Daily Fantasy Basketball: Some DraftKings Values for March 9th

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 ($11,200) 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 Tuesday (March 4th) DraftKings leagues:

PG - Will Bynum, Detroit Pistons (at BOS), $3,900: Despite the lack of playing time, Bynum has been productive. In his past five games, Bynum has scored at least 27 fantasy points in four of those outings despite playing 21 minutes or less in each of his past four games.

PG - Ray McCallum, Sacramento Kings (at BKN), $3,400: McCallum has seen an uptick in minutes and he has averaged nearly 20 fantasy points per game (19.38) in the month of March.

PG/SG - Randy Foye, Denver Nuggets (at NO), $4,900: Over his past 10 games, Foye has averaged 30.38 fantasy points per outing. During that 10-game stretch, he has averaged 16.8 points, 4.2 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game.

PG/SG - Patrick Beverley, Houston Rockets (vs. POR), $4,700: After scoring 34-plus fantasy points in his first two outings of the month, Beverley has averaged only 15.25 fantasy points in his past two games. That said, he has an opportunity to bounce back on Sunday as only the 76ers have allowed more fantasy points to opposing point guards this season than the Blazers.

PG/SG - Jerryd Bayless, Boston Celtics (vs. DET), $4,300: Over his past six games, Bayless has averaged 31.5 minutes and 24.63 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..

SG/SF - Gerald Green, Phoenix Suns (at GS), $6,000: Not only is Green coming off a monster outing where he scored 60.75 fantasy points (41 points, eight three-pointers, five boards and three steals), but Green has scored at least 40 fantasy points in three consecutive outings.

SG/SF - Wilson Chandler, Denver Nuggets (at NO), $5,800: Chandler extended his streak of games with more than 30 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.

SG/SF - Terrence Ross, Toronto Raptors (at MIN), $4,000: After missing a game due to his ankle, Ross scored 18 points as he knocked down six of eight three-pointers on Friday night against the Kings to score 29.0 fantasy points.

SG/SF - P.J. Tucker, Phoenix Suns (at GS), $4,500: Tucker has scored at least 23.5 fantasy points in three consecutive games. In those three games, Tucker has averaged 11.67 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.67 steals per game.

SF - Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors (vs. PHO), $3,800: Green has played in 21-plus minutes and has scored 23-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 - Marcus Morris, Phoenix Suns (at GS), $4,300: 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 23.25 fantasy points in three of those games and has more than 30 fantasy points twice.

PF/C - Reggie Evans, Sacramento Kings (at BKN), $3,600: A great effort guy, Evans' production primarily comes from his rebounding and he has double-digit boards in two of his past three games. Over his past three games, he has seen at least 26 minutes and has scored more than 20 fantasy points in all three outings.

PF/C - Patrick Patterson, Toronto Raptors (at MIN), $4,300: In his past two games, Patterson has averaged 13.5 points and converted on five of nine treys while adding 5.5 boards, 1.5 blocks and a steal per game.

C - Kelly Olynyk, Boston Celtics (vs. DET), $4,000: The Pistons have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season. That said, Olynyk's minutes are a bit of 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 32.5 fantasy points.

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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 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.

Compete in FanDuel's Daily Fantasy Basketball Championship: $1.2 million in cash prizes
>> 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: FanDuel Values for March 6th

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 PF Kevin Durant ($12,100) 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 6th) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder (at PHO), $7,700: In only 20 minutes against the Sixers, Westbrook recorded a triple-double (13 points, 10 rebounds, 14 assists) and added three steals for a total of 46 fantasy points. In a game that should be more competitive, Westbrook shouldn't sit out the fourth quarter tonight like on Tuesday.

PG - Darren Collison, Los Angeles Clippers (at LAL), $5,600: While I have a Chris Paul-Westbrook PG combo in most of my FanDuel leagues for tonight, Collison is a (much) cheaper option. With Jamal Crawford considered to be "doubtful" for tonight's "road" game, Collison will once again get a ton of minutes. In 40 minutes on Tuesday, Collison finished with 18 points, five assists and three steals.

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SG - Kent Bazemore, Los Angeles Lakers (vs. LAC), $4,800: In 35 minutes on Tuesday, Bazemore tied his Lakers high with 23 points and added four rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal. Coincidentally, he tied his highest total of fantasy points (35.3) as a Laker and he now has 20-plus fantasy points in five consecutive games.

SG - Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs (vs. MIA), $4,700: Even though Ginobili will likely see only 20-something minutes, he has now scored more than 20 fantasy points in four consecutive games. During that four-game stretch, he has averaged 14.25 points, 6.75 assists and 1.25 steals per game.

SF - Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs (vs. MIA), $6,200: In his four games since returning from injury, Leonard has scored a minimum of 27.9 fantasy points each game and has more than 30 fantasy points in three of those outings. He is averaging 15.25 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.0 blocks per game during that span.

SF - Matt Barnes, Los Angeles Clippers (at LAL), $5,300: Like Collison, Barnes played 40 minutes on Tuesday and will benefit from Crawford's likely absence tonight as well. Barnes scored 28 points and added six boards, two assists, a steal and a block for 41.2 fantasy points on Tuesday. Even when he played only 24 minutes against the Pelicans on March 1st, Barnes still scored 31.2 fantasy points.

SF - Perry Jones, Oklahoma City Thunder (at PHO), $3,700: Jones got the start against the Sixers and had a productive outing: 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 29 minutes. Even with the addition of Caron Butler, Jones should continue to see around 25 minutes per game while Thabo Sefolosha is out and is a solid value with a cost barely above the game minimum.

PF - Markieff Morris, Phoenix Suns (vs. OKC), $5,700: Morris is coming off a disappointing performance of nine points, four rebounds and four turnovers against the Clips on Tuesday. That said, he had scored 30-plus fantasy points in his previous two games and in his previous five of six games.

PF - Boris Diaw, San Antonio Spurs (vs. MIA), $4,900: With back-to-back games of 31 fantasy points, Diaw has scored 21-plus fantasy points in nine of 10 games. In his past four games, Diaw has averaged 11.5 points, 5.75 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.25 blocks and 0.75 steals per game.

PF - Marcus Morris, Phoenix Suns (vs. OKC), $4,000: The other Morris twin has been productive recently. Like his brother, he had a down game on Tuesday, but he had scored 29-plus fantasy points in his previous two outings. At only $4,000 and with only three games on Thursday, Morris is a solid option at PF.

C - Tiago Splitter, San Antonio Spurs (vs. MIA), $4,500: Based on his current pattern of alternating between 25-plus fantasy points and less than 15 fantasy points, he is due for a 25-plus night. Of course, that pattern is purely a coincidence, but the Heat have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season, which could bode well for the Brazilian.

Compete in FanDuel's Daily Fantasy Basketball Championship: $1.2 million in cash prizes
>> 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.