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)

More of our content:

• ROS Fantasy Basketball Rankings
• 2015 NBA Mock Draft
• 2015 NFL Mock Draft

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Consensus NBA Power Rankings, Week 22

As Yogi Berra once said, it's been "deja vu all over again" for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Losing to the Bulls on Saturday, the 76ers extended their franchise-worst losing streak to 24 games. The previous club record was set more than 40 years ago when the Sixers lost 20 consecutive games in the 1972-73 season.

Not only are the Sixers tied with the Cavs for the second-longest losing streak in NBA history, but the 2010-11 LeBron James-less Cavs squad set the NBA record of 26 straight losses.

Up next for the Sixers are two difficult road matchups against the Spurs (on Monday) and Rockets (on Thursday). If (or should I say when?) the Sixers lose those two games, they will tie the record.

After that point, they have a couple of winnable (or at least, less difficult) games against the Pistons, Hawks, Bobcats and Celtics. All four of those teams have losing records.

As the Sixers continue to tank lose, the obvious goal is to accumulate more ping-pong balls for the lottery and the opportunity to get a stud like Joel Embiid, Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker in June's NBA Draft. And since they traded Jrue Holiday to the Pelicans last year, the Sixers have two first-rounders in such a highly-touted draft class this year.

[Related: 2014 NBA Mock Draft - 2014 NBA Mock Draft Database]

With the opportunity to rebuild their roster with a couple of lottery picks this year, the Sixers actually have had success with their two lottery picks last year.

Point guard Michael Carter-Williams could possibly win the NBA Rookie of the Year award this year. And while Nerlens Noel has yet to play this season as he recovers from his torn ACL injury, coach Brett Brown has lofty expectations for Noel as he recently compared him to Chicago's Joakim Noah.

“Every time I see Joakim, I hope I’m seeing what we get in Nerlens,” Brown said (via CSN Chicago). “He’s one of the prime examples that I point to as we try to groom a young player.”

Of course, he's not Noah yet, but as a Sixers fan, I'd be thrilled to see Noel develop into a player that is close to what Noah brings to the Bulls.

- Check out our 2013-14 NBA Power Rankings for Week 22

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Daily Fantasy Basketball: FanDuel Values for March 12th

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 Wednesday's games, Heat SF LeBron James ($11,100) 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 Wednesday (March 12th) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Michael Carter-Williams, Philadelphia 76ers (vs. SAC), $7,100: Only the 13th-highest priced point guard, MCW had a triple-double on Monday against the Knicks. While he may not score 53.6 fantasy points again on Wednesday, he has a favorable matchup against the Kings, who have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season.

PG - Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzlies (at NO), $6,600: Conley has scored 30-plus fantasy points in five of his past six games although the exception was a 4.1-point outing against the Nets on March 5th. That said, Conley has a favorable matchup tonight against the Pelicans, who have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to point guards.

PG - Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs (vs. POR), $6,600: Like Carter-Williams and Conley, Parker is another option in the mid-tier price range of talented point guards with favorable matchups. In fact, Parker's matchup is more favorable as the Blazers have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season. While Parker has 35-plus fantasy points in back-to-back outings, I do worry about his playing time since he is playing on back-to-back nights and the last thing Pop cares about is your/my fantasy team(s).

PG - Darren Collison, Los Angeles Clippers (vs. GS), $5,900: With Jamal Crawford playing 10 minutes in his return and then sitting out on Monday, the hope for Collison from a fantasy perspectivie is that Crawford misses another game. In his past six games, Collison is averaging 18.0 points, 4.0 assists, 2.33 rebounds and 1.83 steals (and 28.97 fantasy points) per game.

PG - Tony Wroten, Philadelphia 76ers (vs. SAC), $5,600: Wroten has averaged 26.5 (real) points and 33.1 (fantasy) points per game in his past two games. As noted earlier, the Sixers have a favorable matchup tonight and it wouldn't surprise me if Wroten has a similar outing to his average(s) over his past couple of games.

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SG - Alec Burks, Utah Jazz (vs. DAL), $5,300: The matchup is middle of the pack, but Burks has been extremely consistent with at least 23.4 fantasy points in four consecutive games. During that four-game span, Burks has averaged 17.0 points, 3.0 assists, 2.75 rebounds and 1.25 steals per game.

SG - Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs (vs. POR), $4,800: It's unclear if Danny Green (wrist) will play tonight after getting only 10 minutes last night. Considering Manu got only 21 minutes last night, I'm not sure how much it matters when it comes to Ginobili, who still managed to score 22 points last night. In his past two games, he is averaging 23.0 points (and 30.5 fantasy points) per game.

SG - James Anderson, Philadelphia 76ers (vs. SAC), $4,500: In his past three games, Anderson has averaged 17.67 points, 3.33 rebounds, 2.0 assists and a steal per game. During that stretch, his fantasy production has been consistent: 24.9 to 25.9 in each game. With a favorable matchup tonight against the Kings, who allow the third-most fantasy points to SGs, perhaps Anderson breaks above that range tonight.

SG - Ben McLemore, Sacramento Kings (at PHI), $3,600: Despite scoring less than 20 fantasy points in seven consecutive games and only reaching double digits three times during that span, it is never a bad idea to start players facing the Sixers. And with a salary only $100 above the game minimum, the potential reward exceeds the risk.

SF - Matt Barnes, Los Angeles Clippers (vs. GS), $5,700: Unlike guards and power forwards, there are fewer modestly- or low-priced small forwards that I like for tonight. While he hasn't been as productive in his past two games (23.5 FPPG) as he was in the previous three games (38.77 FPPG), Barnes is a lock for at least 20 fantasy points with upside for more. In his past five games, he has averaged 17.8 points, 6.8 boards, 3.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.6 blocks per game.

SF - Maurice Harkless, Orlando Magic (vs. DEN), $4,800: Harkless has played 30-plus minutes and has scored 22-plus fantasy points in seven consecutive games, but there is a chance that streak ends with guys Victor Oladipo and Arron Afflalo back from injury. With a modest cost, he's still worth consideration. Over his past seven games, he has averaged 14.29 points, 4.86 rebounds, 1.86 steals and a block per game. The Nuggets have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards this season.

SF - Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors (at LAC), $4,400: Green played a five-game low of 18 minutes last night, but he has scored 21.7-plus fantasy points in four of his past five games.

PF - Zach Randolph, Memphis Grizzlies (at NO), $7,000: With 10 power forwards priced higher, ZBo is an excellent option as a mid-priced player. Averaging a double-double (17.1 points and 10.3 boards) on the season, Randolph has a favorable matchup against the Pelicans, who have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing four's this season.

PF - Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets (at ORL), $6,900: The Manimal had a relatively quiet night in his last outing — 15 points and nine boards for 24.8 fantasy points. In his previous five games, however, he averaged 36.90 fantasy points with 20.21 points, 9.64 rebounds and 1.31 blocks per game. The Magic have allowed the 11th-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season.

PF - Derrick Favors, Utah Jazz (vs. DAL), $6,100: Only seven teams have allowed more fantasy points to opposing power forwards than the Mavs have. After a three-game slump averaging 13.63 fantasy points per game, Favors has bounced back with solid outings in back-to-back games. With 33.8 fantasy points per game in those two performances, Favors has averaged 14.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.5 steals per game.

PF - Amar'e Stoudemire, New York Knicks (at BOS), $5,200: Over his past five games, Stoudemire is averaging 18.0 points, 6.6 boards and 1.4 blocks per game. In four of those five games, he has scored at least 29.2 fantasy points. With Tyson Chandler (personal reasons) missing a second consecutive game, Stoudemire is a worthwhile option in Fanduel leagues.

*** Note: Stoudemire won't play tonight and obviously shouldn't be in any of your lineups. ***

PF - Amir Johnson, Toronto Raptors (vs. DET), $5,200: Johnson is coming off a huge fantasy performance with 16 points, five rebounds, four blocks, two steals and two assists for 36.0 points. Johnson has scored more than 20 fantasy points in each of his past 10 games. With Patrick Patterson out for roughly a week, Johnson is in line for another quality outing.

PF - Marcus Morris, Phoenix Suns (vs. CLE), $4,100: After playing more than 25 minutes only one in his previous seven games, Morris has played at least 29 minutes in three consecutive games. With P.J. Tucker (suspension) out, it's likely that Morris extends the streak to four games. That said, he has scored less than 20 fantasy points in back-to-back games.

PF - Reggie Evans, Sacramento Kings (at PHI), $3,800: An effort guy, Evans gets to face his former team, or I should say one of his former teams, tonight. Evans has at least eight rebounds in seven of his past eight games and he has five steals in the past two games.

C - Marcin Gortat, Washington Wizards (vs. CHA), $6,900: The Polish Hammer is an underrated option at center and if you disagree, he'll knock you out. All (bad) jokes aside, Gortat had a big game on Monday against the Heat with 14 points and 18 rebounds plus four assists. Gortat gets another favorable matchup against the Bobcats tonight.

C - Andrew Bogut, Golden State Warriors (at LAC), $5,900: Bogut played 30 minutes, a five-game high, last night and finished with a double-double (15 points, 10 rebounds) while scoring 29.5 fantasy points. Other than a 14-minute outing against the Suns on Sunday, Bogut has scored at least 28.6 fantasy points in three of his past four games. The Clippers have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season.

C - Kyle O'Quinn, Orlando Magic (vs. DEN), $4,700: Even though he has started two games in a row, O'Quinn has played between 16 and 22 minutes in his past five games. That said, he has still performed well with more than 20 fantasy points in all five games despite the modest minutes. Denver has allowed the third-most and fourth-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards and centers, respectively.

C - Miles Plumlee, Phoenix Suns (vs. CLE), $3,900: In his second game back following a two-game absence, Plumlee played 26 minutes and scored just as many fantasy points (26.8). He missed a double-double by one rebound (12 points, nine boards) and added two blocks.

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For those that play in DraftKings leagues, check out my values post from earlier today.

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Michael Carter-Williams posts triple-double in loss

If you're a Sixers' fan, like I am, tonight's game was a win-win (so to speak).

The second of the team's two first-round picks in 2013, Michael Carter-Williams, posted his second career triple-double and the team lost its 17th consecutive game.

Of course, I'd prefer for the Sixers to be the best team in the league, but as opposed the long period of mediocrity, I'd prefer for them to be awful and load up on the ping-pong balls for the lottery.

[As bad as the Sixers have been, the Bucks are still ranked lower in our consensus NBA power rankings.]

MCW finished tonight's loss to the Knicks with 23 points, a career-high 13 rebounds and 10 assists and added a pair of steals as well.

On the season, the rookie point guard from Syracuse is averaging 16.86 points, 5.55 rebounds, 6.33 assists and 2.04 steals per game.

Consensus NBA Power Rankings, Week 12

Even though the Sixers are 13 games under .500, they are only three games out of the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference standings.

Losing their first game of the (calendar) year, the Nets currently occupy the No. 8 spot with a 15-22 record.

With a couple of draft picks in the first round this past year, the Sixers used their picks wisely. Not only did they draft Nerlens Noel, who could have been the No. 1 overall pick despite his knee injury, they landed the guy most likely to win NBA Rookie of the Year in Michael Carter-Williams.

Through Sunday's games, MCW leads all rookies in scoring (17.5 points per game), rebounding (5.8 per game), assists (7.0 per game) and steals (2.7 per game). Not only does he rank in the top 10 among all players in assists, but he currently leads the NBA in steals although Ricky Rubio (2.67) is close.

Back on Dec. 3rd, Carter-Williams had a triple-double (27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists), but he missed a quadruple-double in his first-ever game by one steal and three rebounds.

Aside from MCW, there are two other rookies averaging at least 10 points per game: Utah's Trey Burke (13.2) and Orlando's Victor Oladipo (13.2).

Although the Milwaukee Bucks (7-29) are the consensus worst team in the league, their three teams all rank as the next worst teams: Utah (27th), Philadelphia (28th) and Orlando (29th). The Jazz, 76ers and Magic are a combined 34-78 through Sunday.

Once again, the Pacers sit atop our consensus NBA power rankings, but three different teams received No. 1 votes. Both the Heat and Spurs also received first-place votes in this week's rankings.

- See our full 2013-14 NBA Power Rankings for Week 12 here

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2013-14 Consensus NBA Power Rankings, Week 2

Perhaps the biggest surprise in through the first week of the NBA season is the perfect start for the Philadelphia 76ers.

As the nearly unanimous choice as the worst team in the league in our initial Power Rankings going into the season, the Sixers have begun the season 3-0.

And not only have they started the season with a perfect record, but they have knocked off a couple of the elite Eastern Conference teams including the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls.

Small forward Evan Turner leads the team in scoring with 23.0 points per game and the team currently ranks fifth in the league in scoring.

In addition, rookie Michael Carter-Williams is off to an incredible start.  MCW is averaging 20.3 points and 9.0 assists per game in addition to leading the NBA in steals with 4.33 per game.

In his first ever regular-season game, he missed a triple-double by just one steal: 22 points, 12 assists and nine steals.

As we head into Week 2 of the NBA season, the Sixers have moved up to No. 11 into our NBA Power Rankings.

In addition to the 76ers moving up, the Heat have dropped out of the top spot after getting off to a 2-2 start although two of our rankers (including me) still have them at the top spot.

See our full Week 2 NBA Power Rankings here.