Conference is much deeper and it seems that any team could emerge, but I think the Pacers will face the Thunder in the NBA Finals. However, the Pacers will win it all in six games.

Sean Beazley: Oklahoma City Thunder

I like Oklahoma City to beat Miami in 5.

I love OKC's supporting cast this year. Reggie Jackson has been playing great with Russell Westbrook out with injury, and Jeremy Lamb has been knocking down shots from outside. Their interior defense is very good with Serge Ibaka. And Kevin Durant has taken this team on his back the past couple of weeks and I think he will continue to do so even when Westbrook is back in the lineup.

The Heat are good enough to make it to the finals in the East, but I don't think their Big 3 is as dominant as in years past, and I think this is one of the reasons why King James leaves Miami at the end of his current deal.

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Dan Yanotchko: Indiana Pacers

I think this year will see a new NBA champion crowned, and it will go to the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers certainly have one of the best rosters in the league, led by their trio of Roy Hibbert, Paul George, and David West. The Pacers have the best lockdown defense in the game, and they lead the league in only allowing 90.2 points per game. The Pacers have the best depth, the defense, and they will have learned lessons from losing to Miami in the playoffs the last two years.

- See our full 2013-14 NBA Power Rankings for Week 14 here

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NBA Consensus Power Rankings, Week 13

Once again, the Indiana Pacers are atop our NBA consensus power rankings as we head into a new week.

With the league's best record (32-7), the Pacers have done it more so with defense than they have with offense. Currently, the Pacers rank 20th in the league in scoring offense, but they rank first in the league in team defense (88.2 points per game allowed) in scoring differential (+9.9 PPG).

In case you missed it, their (underrated) superstar Paul George took a steal in last night's win and turned it into a dunk worthy of a 50 in a slam dunk contest.

Here's the dunk:



George is currently averaging 23.2 points, 2.5 three's, 6.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game.

In addition to George, the Pacers have four other players averaging in double digits: Lance Stephenson (13.9), David West (12.3), Roy Hibbert (12.2) and George Hill (10.4).

- See our full 2013-14 NBA Power Rankings for Week 13 here

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2013-14 NBA Power Rankings, Week 3

The Indiana Pacers have continued their hot start and are now the sole remaining unbeaten team this season.

Therefore, it's shouldn't be much of a surprise that they are the No. 1 team in our Week 3 Consensus NBA Power Rankings.

Just as impressive as winning their first seven games to open the season, the Pacers had to win four of those games during a five-day stretch.

After their run in the postseason last year, the goal is obviously not to "win" the regular season.  One of the things that will certainly help prolong their playoff run in 2014, however, would be to host more home games.

The Pacers won eight of nine of their home playoff games last year and having home-court advantage in each series could potentially help them go deeper in the playoffs this season.

That said, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat are still the team to beat as two-time defending champions, but the Pacers are arguably the most complete team in the league.

Pacers small forward Paul George is one of the most complete players in the league.  George is currently averaging 25.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game.  In addition, he's shooting 42.9 percent from behind the arc and 84.8 percent from the line.

With George, Roy Hibbert and David West plus Luis Scola off the bench, the Pacers also have one of the league's best front courts.  Hibbert currently ranks second in the NBA in blocks (4.29 per game).

Although the Pacers rank in the bottom 10 in the league in scoring offense (94.9 points per game), they will soon get back Danny Granger from his strained calf.  With a career average of 18.1 points per game and as much as 25.8 PPG (2008-09), Granger will help the team's offense when he returns.

That said, the Pacers are holding teams to just 85.3 points per game, which leads the NBA by a wide margin.  The Bulls and Spurs rank second at 93.0 PPG allowed.  In addition, their opponents are only shooting 38.9 percent from the field, which is an NBA low as well.

The Pacers will host the Grizzlies and Bucks on Nov. 11 and 15, respectively, as they look to extend their winning streak.

- View our full 2013-14 NBA Consensus Power Rankings heading into Week 3

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Eastern Conference Finals Prediction: Heat vs. Pacers (Trifone)

The Miami Heat are playing as well as anybody right now, and were able to close out the Bulls in four consecutive games, after Chicago's Game 1 upset.  Dwyane Wade has been awful for the most part, although he came on and had a few key plays in the close-out game of the Semi-Final round.  Chris Bosh has picked up the slack , and Norris Cole, among others, has also been a big contributor.

The Pacers fell off everyone's radar, closing the regular season in very mediocre fashion.  They came to play in the playoffs, though, and were clearly the better team against the Knicks.  Paul George and Roy Hibbert have been key factors in Indiana's success, but I think David West may be the toughest matchup in the upcoming series against Miami.

Indiana can, and likely will, win the rebounding matchup, but I don't think they're going to have enough to win the series.

LeBron James had a tough series against Chicago, a team that usually gives him some trouble.  Still, he managed to put up solid numbers, and put his team in a position to win each game.  I expect LeBron to be great in the Conference Finals, and Miami to advance to the NBA Finals in a series that is not as interesting as the Spurs/Grizzlies (see my prediction for that series here).  The Pacers are a tough team, but they're not on the same level as the Heat.  I like Miami in five.

Series Prediction: Heat in 5 Games

[Note: This post is from John Trifone.  See his other basketball posts here and/or follow him on Twitter @JohnnyT0122.]