Daily Fantasy Basketball: FanDuel Values for April 5th

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, Timberwolves PF Kevin Love ($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 Saturday (April 5th) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Ramon Sessions, Milwaukee Bucks (vs. TOR), $6,600: Playing at least 40 minutes per game in his past six contests, Sessions is averaging 19.67 points, 5.67 assists and 4.33 rebounds per game during that span. In those six games, he has averaged 32.92 fantasy points per game with a minimum of 24.3 in each game.

PG - Shaun Livingston, Brooklyn Nets (at PHI), $4,800: Livingston scored 34.8 fantasy points yesterday and has at least 32 fantasy points in two of his past three games. No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing point guards this season than the Sixers.

PG - Jerryd Bayless, Boston Celtics (at DET), $4,300: Not only is Rajon Rondo out for tonight's game, but Avery Bradley has also missed his past two games. Bayless should have an excellent opportunity to take advantage of the fantasy-friendly matchup tonight. The Pistons have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards based on FanDuel scoring.

PG - Greivis Vasquez, Toronto Raptors (at MIL), $4,300: Kyle Lowry (knee) has missed his past two games, and if he misses another, Vasquez should have a third straight productive outing. In his past two games, Vasquez is averaging 12.5 points, 5.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game.

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SG - Victor Oladipo, Orlando Magic (vs. MIN), $6,600: In his past eight games, Oladipo is averaging 16.75 points, 5.0 assists, 3.75 rebounds and 2.38 steals per game. During that span, he has scored a minimum of 23.4 fantasy points in every game and has averaged 29.38 fantasy points per outing. The T'Wolves have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season.

SG - Terrence Ross, Toronto Raptors (at MIL), $4,200: While he has lacked consistency, Ross has scored 31-plus fantasy points in three of his past six games including yesterday's game against the Pacers.

SG - Marcus Thornton, Brooklyn Nets (at PHI), $3,600: Speaking of inconsistency, Thornton has struggled to put together back-to-back solid performances. That said, the 76ers give him an excellent opportunity to score at least 20 fantasy points in back-to-back games for the first time since he did so on Mar. 21st and 23rd.

SF - Kyle Singler, Detroit Pistons (at BOS), $4,500: Over his past three games, Singler has scored 23 or more fantasy points twice and he has played 39 minutes in back-to-back games. In his past three games, he has averaged 13.33 points, 3.67 rebounds, 2.0 assists and a block per game.

SF - Chase Budinger, Minnesota Timberwolves (at ORL), $3,700: It's unclear whether Kevin Martin (foot) will play tonight, but if he's out, it should mean more minutes and fantasy points for Budinger. Budinger has four games of 24-plus fantasy points in his past six games and the Magic have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards this season.

PF - Andray Blatche, Brooklyn Nets (at PHI), $4,500: If Kevin Garnett returns after missing 19 games, it could take some minutes from Blatche, but the matchup against the Sixers is ideal from a fantasy perspective. Blatche has scored at least 20 fantasy points in three of his past four games and five of his past seven.

PF - Cody Zeller, Charlotte Bobcats (at CLE), $3,900: With Josh McRoberts out again, Zeller will get another opportunity to put up respectable fantasy numbers. In his past three games, he has averaged 21.83 fantasy points per game.

C - Spencer Hawes, Cleveland Cavalieres (vs. CHA), $5,900: While he's unlikely to match last night's performance, Hawes had a double-double (16 points and 10 rebounds) scored 49 fantasy points last night. In addition to his double-double, he added six steals and two blocks. He now has 36.1 and 49.0 fantasy points in his past two games, respectively.

C - Henry Sims, Philadelphia 76ers (vs. BKN), $5,700: While the Nets don't present a favorable matchup, Sims has scored at least 30 fantasy points in five of his past eight games. During that eight-game stretch, he has averaged 15.63 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

C - Jonas Valanciunas, Toronto Raptors (at MIL), $5,500 : Valanciunas has scored a minimum of 26 fantasy points in six consecutive games and he has 30-plus fantasy points in four of those outings. During that span, he has averaged 16.5 points and 9.33 rebounds per game. The Bucks have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season.

C - Kyle O'Quinn, Orlando Magic (vs. MIN), $4,600: With Nikola Vucevic (Achilles) out last night, O'Quinn played 30 minutes and put up 10 points with six rebounds, five blocks and three steals. If Vucevic is unable to go again tonight, O'Quinn is a low-priced option at center to strongly consider.

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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.

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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 3rd

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, 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 Monday (March 3rd) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Jordan Farmar, Los Angeles Lakers (at POR), $5,300: Despite backing up point guard Kendall Marshall ($6,300), Farmar played more minutes and scored more fantasy points than Marshall on Friday. In 29 minutes, Farmar scored a career-high 30 points while adding seven assists and a steal. On Monday, the Lakers will play the Blazers, who have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing point guards over the past 15 days.

PG - Will Bynum, Detroit Pistons (vs. NYK), $4,600: Bynum has scored 25-plus fantasy points in three of his four games. The Knicks have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards over the past 15 days.

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SG - Tyreke Evans, New Orleans Pelicans (at SAC), $5,400: Against the Clippers on Saturday, Evans scored 22 points and added nine rebounds, five assists and a steal in 40 minutes. Assuming Evans continues to get big minutes, he could really stick it to his former team on Monday. No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing shooting guards over the past 15 days than the Kings (51.60 FPA).

SG - Kent Bazemore, Los Angeles Lakers (at POR), $4,400: In five games since being acquired by the Lakers, Bazemore has played at least 27 minutes in every game and scored 26-plus fantasy points in three of those five outings. Against the Kings on Friday, Bazemore scored 12 points and added six boards, two blocks and two steals. Portland ranks 25th in scoring defense (102.9 PPG allowed).

SG - Marcus Thornton, Brooklyn Nets (vs. CHI), $3,500: Against the Bucks on Saturday, Thornton did not do much except score. In 24 minutes, Thornton scored 25 points and added two rebounds. Nada más. While he doesn't have a favorable matchup against the league's second-best scoring defense, Thornton should score enough to exceed his contest-minimum salary.

SF - Nicolas Batum, Portland Trail Blazers (vs. LAL), $6,900: Only slightly more expensive than the average salary of contest starters, Batum has scored 30-plus fantasy points in four consecutive games. During that four-game stretch, he has averaged 16.5 points, 9.5 boards, 4.75 assists, 1.25 blocks and 1.0 steals. Not only has he been extremely productive recently, but no team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing small forwards than the Lakers over the past 15 days.

SF - Mike Dunleavy, Chicago Bulls (at BKN), $5,200: Once again, Dunleavy had another solid outing as the Bulls blew out the Knicks on Sunday. Dunleavy has averaged 30.85 fantasy points with a minimum of 24.9 over his past four games.

SF - Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks (vs. UTA), $4,800: Middleton has scored 30.9 and 28.3 fantasy points in his previous two outings and the good times should continue to roll for Middleton with Caron Butler in Oklahoma City.

PF - Derrick Favors, Utah Jazz (at MIL), $6,600: Since returning from injury, Favors had his most productive outing on Sunday with 17 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, three blocks and a steal. Favors has a more favorable matchup on Monday as the Bucks have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season.

PF - Andray Blatche, Brooklyn Nets (vs. CHI), $5,100: Against the Bucks on Saturday, Blatche went off for 45.6 fantasy points. Playing 30 minutes, Blatche posted a double-double (19 points, 13 boards) and added two assists, a block and three steals. Although he played only 18 minutes in his previous game, Blatche missed a double-double by one point and one rebound and added four steals to score 29.3 fantasy points. In most of my FanDuel leagues, I'll start Love and Favors at PF but Blatche is worth consideration with more than 1.56 fantasy points per minute played over his past two games.

C - Alexis Ajinca, New Orleans Pelicans (at SAC), $4,200: For the second time in four games, Ajinca posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds against the Clips on Saturday. In three of those four games, Ajinca scored more than 29 fantasy points.

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Daily Fantasy Basketball (Feb. 27th): FanDuel Bargains

If you play daily fantasy sports (and who doesn't these days?!), you know that one of the keys to success is uncovering undervalued players to allow you to load up on studs elsewhere.

In case you've never played daily fantasy basketball, every player has a salary and your roster cannot exceed the game's salary-cap maximum.

For FanDuel leagues, rosters consist of nine players and the salary cap is $60,000, which averages to roughly $6,667 per player. To give you an idea of the range for Thursday's games, Heat SF LeBron James ($11,400) has the contest's highest salary while many are tied for the lowest at the game-minimum salary ($3,500).

There are a number of benefits compared to traditional full-season re-draft leagues, such as:

• you don't have to worry about being saddled by players sidelined by injury;
• having a late pick doesn't rule out owning studs like Kevin Durant or LeBron James;
• you get the instant gratification of winning your league(s) that night.

And you know that enthusiasm you have after drafting your fantasy team(s)? Well, you get to experience that feeling on a nightly basis with daily fantasy basketball.

OK, with the preliminary stuff out of the way, here are some value plays to consider for Thursday (Feb. 27th) FanDuel leagues:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Marcus Thornton scores season-high 36 off bench

Sacramento Kings reserve shooting guard Marcus Thornton scored a season-high 36 points off the bench in a double-overtime loss to the Heat last night.

Not only did he make 11 of his 18 shots, but eight of those made field goals were three-pointers.

Both LeBron James (40) and Dwyane Wade (39) scored more than Thornton, but he led the Kings in scoring.

Two seasons ago, Thornton averaged 21.3 points per game.  Last year, he averaged 18.7 points per game.  It was only the seventh time this season that Thornton scored at least 20 points in a game.

On the year, he is averaging 12.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.