Daily Fantasy Basketball: Some DraftKings Values for March 4th

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 Tuesday's games, Thunder SF/PF Kevin Durant ($10,900) 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 - Darren Collison, Los Angeles Clippers (at PHO), $4,300: With Jamal Crawford expected to miss a few more games, Collison could get another start on Tuesday. In his past two games, Collison has averaged 28.25 fantasy points per game by scoring 17.0 points with 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

PG - Ishmael Smith, Phoenix Suns (vs. LAC), $3,600: In his past four games, Smith has averaged 28.63 fantasy points per game. During that stretch, Smith has averaged 9.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.25 assists and 2.5 steals per game.

SG/SF - Tyreke Evans, New Orleans Pelicans (at LAL), $6,000: Not as cheap as he is in FanDuel leagues ($5,400), but Evans is still a value here at $6,000. Against the Kings, his former team, Evans was only two assists shy of a triple-double with 27 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists and scored 54.5 fantasy points. The Lakers have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season.

SG/SF - Kent Bazemore, Los Angeles Lakers (vs. NOP), $4,400: Although Bazemore has played in only 28 and 27 minutes in his past two games, his two lowest totals since joining the Lakers, he has scored 20-plus fantasy points in all six of his games as a Laker.

SG/SF - Wesley Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers (vs. NOP), $5,200: Against the Blazers yesterday, Johnson extended his streak of games with 36-plus minutes and 35-plus fantasy points to three games. During that stretch, he has averaged 14.67 points, 8.0 boards, 3.0 assists, 3.0 blocks and 1.0 steal per game.

SF - Caron Butler, Oklahoma City Thunder (vs. PHI), $3,900: Nearly $1,000 cheaper on DraftKings than FanDuel, Butler will make his Thunder debut on Tuesday and he gets an extremely favorable matchup against the Sixers. With Thabo Sefalosha (calf) out for the next month or so, Butler could start. Either way, he should get plenty of minutes in his debut.

PF/C - Markieff Morris, Phoenix Suns (vs. LAC), $5,700: Morris has scored more than 32 fantasy points in back-to-back games and in five of his past six. Only six teams have allowed more fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season than the Clips.

PF/C - Alexis Ajinca, New Orleans Pelicans (at LAL), $4,100: Ajinca had a dud against the Kings in his last outing, but he has scored 30-plus fantasy points in three of his past five games and has a pair of double-doubles during that span. No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing centers so Ajinca may bounce back nicely at a very modest cost.

* Sign up with DraftKings and double your money: Get a 100-percent bonus (up to $600) on your initial deposit with DraftKings.

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 4th

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 Tuesday's games, Thunder SF Kevin Durant ($11,900) 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 Tuesday (March 4th) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder (vs. PHI), $7,400: While there is the potential that Westbrook, Durant, etc. sit in the fourth quarter of a potential blowout (as Sean noted in his DraftStreet post), Westbrook's salary ($7,400) as a stud point guard is still more than $2,000 less than that of Chris Paul ($9,600). Even in 25 minutes (like against the Bobcats on Sunday), Westbrook can still score 35 fantasy points. Against the league's worst defense, three quarters of Westbrook may be more than enough.

PG - Ishmael Smith, Phoenix Suns (vs. LAC), $4,600: In his past four games, Smith has averaged 27.68 fantasy points per game. During that stretch, Smith has averaged 9.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.25 assists and 2.5 steals per game.

* Join my free 20-team FanDuel MLB league for Opening Day

SG - Tyreke Evans, New Orleans Pelicans (at LAL), $5,400: Evans appeared on my FanDuel list yesterday and he delivered for DFS owners that started him by dropping 50 fantasy points. Against the Kings, his former team, Evans was only two assists shy of a triple-double with 27 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Evans is a must-start against the Lakers, who have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season.

SG - Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs (at CLE), $4,700: Despite playing less than 30 minutes in each game, Ginobili has averaged 29.5 fantasy points per game over his last three games. During that stretch, Ginobili has averaged 15.3 points, 7.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 block per game.

SG - Kent Bazemore, Los Angeles Lakers (vs. NOP), $4,400: Although Bazemore has played in only 28 and 27 minutes in his past two games, his two lowest since joining the Lakers, he has scored 20-plus fantasy points in four consecutive games and in five of his six as a Laker.

SG - Ray Allen, Miami Heat (at HOU), $3,500: Provided that Dwyane Wade sits out another game, Allen is a solid option at the contest-minimum salary. The Rockets have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards.

SF - Wesley Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers (vs. NOP), $4,900: Against the Blazers yesterday, Johnson extended his streak of games with 36-plus minutes and 33-plus fantasy points to three games. During that stretch, he has averaged 14.67 points, 8.0 boards, 3.0 assists, 3.0 blocks and 1.0 steal per game.

SF - Caron Butler, Oklahoma City Thunder (vs. PHI), $4,700: Butler will make his Thunder debut on Tuesday and he gets an extremely favorable matchup against the Sixers. With Thabo Sefolosha (calf) out for the next month or so, Butler could start. Either way, he should get plenty of minutes in his debut.

PF - Markieff Morris, Phoenix Suns (vs. LAC), $6,000: Morris has scored more than 30 fantasy points in back-to-back games and in five of his past six. Only six teams have allowed more fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season than the Clips.

PF - Tristan Thompson, Cleveland Cavaliers (vs. SAS), $5,900: Thompson has seven double-doubles in his past 10 games and he missed a double-double in two of those games by only one rebound. Thompson is averaging 15.3 points, 11.5 rebounds and 31.1 fantasy points in his past 10 games.

C - Alexis Ajinca, New Orleans Pelicans (at LAL), $4,200: Ajinca had a dud against the Kings in his last outing, but he has scored 29-plus fantasy points in three of his past five games and has a pair of double-doubles during that span. No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing centers so Ajinca may bounce back nicely at a very modest cost.

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: DraftStreet Advice for March 2nd

Earlier today, I posted some players that I thought were excellent values in both FanDuel and DraftKings leagues.

With time still allowing you participate in "late" games in both formats, here are the links to both of my posts:

• My FanDuel values post for March 2nd games
• My DraftKings values post for March 2nd games

Once again, Sean Beazley has some advice for those participating in DraftStreet leagues. Using a slightly different format today, Sean compares two players at each position with similar salaries:

Guards: Lance Stephenson, Pacers ($13,535) vs. Jameer Nelson, Magic ($13,619)

Nelson gets another lick-chopping matchup against the 76ers, who he just dominated a few days ago with 39 FPs. As much as I like this matchup for Nelson, I am staying away from him tonight. Nelson's price has been bumped for this one, and for Nelson to hit value he would need roughly 35 FP.

Stephenson is more consistent, and even if he doesn't hit 35 FP, he should be somewhat close. Stephenson also fills out the stat sheet as well. He averages over seven boards per game, and shoots over 50% from the field, where as Nelson is only at 39%.

Play - Stephenson

Centers: Nikola Vucevic, Magic ($17,484) vs. Al Jefferson, Bobcats ($16,114)

Vukevic has been one of the top DFS centers since he has come back from injury, and he has seen his price skyrocket. He has a juicy matchup against the 76ers as well today, but 44 FP might be stretching his limit, just a bit. Vukevic should have no problem getting a double-double, but I think he will be about 10 points overvalued today. I'll pass.

On the other hand, Jefferson has a very good matchup today against OKC. Jefferson has cooled off a bit only scoring 36 FP combined in his last two games. Jefferson only needs to hit around 40 FP today for value, and I think he does more than that. Jefferson is a start in all formats today for me.

Play - Jefferson

Forwards: Elton Brand, Hawks ($12,072) vs. Markieff Morris, Suns ($12,562)

Brand gets at least one more game without Paul Millsap in the lineup to wreak havoc down low. That being said, Brand's salary has risen by over $2,000 in the past few days. He is no longer the value play at $9,500 where he only needs to get 23 FP. He is bumped up to $12,000 where he will need 30 FP to hit value. Brand even with the salary increase is worth a shot today.

Morris comes off the bench, but he plays starter minutes basically. Atlanta struggles against opposing PFs so I expect Morris to be a guy who has a great shot to have a big night that won't cost you that much.

Play - Both

Best of Luck Today!

Put Sean's advice to use in a DraftStreet league for tonight's games.

If you play in full-season leagues, check out our site's 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 (March 2nd): 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 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 2nd) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder (vs. CHA), $7,400: In his past two games, Westbrook has seen his minutes increase to roughly 30 per game. In those two outings, he has scored at least 37.4 fantasy points and today he has an extremely favorable matchup. Only the Trail Blazers have allowed more fantasy points to opposing point guards than the Bobcats over the past 15 days.

PG - Jeff Teague, Atlanta Hawks (at PHO), $6,000: With Paul Millsap (knee) out for at least one more game, Teague should continue to be aggressive on the offensive end. In his past three games, he has scored at least 26 points (and 33.6 fantasy points) in each game.

PG - Jameer Nelson, Orlando Magic (vs. PHI), $5,900: Against the Sixers on Feb. 26th, Nelson, who played his college ball in Philly, had 43.2 fantasy points as he posted a double-double (16 points and 12 assists) and added six rebounds. Will it be deja vu all over again?

SG - Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs (vs. DAL), $4,500: In his past two games, Ginobili has averaged 15.5 points, 7.0 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.5 steals. Even though the Mavs have been second-best in limiting fantasy points to opposing shooting guards over the past 15 days, Ginobili is a virtual lock for 25'ish points at the relatively modest cost of $4,500.

SG - James Anderson, Philadelphia 76ers (at ORL), $4,400: Only five teams have allowed more fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season than the Magic. Anderson has more than 20 fantasy points in two of his past three games.

SF - Mike Dunleavy, Chicago Bulls (vs. NYK), $5,300: Over his past three games, Dunleavy has averaged 32.8 fantasy points per game. During that stretch, he has averaged 17.67 points, 6.67 boards, 3.67 assists and 1.0 steal per game.

SF - Maurice Harkless, Orlando Magic (vs. PHI), $4,400: With 30-something minutes per night over his past three outings, Harkless has been relatively productive with a minimum of 22.1 fantasy points during that stretch. With the 76ers coming to town today, Harkless may improve upon those numbers (although that low of 22.1 fantasy points was against Philly on Wednesday).

PF - Markieff Morris, Phoenix Suns (vs. ATL), $5,700: With the exception of a 23-minute night against the Jazz on Wednesday, Morris has scored 31.6 or more fantasy points in four of his past five games. During that five-game span, Morris has averaged 19.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.0 block and 1.2 steals. Not only have the Hawks allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing four's over the past 15 days, but Millsap will miss at least one more game as noted earlier.

PF - Amir Johnson, Toronto Raptors (vs. GS), $5,100: Since missing two games before the All-Star break, Johnson has scored at 22 fantasy points in all six games after the break.

C - Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic (vs. PHI), $7,300: Vucevic played only 23 minutes last night, but he finished with his third consecutive double-double (18 points, 10 rebounds). During that span, he has averaged 40.47 fantasy points per game that included 47.6 against the Sixers on Wednesday. Vucevic has now scored at least 30 fantasy points in eight of his past nine games.

C - Kyle O'Quinn, Orlando Magic (vs. PHI), $4,500: Despite playing only 22 minutes last night, O'Quinn also had a double-double (14 points, 15 rebounds) against the Heat. In fact, he hasn't played more than 24 minutes in any of his past four games, but he has scored 24-plus fantasy points in three of those games. In his past four games, he is averaging 9.0 points, 8.25 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.25 blocks and 1.0 steals per game.

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

If you play in full-season leagues, check out my rest-of-season Fantasy NBA rankings.

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

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire (February 23rd Update)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

* DraftKings: Play Daily Fantasy Sports and get a 100-percent bonus (up to $600) on your initial deposit.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Keep track of our updates by following us on social media: Twitter - Facebook - Google+