2014-15 NBA Power Rankings Week 21

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After Paul George's gruesome injury with USA Basketball, it was expected that he would miss the entire season.

Last week, however, it was reported that he could potentially make a return this week, although he has been ruled out for Monday's game.

"We want to make sure I'm as close to 100 [percent] as possible," George said (via ESPN). "It's not coming down to you know, 'Paul's feeling good, let's get him out there.' It's about making sure everything's where I'm comfortable, where the medical staff is comfortable, where the front office is comfortable."

The Pacers were surging in the standings, but they have lost five consecutive games and currently sit outside of the top-eight seeds in the Eastern Conference. That said, they are only one-half game behind the Hornets, who are currently the No. 8 seed.

Four teams -- Charlotte, Boston, Indiana and Brooklyn -- are all separated by one game in the Eastern Conference standings.

Back-to-back triple-doubles for Payton

Elfrid Payton is having a magical rookie season and the ex-Ragin' Cajun did something this past week that no Magic player has ever done.

Payton recorded back-to-back triple-doubles on Wednesday (15 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds) and Friday (22 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds). The last time a rookie posted consecutive triple-doubles was Antoine Walker in 1997.

While these are the only two triple-doubles of Payton's career, he is one of just eight players that have multiple triple-doubles this season. In addition, the only player with more than three triple-doubles this season is Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook (10).

Over his past five games, Payton is averaging 13.2 points, 9.4 assists, 8.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists.

Among rookies that have played at least 25 games this season, Payton ranks first in assists (6.2/G), second in steals (1.6/G), seventh in rebounding (4.2/G) and seventh in scoring (8.6/G).

Six straight losses for Bucks, 4-13 since trade deadline

The Milwaukee Bucks were one of many teams that made major moves prior to the trade deadline.

Sending Brandon Knight to the Phoenix Suns, they received Michael Carter-Williams in return from the Philadelphia 76ers.

MCW did not play in his first three games as a member of the Bucks and he also missed a game against the Grizzlies on March 14th. Since the trade deadline, however, the Bucks have won only four of 17 games. Three of those four wins were against bottom-feeder teams -- Denver, Philadelphia and Orlando.

The Bucks carry a league-high six-game losing streak into this week's games. The Bucks will host the Heat, Pacers and Warriors in a three-game week.

Noel averaging double-double in March

Philadelphia 76ers power forward Nerlens Noel has really stepped up over the past month on a team otherwise devoid of (healthy and local) talent.

In 12 March games, Noel is averaging a double-double -- 13.2 points and 10.5 rebounds -- per game.

More impressive than the double-double, however, is that Noel is averaging 2.7 steals and 2.0 blocks per game.

To put it into perspective, the list of players with at least 15 steals and 15 blocks this month is one: Noel.

But Noel has way more than 15 of each -- 32 steals and 24 blocked shots.

The Manimal averaging double-double post-Shaw

Since the Nuggets have fired Brian Shaw on March 3rd, the Denver Nuggets have been playing much better basketball although they have lost three of their past four games. In the 12 games without him, however, the Nuggets have posted a 7-5 record.

With Shaw, the team won only 20 of 59 games.

One of the players that has been playing well without Shaw is Kenneth Faried.

The Manimal is averaging 16.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.1 steals per game since the firing of his head coach. During that span, Faried has seven double-doubles in 11 games.

As a comparison, Faried averaged 11.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 0.7 blocks and 0.7 steals in 54 games with inconsistent minutes with Shaw as coach.

Here are my Week 21 NBA Power Rankings:

Rank	Team	Record	Last Week	Change
1	Golden State Warriors	56-13	1	-
2	Atlanta Hawks	53-17	2	-
3	Cleveland Cavaliers	46-26	3	-
4	Memphis Grizzlies	49-21	4	-
5	Houston Rockets	46-23	5	-
6	San Antonio Spurs	44-25	7	+1
7	Los Angeles Clippers	46-25	8	+1
8	Portland Trail Blazers	44-24	6	-2
9	Dallas Mavericks	44-27	10	+1
10	Washington Wizards	40-30	12	+2
11	Oklahoma City Thunder	40-30	9	-2
12	Chicago Bulls	42-29	13	+1
13	Toronto Raptors	42-28	14	+1
14	Phoenix Suns	38-33	17	+3
15	New Orleans Pelicans	37-33	11	-4
16	Indiana Pacers	30-39	15	-1
17	Utah Jazz	31-38	18	+1
18	Charlotte Hornets	30-38	16	-2
19	Miami Heat	32-37	21	+2
20	Milwaukee Bucks	34-36	19	-1
21	Boston Celtics	30-39	20	-1
22	Brooklyn Nets	29-39	23	+1
23	Denver Nuggets	27-44	22	-1
24	Sacramento Kings	24-45	24	-
25	Orlando Magic	22-50	25	-
26	Detroit Pistons	26-44	26	-
27	Philadelphia 76ers	17-53	28	+1
28	Los Angeles Lakers	18-50	27	-1
29	Minnesota Timberwolves	15-54	29	-
30	New York Knicks	14-56	30	-

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Fantasy NBA FanDuel DFS Values (Feb. 3)

Earlier today, I posted my favorite value plays 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 Tuesday's NBA games:

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PG - Larry Drew, Philadelphia 76ers (vs. DEN), $3,500: Michael Carter-Williams (shin/ankle) sat for the final 19 minutes of last night's game, which puts his status for tonight's game in jeopardy. Priced at the contest-minimum salary, Drew would get the start if MCW can't go and could see 30-plus minutes. Expectations should be tempered, however, as Drew scored just 11.0 fantasy points the last time that happened (Jan. 26th), but he would be a decent plug-and-play option that gives you plenty of salary-cap relief.

Others to consider: D.J. Augustin, Detroit Pistons ($7,000); Darren Collison, Sacramento Kings ($6,700); Trey Burke, Utah Jazz ($5,600); Langston Galloway, New York Knicks ($5,300); Mario Chalmers, Miami Heat ($5,100); Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics ($4,600); Tyler Johnson, Miami Heat ($4,300); Larry Drew, Philadelphia 76ers ($3,500)

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SG - Arron Afflalo, Denver Nuggets (at PHI), $5,500: With the same salary on both sites, Afflalo is at more of a discount, if you will, on FanDuel (82.5% of average starter salary) than he is on DraftKings (88.0%). Afflalo has had a couple of modest outings (8.7 and 13.9 fantasy points, respectively), but he should bounce back against the Sixers. Before those two modest performances, Afflalo had averaged 29.22 fantasy points over his previous five games and the Sixers have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season.

Others to consider: Wesley Matthews, Portland Trail Blazers ($5,800)

SF - Joe Ingles, Utah Jazz (at POR), $4,400: Ingles does a little bit of everything and that little bit of everything has led to five consecutive games with at least 20 fantasy points. Ingles needs 22.0 fantasy points to reach 5x value and he's averaged 23.52 per game over his past five games. During that span, he has averaged 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game.

Others to consider: Robert Covington, Philadelphia 76ers ($5,700); Wilson Chandler, Denver Nuggets ($5,700); Nicolas Batum, Portland Trail Blazers ($5,400); Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Philadelphia 76ers ($4,700)

PF - Jerami Grant, Philadelphia 76ers (vs. DEN), $3,600: Listed as my favorite small forward play on DraftKings for today's games, selecting my favorite power forward play on FanDuel was more difficult. That said, Grant scored a career-high (real) 18 points and 26.4 fantasy points last night. Not only is Grant 8-of-11 from behind the arc over his past three games, but he has had eight-block and four-block games over the past couple of weeks. In his past six games, Grant is averaging 18.75 fantasy points per game and he could approach last night's production especially if MCW sits while offering plenty of salary-cap relief at only $100 above the minimum salary.

Others to consider: Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets ($6,400); Jared Sullinger, Boston Celtics ($6,200); Nerlens Noel, Philadelphia 76ers ($6,100); Brandon Bass, Boston Celtics ($5,300); Jason Smith, New York Knicks ($4,600); J.J. Hickson, Denver Nuggets ($4,400); Louis Amundson, New York Knicks ($4,300)

C - Hassan Whiteside, Miami Heat (at DET), $7,000: Whiteside was one rebound shy of a double-double (20 points and nine rebounds) in his past game, but he had a triple-double (with blocks) and two double-doubles in his previous three games. During that four-game span, he has scored at least 36.7 fantasy points in each game and has averaged 16.5 points, 15.5 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game. With the Pistons fourth in the NBA in points in the paint (44.8/G), that could lead to plenty of opportunities for rebounds and blocks. Either way, the Pistons have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season.

Others to consider: Tyler Zeller, Boston Celtics ($4,900); Jusuf Nurkic, Denver Nuggets ($4,800)

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Fantasy NBA DraftKings DFS Values (Feb. 3)

On a five-game NBA slate on Tuesday, there are only three players priced above $8,800 -- Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins ($10,500), Golden State's Stephen Curry ($10,300) and Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge ($9,400).

While I'll have some exposure to all three of those high-priced studs, Curry will undoubtedly be the one that I have the most in my lineups. If there's any concern, it's that this game turns into a blowout as the Warriors are favored by 9.5 points and Curry has played less than 30 minutes in two of his three matchups against the Kings this season.

That said, Curry is averaging more than 46 fantasy points per game this season, the Kings have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing point guards and are projected to score the most points, by far, tonight based on Vegas odds.

On any given night, Curry has 60-point upside. Only three players in the league have more games with 60-plus fantasy points than Curry (seven games) -- Anthony Davis and James Harden (both 11 games) and Cousins (eight).

In order to fit Curry (and/or Boogie and/or LMA) into your lineup(s), you'll need to find some value plays elsewhere.


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

PG - Trey Burke, Utah Jazz (at POR), $4,600: Even if he isn't starting, Burke has played at least 31 minutes in three consecutive games. And over his past four games, Burke has scored 30.0, 20.0, 20.0 and 29.0 fantasy points, respectively, and he has been averaging 16 shot attempts per game over that stretch. Meanwhile, Damian Lillard and the Blazers have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season.

Others to consider: Darren Collison, Sacramento Kings ($6,400); D.J. Augustin, Detroit Pistons ($6,200); Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics ($3,700); Larry Drew, Philadelphia 76ers ($3,000)

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SG - Tyler Johnson, Miami Heat (at DET), $3,900: Listed as a point guard on FanDuel, Johnson is listed as a shooting guard on DraftKings, which makes me like him more on DK. Playing only three NBA games in his career, Johnson now has impressive back-to-back outings and scored a massive (given his minimum-salary price tag) 38.25 fantasy points on Sunday. Doing a bit of everything, he has averaged 8.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks in those two games. Far from the level of "Hassanity," Johnson has nonetheless provided the team with a spark and should continue to see minutes in the mid-20's, at least, as long as Dwyane Wade remains out.

Others to consider: Wesley Matthews, Portland Trail Blazers ($5,800); Arron Afflalo, Denver Nuggets ($5,500)

SF - Jerami Grant, Philadelphia 76ers (vs. DEN), $3,000: Listed in yesterday's post as well, Grant is once again priced at the contest-minimum salary. Grant won't see much more than 26 minutes on any given night, but he should easily reach value while providing lots of salary-cap relief. Scoring a career-high (real) 18 points and 29.75 fantasy points last night, he has connected on 8-of-11 three-point attempts over his past three games. Few players have his potential to make multiple three-pointers and block multiple shots (remember his eight blocks vs. NYK last month?) on a given night. In his past six games, Grant is averaging 20.92 fantasy points per game (6.97x his salary) with a minimum of 16.5 fantasy points (5.5x) and could approach last night's production if Michael Carter-Williams (ankle/shin) sits.

Others to consider: Wilson Chandler, Denver Nuggets ($5,700); Luol Deng, Miami Heat ($5,000); Nicolas Batum, Portland Trail Blazers ($4,900); Joe Ingles, Utah Jazz ($4,300)

PF - Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets (at PHI), $6,200: Too inconsistent for cash games, Faried has plenty of upside tonight as a tournament play against the Sixers, who rank last in the NBA in rebounding differential (-4.5). In addition, the Sixers have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season. Over his past 19 games played, The Manimal has six games with at least 40 fantasy points including games with 57.25 and 61.25 fantasy points, but he has also has six games during that span with less than 25.0. Faried needs just 31.0 fantasy points to reach 5x value and he's averaged 33.34/G during that 19-game span.

Others to consider: Nerlens Noel, Philadelphia 76ers ($5,200); Brandon Bass, Boston Celtics ($5,200); Robert Covington, Philadelphia 76ers ($5,000); Jason Smith, New York Knicks ($4,700); Louis Amundson, New York Knicks ($3,700)

C - Andrew Bogut, Golden State Warriors (at SAC), $4,800: More often than not, I'll pay up for center tonight, but Bogut could potentially see a bump in minutes from his 24 per game as they get a difficult matchup against Cousins. Bogut has been averaging a little more than one fantasy point per minute this season and he's priced at 5.4 times his average fantasy production this season (25.9/G).

Others to consider: Robin Lopez, Portland Trail Blazers ($4,500); Jusuf Nurkic, Denver Nuggets ($4,400); Tyler Zeller, Boston Celtics ($4,100);

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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 15th

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 ($10,300) 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 15th) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzlies (at PHI), $6,600: With the Sixers allowing the most points this season to opposing point guards, Conley is a must-start tonight. Even Nick Calathes ($4,300), who has scored 20-plus fantasy points in three consecutive games, is worth consideration. Even though Calathes has played only 15-19 minutes per game in his past five, it's possible this turns into a blowout giving him even more minutes. Over his past five games, Conley has averaged 15.0 points, 4.4 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game.

PG - D.J. Augustin, Chicago Bulls (vs. SAC), $5,800: Augustin has 23.6-plus fantasy points in six of his past seven games and in each of his past three. During that seven-game stretch, Augustin has averaged 19.71 points and 3.86 assists per game.

PG - George Hill, Indiana Pacers (at DET), $4,800: Hill scored 35.7 fantasy points against the Sixers last night with 14 points, nine assists, six boards and two steals. He now has 24.6 or more fantasy points in three consecutive games and he gets another favorable matchup on Saturday. The Pistons have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season.

PG - Shaun Livingston, Brooklyn Nets (at WAS), $4,300: Despite a tough matchup, Livingston posted 31.4 fantasy points in 38 minutes against the Heat on Wednesday. He now has three consecutive games with at least 21 fantasy points. Doing a bit of everything, Livingston has averaged 10.25 points, 3.25 rebounds, 3.13 assists and 2.25 steals per game over his past eight.

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SG - Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls (vs. SAC), $6,600: With only Lance Stephenson more expensive on Saturday, perhaps Butler can't be classified as "cheap," but he's certainly worth starting today. Butler is averging 16.67 points, 6.33 rebounds, 2.33 assists and 2.0 steals per game over his past three and he gets a top-three matchup against the Kings on Saturday.

SG - Kyle Korver, Atlanta Hawks (vs. DEN), $5,000: Korver has scored 30-plus fantasy points in two of his past three games and he gets favorable matchup on Saturday. The Nuggets have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season.

SG - Tim Hardaway, Jr., New York Knicks (vs. MIL), $3,900: While he doesn't do much other than score and he does that inconsistently, Hardaway has scored 28 and 22 points in his past two games, respectively. With an average of 27.5 fantasy points over his past two games, he's a bargain at $3,900 if he can deliver roughly that many points again on Saturday.

SF - J.R. Smith, New York Knicks (vs. MIL), $5,800: Smith has scored more than 20 fantasy points in six consecutive games and he has averaged 27.55 per contest during that stretch. Over those seven games, he has averaged 16.5 points, 3.17 assists and 3.17 rebounds per game. The Bucks have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards this season.

SF - DeMarre Carroll, Atlanta Hawks (vs. DEN), $5,800: Carroll has scored 20-plus fantasy points in four consecutive games and in eight of his past nine. Over that nine-game span, he has averaged 14.89 points, 5.33 boards and 1.11 steals per game. The Nuggets have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards.

SF - Mike Dunleavy, Chicago Bulls (vs. SAC), $5,000: Ending a four-game rough patch, Dunleavy scored 21 points and added seven rebounds, two assists and a steal in 37 minutes on Thursday. The Kings have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards.

PF - Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets (at ATL), $7,000: Not necessarily cheap as the fifth-most expensive power forward, Faried really produced this month, though. In eight games in March, he has scored 29.6 fantasy points in all but one game and averaged 37.53 fantasy points per game. Not only is he averaging 21.5 points, 10.13 boards and 1.13 steals per game, but he has a top-10 matchup against the Hawks as well.

PF - Zach Randolph, Memphis Grizzlies (at PHI), $6,900: On March 1st, Randolph had 23 points and 14 rebounds against the Cavs, but he has not had any 20/10 games since then. (He does have three other double-doubles this month, though.) In the City of Brotherly Love, however, there is an excellent chance that his 20/10 drought ends.

C - Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies (at PHI), $7,300: Over his past 10 games, Gasol has a minimum of 28.1 fantasy points, which he scored last night against the Raptors. During that 10-game stretch, however, Gasol is averaging 34.64 fantasy points, which exceeds his season average (30.2 FPPG). Of course, you know the drill by now: start your centers against the Sixers. Only the Lakers, who are off tonight, allow more fantasy points to opposing centers.

C - Pero Antic, Atlanta Hawks (vs. DEN), $4,200: After back-to-back games with at least 22 fantasy points, Antic had a quiet outing (eight points, seven rebounds) despite a favorable matchup against the Bucks on Thursday. Fortunately for Antic, he gets an excellent opportunity to bounce back as the Nuggets have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing centers.

C - Cole Aldrich, New York Knicks (vs. MIL), $3,900: If Tyson Chandler (personal reasons) does not return from his two-game absence, Aldrich could possibly replicate his outstanding performance (12 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks) from Wednesday. This season, the Bucks have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing centers. The good news is this is the only game before 7 p.m. so you will know beforehand whether or not Chandler will return.

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Daily Fantasy Basketball: FanDuel Values for March 10th

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, Miami SF LeBron James ($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 Monday (March 10th) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Raymond Felton, New York Knicks (vs. PHI), $5,600: Felton has been inconsistent with 41.6, 11.9 and 29.0 fantasy points in his past three games, respectively. 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.

PG - Greivis Vasquez, Toronto Raptors (at BKN), $3,900: An even cheaper option is Vasquez, who scored 23.7 fantasy points against the T'Wolves last night with 12 points, six boards and three assists. In his past five games, Vasquez has scored 20-plus fantasy points three times and even had 38.4 fantasy points once during that span.

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SG - Joe Johnson, Brooklyn Nets (vs. TOR), $5,400: More than $1,200 cheaper than the average starter cost, Johnson has been on a roll recently with three consecutive games with 30-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 - Chris Douglas-Roberts, Charlotte Bobcats (vs. DEN), $4,000: Douglas-Roberts has scored 20-plus fantasy points in three consecutive games. During that span, CDR has averaged 13.67 points, 4.33 rebounds and 2.33 steals per game. The Nuggets have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season.

SG - Marcus Thornton, Brooklyn Nets (vs. TOR), $3,700: It's been a roller-coaster ride for Thornton owners in FanDuel leagues. Here are his last five point totals: 26.4, 3.0, 28.4, 15.8 and 35.1. 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 - Iman Shumpert, New York Knicks (vs. PHI), $3,600: Over his past four games, Shumpert's minutes have increased from 16 to 21 to 27 to 31 on Saturday. Since returning from injury, Shumpert not only had a high in minutes, but he had a high in fantasy production (20.5) as well. Only the Lakers have allowed more fantasy points to opposing SGs than the Sixers this season.

SF - Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks (vs. ORL), $4,900: Middleton has scored at least 23.3 fantasy points in five of his past six games including his last three games. The Magic have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards this season.

SF - Maurice Harkless, Orlando Magic (at MIL), $4,600: While I like Middleton, I like Harkless more — and he's $300 cheaper. Harkless has scored a minimum of 22.1 fantasy points in six consecutive games and he has at least 29.7 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.

PF - Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets (at CHA), $6,500: The Manimal. His price goes up, but I don't care. And technically, he's still cheaper (by $167) than the average cost of a FanDuel starter. Over his past five games, Faried has scored at least 29.6 fantasy points and averaged 38.92 per game. With three double-doubles in that stretch, he has averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.6 blocks per game over the last five.

PF - Derrick Favors, Utah Jazz (vs. ATL), $5,900: As expected, Favors bounced back nicely with a double-double (15 points, 14 rebounds) against the league's worst defense in Philly on Saturday. The matchup isn't as favorable tonight, but Favors' modest cost makes him a solid option for tonight.

PF - Marcus Morris, Phoenix Suns (at LAC), $4,100: Cheaper than his twin, Morris has scored in double digits in five consecutive games and he has averaged 23.4 fantasy points per game during that span. The Clips have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season, but Morris had his five-game low (15.9 fantasy points) against them on March 4th.

C - Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic (at MIL), $7,400: Aside from stud center Al Jefferson, there are several other centers that I like tonight. Vucevic and Tyson Chandler and solid mid-priced options. Vucevic has posted double-doubles and scored 33-plus fantasy points six consecutive games. While barely averaging more than 30 minutes per game (30.33), Vucevic has averaged 18.33 points, 12.83 rebounds, 2.33 assists, 1.17 steals and 1.00 blocks per game during that span. Even better, the Bucks have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season.

C - Tyson Chandler, New York Knicks (vs. PHI), $7,000: 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 averaged 34.45 fantasy points and scored a minimum of 26.9 in all 10 of those 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 $4,200.]

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 20 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.

C - Kyle O'Quinn, Orlando Magic (at MIL), $4,700: As noted above, the Magic's centers have a favorable matchup tonight. 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. In his last game against the Bucks (Feb. 18th), O'Quinn didn't score in the game, but still managed to finish with 24.3 fantasy points in 21 minutes.

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Daily Fantasy Basketball: FanDuel Values for March 9th

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, 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 Sunday (March 9th) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics (vs. DET), $7,500: While he's not necessarily cheap in absolute terms, Rondo is tied for the eighth-highest salary among point guards with seven games on tap for today. In other words, he's middle of the road among starting point guards in terms of cost, but in reality, he's a better-than-average option today. Over his past five games, Rondo has scored 33.6 fantasy points in all but one game and has averaged 17.2 points, 9.6 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. On the season, the Pistons have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards.


PG - Will Bynum, Detroit Pistons (at BOS), $4,400: Despite the lack of playing time, Bynum has been productive. In his past five games, Bynum has scored more than 25 fantasy points in four of those outings despite playing 21 minutes or less in each of his past four games.

PG - Jerryd Bayless, Boston Celtics (vs. DET), $4,200: Over his past six games, Bayless has averaged 31.5 minutes and 22.72 fantasy points per game.  During that six-game span, he has averaged 15.5 points, 3.17 rebounds, 2.17 assists and 1.17 assists per game.  As noted above with Rondo, the matchup is favorable.

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SG - Wesley Matthews, Portland Trail Blazers (at HOU), $5,500: Against the Mavs on Friday, Matthews scored 26 points and added six boards and a steal for 33.2 fantasy points. That ended a streak of modest production as Matthews had scored 22 fantasy points or less in his previous six games. On Sunday, Matthews has a favorable matchup against the Rockets, who have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing SGs.

SG - Joe Johnson, Brooklyn Nets (vs. SAC), $5,200: In his past three games, Johnson has scored 26.9, 30.4 and 33.4 fantasy points, respectively. Only the Lakers and Sixers have allowed more fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season than the Kings.

SF - Jeff Green, Boston Celtics (vs. DET), $6,300: Even though he has had a couple of modest outings in back-to-back games, Green has an opportunity to bounce back on Sunday with a favorable matchup against the Pistons. Only three teams have allowed more fantasy points to opposing small forwards this season and none of them are playing on Sunday.

SF - Wilson Chandler, Denver Nuggets (at NO), $5,600: Chandler extended his streak of games with 30-plus fantasy points to three games on Friday. During that stretch, he has averaged 21.67 points, 6.67 rebounds, 1.67 assists and 1.33 steals per game. Even though the Pelicans have been excellent at limiting fantasy points to opposing three's, Chandler is a solid option considering his still modest salary.

SF - Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors (vs. PHO), $4,400: Green has played in 21-plus minutes and has scored 22-plus fantasy points in each of his past three games.  During that stretch, he has averaged 8.33 points, 5.33 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.33 steals per game.

PF - Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets (at NOP), $5,900: Faried made this list on Friday and hopefully you started him against the Lakers as he exploded for 56.6 fantasy points (32 points, 13 rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block). Even though 50-something fantasy points shouldn't be expected tonight, The Manimal has scored at least 29.6 fantasy points in four consecutive games. The Pelicans have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season.

PF - Marcus Morris, Phoenix Suns (at GS), $4,100: Morris has averaged 15.0 points and 5.25 rebounds per game over his past four games. During that span, Morris has scored at least 20 fantasy points in three of those games.

C - Timofey Mozgov, Denver Nuggets (at NOP), $4,000: It's hard to trust him, but Mozgov had a solid outing on Friday against the Lakers. He finished with 13 points, six rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal for 27.2 fantasy points in 26 minutes. That last stat (26 minutes) is the most important as he hasn't played that many since Feb. 21st. If Mozgov can approach that number on Sunday, he gets a solid matchup (Pelicans allow 10th-most fantasy points to centers) that should easily allow him to outproduce his modest cost.

C - Kelly Olynyk, Boston Celtics (vs. DET), $4,200: The Pistons have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season. Like with Mozgov, Olynyk's minutes are a concern as he played only 17 minutes with six turnovers on Friday. With 27 minutes on Wednesday, however, Olynyk scored 19 points and added five boards, three assists and a block for 29.5 fantasy points.

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Daily Fantasy Basketball: FanDuel Values for March 7th

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 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 Friday (March 7th) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Brandon Jennings, Detroit Pistons (at MIN), $6,600: Jennings has been inconsistent and it's hard to trust him, but he has scored 21-plus fantasy points in three consecutive games and has a favorable matchup tonight. The T'Wolves have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season. In fact, Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson, who returned from a long absence to drop 56.3 fantasy points on the T'Wolves on Monday, will be in all of my lineups as he faces the Lakers, who lost by 48 points to the Clippers last night.

PG - Jose Calderon, Dallas Mavericks (vs. POR), $5,100: More likely than not, I'll pair Calderon or another stud point guard with Lawson instead of Jennings. Calderon ended a four-game streak of 20-plus fantasy points, but he should bounce back with a favorable matchup tonight against Portland. The Blazers have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season.

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SG - Randy Foye, Denver Nuggets (vs. LAL), $6,600: In the Lakers 48-point loss, they gave up 142 points to the Clippers. No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season than the Lakers. In his past nine games, Foye has scored at least 21 fantasy points every game and has averaged 26.84 during that span.

SG - Gordon Hayward, Utah Jazz (at NYK), $6,600: In his past five games, Hayward has scored at least 26.3 fantasy points every night, 30-plus in four games and 40-plus in two games. During that five-game stretch, Hayward has averaged an excellent all-around line of 17.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Only three teams have allowed more fantasy points to shooting guards this season than the Knicks.

SF - Wilson Chandler, Denver Nuggets (vs. LAL), $5,600: In his three games back since a one-game absence, Chandler has scored 21.1, 39.0 and 30.5 fantasy points, respectively. In his past two games, he is averaging 23.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. As you probably know or imagined, the Lakers are not good at defending small forwards as only the Sixers are worse.

SF - Kyle Singler, Detroit Pistons (at MIN), $4,600: While he lacks the upside of a monster night, Singler is a low-priced option that provides a steady source of solid production. In his past 10 games, he has scored at least 20 fantasy points in eight games. During that stretch, he is averaging 21.82 fantasy points per game. The T'Wolves have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards this season.

PF - Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets (vs. LAL), $5,900: The Lakers are dead last at limiting fantasy points to three different positions and power forward is one of those three. Over his past three games, The Manimal has averaged 17.67 points, 8.67 boards and 1.0 steals to average 33.07 fantasy points per contest.

PF - Amir Johnson, Toronto Raptors (vs. SAC), $5,300: Since returning from a two-game absence, Johnson has scored a minimum of 22 fantasy points in seven consecutive games. During that span, he has averaged 10.43 points, 6.71 rebounds, 3.00 assists, 1.14 blocks and 0.86 steals per game. The Kings have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season.

C - J.J. Hickson, Denver Nuggets (vs. LAL), $5,600: Considering there is only one roster spot for centers in FanDuel games and guys like Al Jefferson, Joakim Noah, Andre Drummond, etc. have been so dominant lately, it may be hard to pass up one of the studs at the position. Against the Mavs on March 5th, Hickson had 16 points, five rebounds, five blocks and three assists for 36.5 fantasy points. No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing centers this season than the Lakers.

C - Kelly Olynyk, Boston Celtics (vs. BKN), $4,200: An even cheaper option is Olynyk although his matchup against the Nets isn't great. Olynyk has been scored 29.5 and 38.6 fantasy points in his past two games played. In those two games, he has averaged 20.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists.

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

Nuggets PF Kenneth Faried gets 4th Double-Double in 5 Games

It took two overtime periods for the Nuggets to beat the Warriors last night and Denver's Kenneth Faried played nearly 48 minutes.  (It was only his third game with at least 30 minutes played.)

On eight-of-13 shooting, Faried scored 18 points, his fifth straight game in double figures.

In addition, Faried grabbed 17 rebounds, blocked three shots and had two steals, all of which are season highs.

Nine of Faried's 17 rebounds last night were offensive rebounds and he has more offensive rebounds (39) than defensive boards (36) this season.

During the past five games, Faried has four double-doubles.  During those five games, he is averaging 17.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.0 steals per game.

While he is shooting 56.0 percent from the field, he has made only 48.1 percent of his free throws.  While he is not a great free throw shooter, he shot 66.5 from the line last year so those numbers should improve.