Daily Fantasy Basketball: FanDuel Values for March 13th

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, 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 Thursday (March 13th) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder (vs. LAL), $8,700: While I've never before listed a player with a salary greater than $7,500 in this post, Westbrook will be the exception as he's a must-start against the Lakers, especially considering there are only three games on tonight's NBA slate. In his past seven games, Westbrook has 34.9-plus fantasy points and he has averaged 48.0 fantasy points in his past four games, which includes a triple-double in just 20 minutes against the Sixers. The Lakers have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season.

PG - D.J. Augustin, Chicago Bulls (vs. HOU), $5,800: In his past six games, Augustin has scored 22-plus points four times including in his previous two games. During that six-game stretch, he has averaged 20.83 points, 3.17 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game.

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SG - Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls (vs. HOU), $6,700: Only James Harden ($10,000) has a higher price at shooting guard, but the gap is enormous. In his eight games since returning from injury, Butler has scored 30 or more fantasy points six times. During that span, he is averaging 16.5 points, 6.13 rebounds, 2.38 assists and 2.38 steals in more than 42 minutes per game. The Rockets have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season.

SG - Jodie Meeks, Los Angeles Lakers (at OKC), $5,800: While I don't expect a repeat of his 42-point performance (49.4 fantasy points) when these two teams met on March 9th, Meeks is one of the league's best shooters and you know he will get his minutes. With Mike D'Antoni pulling the strings, there is no guarantee for others. For example, Kent Bazemore ($4,900) has played 32, 16 and 20 minutes in his past three games.

SG - Kyle Korver, Atlanta Hawks (vs. MIL), $5,000: With strong outings in back-to-back games, Korver has averaged 21.5 points, 3.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals in his past two games. In those two games, he has had 32.8 and 32.9 fantasy points, respectively.

SF - DeMarre Carroll, Atlanta Hawks (vs. MIL), $5,800: In his past eight games, Carroll has scored a minimum of 19.2 fantasy points in each game while averaging 25.49 FPPG. During that stretch, he has averaged 14.88 points, 5.25 rebounds and 1.25 steals per game. Carroll gets a favorable matchup tonight as the Bucks have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards this season.

SF - Ryan Kelly, Los Angeles Lakers (at OKC), $4,500: After losing his starting gig and seeing a huge reduction in minutes, Kelly has played 33-plus minutes in back-to-back games. In those two games, he has scored 41.7 and 36.0 fantasy points, respectively. Against OKC on the 9th, Kelly played 37 minutes and scored 12 points while adding eight assists, five rebounds, two blocks and a steal. In most of my FanDuel contests tonight, it will be a Durant-Kelly duo at SF for me.

PF - Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City Thunder (vs. LAL), $8,200: Like Durant and Westbrook, it would be extremely hard (i.e., foolish) to sit Ibaka. No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing power forwards and Ibaka abused the Lakers for 48.5 fantasy points (21 points, 15 boards, two blocks and two steals) in their previous matchup on Sunday.

PF - John Henson, Milwaukee Bucks (at ATL), $4,900: Provided Ersan Ilyasova (ankle) misses more time, Henson's fantasy value increases (in theory). Henson has 19.2 or more fantasy points in four consecutive games. With back-to-back games of 30-plus minutes, Henson has scored exactly 10 points with eight rebounds in each game after 12/6 in his previous two games with fewer minutes.

C - Pero Antic, Atlanta Hawks (vs. MIL), $4,300: If you don't start a stud like Joakim Noah, Antic is a cheap option to consider. Not only has he been productive in his past two games (22.1-plus fantasy points in each game), but he has a favorable matchup tonight. Only the Lakers and Sixers have allowed more fantasy points to opposing centers than the Bucks have this season.

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Daily Fantasy Basketball (March 2nd): DraftKings Bargains

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 Sunday's games, Thunder SF/PF Kevin Durant ($11,300) 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 Sunday (March 2nd) DraftKings leagues:

PG/SG - Victor Oladipo, Orlando Magic (vs. PHI), $6,900: With eligibility at either guard spot in DraftKings leagues, Oladipo is only the 10th-highest priced point guard-eligible player. Despite an off game against the Heat last night, Oladipo racked up 40.25 fantasy points against the Sixers on Wednesday with 17 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block.

PG - Jose Calderon, Dallas Mavericks (at SAS), $5,600: Over his past five games, Calderon has averaged 12.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game. Although Tony Parker is expected back today, the Spurs have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season.

PG - Tony Wroten, Philadelphia 76ers (at ORL), $4,700: Wroten has gone to the free-throw line at least nine times in three of his past four games. During that four-game stretch, Wroten has scored 18.5 points and averaged 28.0 fantasy points per game in DraftKings formats.

PG/SG - Reggie Jackson, Oklahoma City Thunder (vs. CHA), $5,100: With Thabo Sefalosha (calf) out on Sunday, Jackson should see an uptick in minutes. Sefalosha left Friday's game early and Jackson played 34 minutes. Especially so in FanDuel leagues, where his salary ($7,400) is $900 less than what it is in DraftKings' contests ($8,300), I really like Russell Westbrook today. That said, I could see the potential of Westbrook playing less than his normal amount of minutes in what could turn out to be a blowout against the Bobcats as well. Based on odds from Sportsbook.com, the Thunder are nearly double-digit favorites over the Bobcats.

SG/SF - Mike Dunleavy, Chicago Bulls (vs. NYK), $5,300: Over his past three games, Dunleavy has averaged 35.8 fantasy points per game. During that stretch, he has averaged 17.67 points, 6.67 boards, 3.67 assists and 1.0 steal per game.

SG/SF - Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs (vs. DAL), $5,200: Especially due to his defensive stats, Leonard has had two productive outings in a row since missing 14 straight games. With 36.0 and 33.0 fantasy points against the Pistons and Bobcats, respectively, Leonard had a total of five steals and four blocks in those two games in addition to 27 points, 14 rebounds and five assists.

SG/SF - James Anderson, Philadelphia 76ers (at ORL), $4,400: Only five teams have allowed more fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season than the Magic. Anderson has at least 25 fantasy points in two of his past three games.

SF - Maurice Harkless, Orlando Magic (vs. PHI), $3,600: With 30-something minutes per night over his past three outings, Harkless has been relatively productive with a minimum of 23.75 fantasy points during that stretch. With the 76ers coming to town today, Harkless may improve upon those numbers (although that low of 23.75 fantasy points was against Philly on Wednesday).

SF/PF - DeMarre Carroll, Atlanta Hawks (at PHO), $5,100: In his past three games, Carroll has played 34-plus minutes per game and has knocked down nine of 18 three-point attempts. Carroll has 37-plus fantasy points in two of those three games.

PF/C - Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic (vs. PHI), $7,800: Vucevic played only 23 minutes last night, but he finished with his third consecutive double-double (18 points, 10 rebounds). During that span, he has averaged 43.08 fantasy points per game that included 49.75 against the Sixers on Wednesday. Vucevic has now scored at least 33 fantasy points in eight of his past nine games.

PF/C - Elton Brand, Atlanta Hawks (at PHO), $5,200: With Paul Millsap out again on Sunday, the good times may continue to roll for Brand. Brand has at least 34.25 fantasy points in back-to-back games and he has averaged 8.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 3.5 blocks and 1.5 steals in those two games.

PF/C - Kyle O'Quinn, Orlando Magic (vs. PHI), $4,100: Despite playing only 22 minutes last night, O'Quinn also had a double-double (14 points, 15 rebounds) against the Heat. In fact, he hasn't played more than 24 minutes in any of his past four games, but he has scored 24-plus fantasy points in three of those games. In his past four games, he is averaging 9.0 points, 8.25 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.25 blocks and 1.0 steals per game.

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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.

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire (February 23rd Update)

With roughly two months left in the regular season, now is the time to make your push in your fantasy league(s).

Here are some players to consider adding and all are available in at least 50 percent of Yahoo! leagues:

PG - D.J. Augustin, Chicago Bulls (48 percent): It was an ugly performance for Augustin on Sunday. In fact, it was the worst shooting performance of his career as he was an imperfect 0-for-10 from the field against the Heat. Previously, his career-worst was an 0-for-8 performance.

In his previous two games, however, Augustin was 9-of-12 from behind the arc. And in 18 games from Jan. 15th to Feb. 21st, Augustin averaged 2.94 three-pointers per game and connected on 51.46 percent of his 103 treys attempted during that stretch. During that span, he has averaged 17.39 points, 5.06 assists and nearly a steal (0.94) per game.

PG - Patty Mills, San Antonio Spurs (31 percent): Over his past eight games, Mills has scored 16 or more points six times and he has averaged 18.88 points per game during that span. Mills has also averaged two treys and one steal per game while adding 3.88 rebounds and 2.38 assists per game.

PG/SG - Alec Burks, Utah Jazz (27 percent): Over his past 18 games, Burks has scored in double digits in 15 games and has averaged 16.6 points during that stretch. Averaging more than seven free-throw attempts per game over the stretch, he has been especially aggressive over the past five games with an average of 10.4 FTA per game.

PG/SG - Patrick Beverley, Houston Rockets (21 percent): Although he is not a big scorer, Beverley has averaged nearly two three-pointers (1.88) per game over his past eight games played. In addition, Beverley has also averaged two steals, 4.38 rebounds and 4.13 assists per game during that span.

PG/SG - Lou Williams, Atlanta Hawks (21 percent): In his past two games, Williams has averaged 14.5 points, 7.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. In addition, he has made six three-pointers as well.

PG/SG - Brian Roberts, New Orleans Pelicans (20 percent): Until Jrue Holiday returns, Roberts will continue to get the start at point guard. In his past eight games, Roberts has averaged 14.88 points, 4.88 assists, 1.5 three-pointers and 1.63 steals per game.

SG - Jodie Meeks, Los Angeles Lakers (50 percent): Back from injury, Meeks has connected only 4-of-14 three-point attempts over his past two games, but he has scored 17.5 points per game in those two games. Meeks is one of the league's better three-point shooters.

SG - Tim Hardaway, Jr., New York Knicks (22 percent): Hardaway's primary fantasy value comes from scoring and more specifically his three-point shooting. Over his past four games, Hardaway has made 11 three-pointers and averaged more than 15 points per game. In addition, Hardaway Jr. has played at least 30 minutes in five consecutive games.

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SG/SF - Vince Carter, Dallas Mavericks (32 percent): In February, Carter is averaging 11.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Over the past six games, Carter has knocked down three three-pointers three times and averaged 1.43 steals per game over that span.

SG/SF - Mike Dunleavy, Chicago Bulls (25 percent): Over his past six games, Dunleavy has averaged 6.5 rebounds, 1.33 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. While his scoring has been down in general, he has scored double figures in three of his past four games.

SG/SF - P.J. Tucker, Phoenix Suns (22 percent): Although he had a disappointing performance on Friday (four points and five rebounds), Tucker had three double-doubles in his previous four games. Since January 8th, Tucker has averaged 10.05 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.

SG/SF - Kyle Singler, Detroit Pistons (11 percent): Scoring double figures in 10 of his past 12 games, Singler has averaged 11.92 points per game during that span. In addition, he is averaging 1.58 steals and 1.92 three-pointers per game during that stretch.

SG/SF - James Anderson, Philadelphia 76ers (10 percent): Anderson has played more than 30 minutes in three consecutive games and has eight three-pointers and seven steals in those three games.

SG/SF - Kent Bazemore, Los Angeles Lakers (four percent): In 33 minutes on Friday, Bazemore scored 15 points and added three rebounds, four assists, two steals and two treys. Bazemore will move into the starting lineup on Sunday.

SF/PF - DeMarre Carroll, Atlanta Hawks (35 percent): On Saturday, Carroll scored a career-high 24 points and hit four three-pointers. In addition, he added six rebounds and two steals in 34 minutes.

PF - Mike Scott, PF, Atlanta Hawks (six percent): In his past two games, Scott has scored 50 points on 20-of-30 shooting from the field and 8-of-11 from behind the arc. For as long as Paul Millsap (knee) is out, Scott should be a productive fantasy option even if he's not shooting 72 percent from three-point range.

PF/C - Josh McRoberts, Charlotte Bobcats (30 percent): Over his past six games, McRoberts has knocked down nearly half of his three-point attempts (14 of 29). During that span, he has averaged 11.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.67 assists.

PF/C - Markieff Morris, Phoenix Suns (42 percent): With the exception of a zero-point performance on Feb. 8th, Morris has scored in double digits in 16 of 17 games and is averaging 15.59 points and 5.88 rebounds per game during that stretch. In his past seven games, Morris is averaging more than a steal and block per game as well.

PF/C - Brandon Bass, Boston Celtics (41 percent): Bass has played at least 30 minutes in three consecutive games and he has scored in double figures in five consecutive games. In those five games, he is averaging 14.8 points and 6.2 rebounds.

For more assistance with waiver-wire decisions, check out my rest-of-season fantasy basketball rankings.

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