Daily Fantasy Basketball: FanDuel Values for March 15th

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

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

For FanDuel leagues, rosters consist of nine players and the salary cap is $60,000, which averages to roughly $6,667 per player. To give you an idea of the range for Saturday's games, Knicks PF Carmelo Anthony ($10,300) has the contest's highest salary while many are tied for the lowest at the game-minimum salary ($3,500).

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

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

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

OK, with the preliminary stuff out of the way, here are some value plays to consider for Saturday (March 15th) FanDuel leagues:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Daily Fantasy Basketball (March 2nd): DraftKings Bargains

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 ($11,300) 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 Sunday (March 2nd) DraftKings leagues:

PG/SG - Victor Oladipo, Orlando Magic (vs. PHI), $6,900: With eligibility at either guard spot in DraftKings leagues, Oladipo is only the 10th-highest priced point guard-eligible player. Despite an off game against the Heat last night, Oladipo racked up 40.25 fantasy points against the Sixers on Wednesday with 17 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block.

PG - Jose Calderon, Dallas Mavericks (at SAS), $5,600: Over his past five games, Calderon has averaged 12.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game. Although Tony Parker is expected back today, the Spurs have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season.

PG - Tony Wroten, Philadelphia 76ers (at ORL), $4,700: Wroten has gone to the free-throw line at least nine times in three of his past four games. During that four-game stretch, Wroten has scored 18.5 points and averaged 28.0 fantasy points per game in DraftKings formats.

PG/SG - Reggie Jackson, Oklahoma City Thunder (vs. CHA), $5,100: With Thabo Sefalosha (calf) out on Sunday, Jackson should see an uptick in minutes. Sefalosha left Friday's game early and Jackson played 34 minutes. Especially so in FanDuel leagues, where his salary ($7,400) is $900 less than what it is in DraftKings' contests ($8,300), I really like Russell Westbrook today. That said, I could see the potential of Westbrook playing less than his normal amount of minutes in what could turn out to be a blowout against the Bobcats as well. Based on odds from Sportsbook.com, the Thunder are nearly double-digit favorites over the Bobcats.

SG/SF - Mike Dunleavy, Chicago Bulls (vs. NYK), $5,300: Over his past three games, Dunleavy has averaged 35.8 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.

SG/SF - Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs (vs. DAL), $5,200: Especially due to his defensive stats, Leonard has had two productive outings in a row since missing 14 straight games. With 36.0 and 33.0 fantasy points against the Pistons and Bobcats, respectively, Leonard had a total of five steals and four blocks in those two games in addition to 27 points, 14 rebounds and five assists.

SG/SF - 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 at least 25 fantasy points in two of his past three games.

SF - Maurice Harkless, Orlando Magic (vs. PHI), $3,600: With 30-something minutes per night over his past three outings, Harkless has been relatively productive with a minimum of 23.75 fantasy points during that stretch. With the 76ers coming to town today, Harkless may improve upon those numbers (although that low of 23.75 fantasy points was against Philly on Wednesday).

SF/PF - DeMarre Carroll, Atlanta Hawks (at PHO), $5,100: In his past three games, Carroll has played 34-plus minutes per game and has knocked down nine of 18 three-point attempts. Carroll has 37-plus fantasy points in two of those three games.

PF/C - Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic (vs. PHI), $7,800: 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 43.08 fantasy points per game that included 49.75 against the Sixers on Wednesday. Vucevic has now scored at least 33 fantasy points in eight of his past nine games.

PF/C - Elton Brand, Atlanta Hawks (at PHO), $5,200: With Paul Millsap out again on Sunday, the good times may continue to roll for Brand. Brand has at least 34.25 fantasy points in back-to-back games and he has averaged 8.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 3.5 blocks and 1.5 steals in those two games.

PF/C - Kyle O'Quinn, Orlando Magic (vs. PHI), $4,100: 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.

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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 (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.

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Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire (January 12th Update)

The fourth overall pick in the NBA Draft 10 years ago, Shaun Livingston has never lived up to his potential and hype in large part due to injuries.

Since being drafted straight out of high school in 2004, Livingston has bounced around from franchise to franchise as the Brooklyn Nets are his eighth team.

While he has averaged just 6.8 points and 3.4 assists per game over his career, he has been a major contributor recently with Deron Williams (ankles) out of the Nets' lineup.

“I’ve been in some rough places, especially after my injury [in 2007], but that’s a long time ago. And there were a lot of different thoughts, but those doubts kind of turned to faith. My family, everybody that’s been in my corner, God, it’s brought me a long way,” Livingston said per Mike Mazzeo of ESPN New York.

With or without Williams in the lineup, however, Livingston has played at least 30 minutes in every game this month. Livingston has been a solid contributor in multiple categories, especially on defense: 10.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.2 blocks per game this month.

According to Tim Bontemps of the New York Post, it appears likely that Williams will not make the team's trip to London and miss another week.

Even when Williams returns to the starting lineup, Livingston should continue to be involved in the team's rotation and he's currently available in nearly 90 percent of Yahoo! leagues. With a rash of injuries at the point guard spot this year (Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Jrue Holiday, etc.), Livingston can probably help many fantasy owners in need.

That said, if you play in leagues that allow lineup changes only weekly, please note that Livingston and the Nets play only one game this week.

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

PG - Kendall Marshall, Los Angeles Lakers (owned in 48 percent of Yahoo! leagues): With multiple injuries in the Lakers' backcourt, Marshall has run with his opportunity. So far this month, Marshall is averaging 13.6 points, 11.2 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game.

PG - Brian Roberts, New Orleans Pelicans (16 percent): The injury to Jrue Holiday (stress fracture) means starter minutes for Roberts at the point for at least a month's time, if not longer. Roberts shot only 2-of-10 from the field Saturday night, but he added eight assists and two steals in 31 minutes as well.

PG/SG - Randy Foye, Denver Nuggets (46 percent): Foye has averaged 17.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game this month. In addition, Foye has knocked down 20 three-pointers in his past five games.

PG/SG - Shaun Livingston, Brooklyn Nets (11 percent): See above.

SG - Jodie Meeks, Los Angeles Lakers (44 percent): Meeks is averaging nearly 20 points (19.7) per game this month. Launching a career-high 5.3 treys per game this season, Meeks ranks 14th in the Association in three-pointers made (76).

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SG/SF - Gerald Green, Phoenix Suns (50 percent): Green is averaging 14.8 points, 2.2 treys and 1.7 steals per game this month. With Eric Bledsoe (knee) sidelined for a while (and possibly the rest of the season), Green will continue to get starter's minutes.

SG/SF - Iman Shumpert, New York Knicks (30 percent): After scoring more than 25 points in back-to-back games to start the month, Shumpert has averaged only 8.25 PPG over his past four games. Even so, he has also averaged 1.75 three-pointers, 7.0 rebounds and 2.25 steals per game during that four-game stretch as well.

SG/SF - Mike Dunleavy, Chicago Bulls (27 percent): With Luol Deng now in Cleveland, Dunleavy should get plenty of opportunities to contribute for fantasy owners. Dunleavy has averaged 17.5 points, 2.0 three-pointers and 5.0 rebounds in his past two games.

SG/SF - Terrence Ross, Toronto Raptors (26 percent): Ross is currently averaging 12.3 points, 2.8 three-pointers, 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game this month.

SG/SF - Jeremy Lamb, Oklahoma City Thunder (15 percent): The 12th overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft, Lamb is getting many more minutes this year (21.7 per game) than he got as a rookie (6.4 MPG). In addition, his playing time has increased each month from 20.2 MPG (Nov.) to 21.9 MPG (Dec.) to 25.2 MPG (Jan.). Not great in any category, Lamb has contributed across the board with the following averages this month: 10.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 three-pointers, 1.0 steals and 0.8 blocks.

SG/SF - James Anderson, Philadelphia 76ers (eight percent): Someone to consider in deeper leagues, Anderson has returned to the Sixers' starting lineup. Over his past four games, he is averaging 14.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 0.75 blocks per game.

SF/PF - Terrence Jones, Houston Rockets (47 percent): In four games this month, Jones is averaging nearly 30 minutes per game and a double-double: 11.5 points and 11.75 rebounds per game.

PF - Kris Humphries, Boston Celtics (38 percent): If you need rebounding or blocks, Humphries is averaging 10.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.0 steal and 2.3 blocks per game this month.

PF/C - Jared Sullinger, Boston Celtics (40 percent): After playing less than 20 minutes in three consecutive games, Sullinger has posted back-to-back double-doubles with 32 and 28 minutes, respectively. He now has double-doubles in all four games this month that he has played more than 20 minutes.

PF/C - Patrick Patterson, Toronto Raptors (seven percent): Patterson's minutes have fluctuated a bit this month, but he is averaging 14.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.2 three's and 1.0 blocks per game over his past five games played.

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

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