Daily Fantasy Basketball: FanDuel Values for March 16th

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 Sunday's games, Timberwolves PF Kevin Love and Thunder SF Kevin Durant ($11,800) have 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 Sunday (March 16th) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Darren Collison, Los Angeles Clippers (vs. CLE), $5,700: Even though Chris Paul ($9,400) has the highest salary among point guards today, you could argue that he is a "value" as well. Only the Sixers have allowed more fantasy points to opposing point guards this season. If Jamal Crawford returns from injury tonight, that subtracts a little of the value from Collison but he's worth consideration in Sunday FanDuel leagues.

PG - Trey Burke, Utah Jazz (at SAS), $5,600: In his past three games, Burke has played 35-plus minutes and scored 25-plus fantasy points in each game. During that three-game span, he has averaged 20.33 points and 4.67 assists per game. The Spurs have allowed the 11th-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season.

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SG - Dion Waiters, Cleveland Cavaliers (at LAC), $5,200: Against the Warriors on Friday, Waiters scored 18 points in 31 minutes and added four assists for 25.2 fantasy points. This season, the Clippers have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards.

SG - Gary Neal, Charlotte Bobcats (at MIL), $3,800: On the other sides of sitting out a game for disciplinary actions, Neal has scored 19 points and added four assists on March 10th and March 14th. In his past two games played, Neal has averaged 26.9 fantasy points per game.

SF - Matt Barnes, Los Angeles Clippers (vs. CLE), $5,600: After averaging 38.77 fantasy points per game over a three-game stretch, Barnes has cooled off with an average of 22.13 FPPG over his past four. That said, Barnes has a very favorable matchup on Sunday. Only the Sixers and Lakers have allowed more fantasy points to opposing small forwards this season.

SF - Jeff Adrien, Milwaukee Bucks (vs. CHA), $4,600: This month, Adrien has a 43.0-point fantasy performance (March 7th) and a 0.2-point performance (March 10th). That said, his minutes and fantasy production has been more consistent over his past three games with 20.9-plus fantasy points in each of those games. During that span, he has averaged 11.33 points, 6.67 rebounds, a block and a steal per game.

SF - Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors (at POR), $4,400: Green has scored at least 20 fantasy points in three consecutive games and in six of his past seven games. In his past three games, Green is averaging 11.33 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.33 assists and 1.33 steals per game.

SF - Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Charlotte Bobcats (at MIL), $3,700: Kidd-Gilchrist has had productive outings in back-to-back games with 24.9 and 24.3 fantasy points, respectively. In those two games, he has averaged 10.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and a block per game. Today he faces the Bucks, who have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards.

PF - Amir Johnson, Toronto Raptors (vs. PHO), $5,700: Johnson is a lock for 20-something fantasy points, but he has scored 36-plus fantasy points in two of his past three games. Over his past three games, he has averaged 16.0 points, 7.33 boards, 1.67 blocks and 2.0 steals per game.

PF - Kris Humphries, Boston Celtics (at NOP), $4,900: Despite playing no more than 27 minutes, Humphries has scored at 26 fantasy points in four consecutive games and has two double-doubles in that span. The Pelicans have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season.

PF - Josh McRoberts, Charlotte Bobcats (at MIL), $4,900: McBob has scored 20-plus fantasy points in three consecutive games and in five of his past six. The Bucks have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season.

C - Spencer Hawes, Cleveland Cavaliers (at LAC), $6,700: At roughly the average cost per starter, Hawes is an above-average option on Sunday. Hawes is averaging 30.1 fantasy points this season, but he has at least 43 fantasy points in two of his past three games. During that three-game span, Hawes is averaging 20.67 points, 9.67 boards, 2.67 assists and 1.33 blocks per game. The Clips have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season.

C - Enes Kanter, Utah Jazz (at SAS), $5,800: Kanter, the third-overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, has failed to get the minutes that his fantasy owners have thought he deserved, but that has changed recently. In eight games this month, he has played 25-plus minutes seven times and a month-high 42 minutes on Friday. Kanter has four double-doubles this month including in three of his past four games.

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Daily Fantasy Basketball: DraftKings Values for March 10th

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 Monday's games, Heat SF/PF LeBron James ($10,600) 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 Monday (March 10th) DraftKings leagues:

PG/SG - Raymond Felton, New York Knicks (vs. PHI), $5,600: Felton's fantasy production has varied wildly with 43.75, 12.0 and 30.25 fantasy points in his past three games. With the Sixers coming to MSG, however, it's certainly possible that Felton has one of his better games. No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing point guards this season than the Sixers.

SG - Marcus Thornton, Brooklyn Nets (vs. TOR), $3,700: If you have started Thornton in your DraftKings leagues, it's been a hit-or-miss proposition. Here are his last five point totals: 29.0, 4.0, 31.0, 16.0 and 38.25, respectively. Coming off his best fantasy outing, Thornton scored 27 points and added three rebounds, two steals and an assist. Hopefully, he finally puts together solid back-to-back games tonight.

SG/SF - Joe Johnson, Brooklyn Nets (vs. TOR), $5,300: Nearly $1,000 cheaper than the average of a DraftKings starter, Johnson has been on a roll recently with three consecutive games of 32.5-plus fantasy points. During that three-game stretch, Johnson has averaged 20.0 points, 3.67 rebounds, 3.67 assists and 1.33 steals per game.

SG/SF - P.J. Tucker, Phoenix Suns (at LAC), $4,500: Tucker has scored at least 23.5 fantasy points in four consecutive games. Against the Clippers last Tuesday, Tucker had 18 points, 10 rebounds and two steals and scored 39.0 fantasy points.

SF - Matt Barnes, Los Angeles Clippers (vs. PHO), $5,400: Barnes is averaging nearly twice as many fantasy points per game in March (38.75) than his season average (19.817). Based on salary cost per average fantasy point produced this month, no player has a lower cost than Barnes (139.35) among active players tonight. In his four games this month, Barnes has averaged 19.0 poins, 3.5 treys, 7.0 rebounds, 3.25 assists and 1.75 steals per game.

SF - Maurice Harkless, Orlando Magic (at MIL), $4,600: Harkless has scored a minimum of 23.75 fantasy points in six consecutive games and he has at least 30.5 fantasy points in each of his past three games. Over his past six games, Harkless has averaged 14.33 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.83 steals and 1.16 blocks in 36.17 minutes per game.

SF/PF - Ersan Ilyasova, Milwaukee Bucks (vs. ORL), $5,200: Ilyasova was 13-for-14 from the field on March 3rd for 31 points, but he is a combined 10-for-27 for 33 points in his other three games played this month. That said, he has scored at least 26.5 fantasy points in three of the four games he has played this month. Among active PF-eligible players tonight with salaries below $7,000, only Tobias Harris (34.00 PPG, $6,700) has averaged more fantasy points per game this month than Ilyasova (29.06).

SF/PF - Jeff Adrien, Milwaukee Bucks (vs. ORL), $4,000: Based on his salary of $4,000 and average fantasy points (27.1) this month, Adrien's salary per average fantasy point produced is 147.6, which ranks second among all PF-eligible players tonight. (The next guy is first in that category among PF-eligible players.)

PF/C - Kyle O'Quinn, Orlando Magic (at MIL), $4,100: Even though he has played less than 20 minutes in three consecutive games, O'Quinn has scored 20-plus fantasy points in four consecutive games. Only two players active tonight have a lower salary cost per average fantasy point produced in March than O'Quinn. In his last game against the Bucks (Feb. 18th), O'Quinn didn't score in the game, but still managed to finish with 25.25 fantasy points in 21 minutes. The Bucks have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing centers.

C - Tyson Chandler, New York Knicks (vs. PHI), $6,500: While the Bucks have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing centers, the Sixers have allowed the second-most. Over his past 10 games, Chandler has scored a minimum of 31.25 fantasy points in his past five games. An absolute beast on the boards, Chandler has averaged 15.0 rebounds, 12.3 points and 1.1 blocks during that stretch.

[Update: Chandler will miss tonight's game due to personal reasons.  Amar'e Stoudemire is an excellent value at $4,500.]

C - Enes Kanter, Utah Jazz (vs. ATL), $5,600: With at least 23 minutes in five consecutive games, Kanter has four consecutive games with at least 21 fantasy points. The Hawks have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season. Over his past four games, Kanter is averaging 15.0 points and 10.25 rebounds 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.

Daily Fantasy Basketball: FanDuel Values for March 8th

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, Knicks PF Carmelo Anthony ($10,200) 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 (March 8th) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzlies (vs. CHA), $6,600: Excluding a dud to the Nets on Wednesday, Conley has scored at least 30 fantasy points in three of his past four games. On the season, Conley is averaging 17.15 points, 6.21 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

PG - Trey Burke, Utah Jazz (at PHI), $5,600: The rookie out of Michigan has struggled with inconsistent fantasy production over his past six games. During that stretch, Burke has scored less than 20 fantasy points four times and has averaged a mere 17.53 per game. If there's a game in which Burke will break out of that slump, it could be tonight against the Sixers. No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing point guards this season than the Sixers.

PG - Darren Collison, Los Angeles Clippers (vs. ATL), $6,000: While he has scored 30-plus fantasy points in three of his past four games, Collison's fantasy value will take a hit if Jamal Crawford returns from his three-game absence tonight. Earlier tonight, beat writer Dan Woike tweeted that Crawford "felt good" at shootaround and will be a dreaded "game-time decision" for tonight. Unfortunately, this game does not tip off until 11:30 p.m. ET, which would likely leave you rolling the dice if you start Collison.

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SG - Dion Waiters, Cleveland Cavaliers (vs. NYK), $5,400: In his two games back since returning from injury, Waiters has scored 29.7 and 32.5 fantasy points, respectively. The good times should continue to roll for Waiters as the Knicks have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing off guards this season.

SG - Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs (vs. ORL), $4,500: Ginobili is coming off a disappointing performance (six points, four assists and only 11.0 fantasy points) against the Heat on Thursday. That said, he had 22-plus fantasy points in each of his previous four games and the Magic have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to shooting guards this season.

SG - Chris Douglas-Roberts, Charlotte Bobcats (at MEM), $3,700: Douglas-Roberts has seen 24, 29 and 33 minutes, respectively, in his last three games and Gerald Henderson (calf) will miss another game tonight. In an all-around performance on Friday night, CDR was a rebound shy of a double-double with 14 points, nine boards, two steals and a block for 32.3 fantasy points.

SF - Matt Barnes, Los Angeles Clippers (vs. ATL), $5,700: Like with Collison, Barnes is a better daily option tonight if Crawford (GTD) sits out. In the three games that Crawford has missed, Barnes has scored 31.2, 41.2 and 43.9 fantasy points, respectively. In addition, tonight's matchup is favorable as the Hawks have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards.

SF - Maurice Harkless, Orlando Magic (at SAS), $4,600: In his past five games, Harkless has averaged 36.2 minutes per game and posted an average line of 14.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.2 blocks. During that stretch, he has scored a minimum of 22.1 fantasy points per game. While the Spurs are one of the better teams in the league at defending small forwards, there's a good chance that he produces well enough to exceed his relatively low cost.

SF - Jeff Adrien, Milwaukee Bucks (vs. WAS), $4,000: Getting extra minutes due to Ersan Ilyasova's suspension, Adrien posted a double-double (20 points, 10 rebounds) and added three blocks, two assists and a steal in his most recent game. Either way, Adrien has been a beast on the boards with five games of double-digit rebounds.

PF - Derrick Favors, Utah Jazz (at PHI), $6,100: With three consecutive duds lowering his cost and an extremely favorable matchup tonight, you should strongly consider starting Favors on Saturday. Only the Lakers have allowed more fantasy points than the Sixers, which gives Favors the ideal opportunity for a bounce-back performance.

PF - Boris Diaw, San Antonio Spurs (vs. ORL), $5,100: Diaw has been highly productive and consistent recently with 31.0 to 31.5 fantasy points in each of his past three games. Doing a bit of everything, he has averaged 15.33 points, 7.67 rebounds, 3.33 assists, 1.0 blocks and 1.0 steals per game during that span.

C - Marcin Gortat, Washington Wizards (at MIL), $7,100: In his last nine games, Gortat has scored at least 30 fantasy points eight times. The lone exception was 28.1 fantasy points against the Grizzlies, who have allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing centers this season. The Bucks aren't the Grizzlies as only the Lakers and Sixers allow more fantasy points to opposing centers.

C - Kyle O'Quinn, Orlando Magic (at SAS), $4,700: Despite playing less than 20 minutes in three of his past four games, O'Quinn has scored 22-plus fantasy points in five of past six games. In the one game over the past four that he barely saw more than 20 minutes (22), O'Quinn had a double-double (14 points, 15 rebounds) and scored 39.0 fantasy points.

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>> 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. 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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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.