Fantasy NBA DraftKings DFS Values (Feb. 5)

In tonight's four-game slate, one of those games is not like the other. All four games are projected to be fairly close (five-point spreads or less), but three of the four games have an over-under of 207 points or more. The other, Hornets vs. Wizards, has an over-under of 186.5 points.

There are a few decent plays in the expected low-scoring affair, but in general, I'll look to roster mostly players from the three higher-scoring games.

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With that said, here are my favorite DraftKings values ($6,500 salary or less) for Thursday's NBA games:

PG - J.J. Barea, Dallas Mavericks (at SAC), $3,400: Once again, Barea will draw the start and he has scored at least 23 fantasy points in back-to-back starts with Rajon Rondo sidelined. In order to reach 6x tonight's salary, Barea needs to score only 20.4 fantasy points and he should do that fairly easily. Not only have the Kings have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season, but only the Trail Blazers are projected to score more points tonight than the Mavs based on Vegas odds.

Others to consider: Darren Collison, Sacramento Kings ($6,500); Goran Dragic, Phoenix Suns ($6,100); Isaiah Thomas, Phoenix Suns ($5,400); Devin Harris, Dallas Mavericks ($3,900)

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SG - Jamal Crawford, Los Angeles Clippers (at CLE), $5,000: As J.J. Redick deals with back spasms and is expected to miss another game, Crawford should get another start. Although he made less than one-third of his 22 (yes, 22!) shot attempts on Monday, Crawford scored 30.25 fantasy points in 37 minutes against the Nets. Crawford has played 30-plus minutes in three of his past five games and has scored at least 30 fantasy points in all three of those 30-minute games.

Others to consider: Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards ($6,000); Wesley Matthews, Portland Trail Blazers ($6,000); Ben McLemore, Sacramento Kings ($3,900)

SF - Nicolas Batum, Portland Trail Blazers (vs. PHO), $5,000: I considered going back to the well here with Chandler Parsons, my small forward value pick from yesterday, but I like Batum as much tonight. As noted earlier, the Blazers are projected to score the most points tonight and the Suns have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards this season. Batum made just two-of-seven shots on Tuesday yet finished with 34.5 fantasy points as he added eight rebounds, six assists, two blocks and a steal. And without LaMarcus Aldridge in the lineup, Batum went off for 52.5 fantasy points against the Suns just a couple of weeks ago. I don't expect another 50-point game against the Suns, but Batum's ability to rack up multiple statistical categories give him a strong chance to exceed value.

Others to consider: Chandler Parsons, Dallas Mavericks ($5,700); Matt Barnes, Los Angeles Clippers ($4,200)

PF - Brandan Wright, Phoenix Suns (at POR), $3,000: Wright lacks upside as he has played only 17, 19, 19 and 22 minutes over his past four games, respectively. That said, the efficient Wright has a solid floor -- minimum of 16.0 fantasy points over those four games with an average of 19.5 per game over that four-game span -- to make him a viable punt option at the position at the contest-minimum salary.

Others to consider: Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks ($6,200); Markieff Morris, Phoenix Suns ($5,900); Cody Zeller, Charlotte Hornets ($5,300)

C - Timofey Mozgov, Cleveland Cavaliers (vs. LAC), $5,200: Mozgov has at least 21 fantasy points in eight of his past nine games and has averaged 27.81 per game (5.35x tonight's salary) over that nine-game span. Over that stretch, Mozgov has averaged 10.66 points, 8.78 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 0.78 steals per game with four double-doubles. In addition, the Clippers have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season.

Others to consider: Tyson Chandler, Dallas Mavericks ($6,400); Marcin Gortat, Washington Wizards ($5,000); Robin Lopez, Portland Trail Blazers ($4,400); Alex Len, Phoenix Suns ($3,200)

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Fantasy NBA DraftKings DFS Values (Jan. 22nd)

To fit higher-priced studs into your DFS lineups, it's important to identify lower-priced options to provide some salary-cap relief.

In our DraftKings value posts, we will highlight players with salaries of $6,500 or less. The average salary of their $50,000 cap is $6,250 so the vast majority of the players referenced below are priced below the average salary.

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With that said, here are some DraftKings values for Thursday's NBA games:

PG - Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs (at CHI), $5,800: Against the Nuggets on Tuesday, Parker had 18 points, seven assists and four rebounds to score 33.5 fantasy points. He now has 33 fantasy points in two of his past three games. The Spurs are projected to score the third-most points tonight behind the Clippers and Blazers, but their matchup has the lowest point spread (-5) of the night so hopefully the game stays close and Parker sees a full allotment of minutes.

PG - Jarrett Jack, Brooklyn Nets (at LAC), $6,200: The matchup against Chris Paul is far from favorable as the Clippers allow the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing point guards. In his past three games, Jack has scored 49.5, 38.5 and 35.5 fantasy points, respectively, and he's averaging 21.3 points, 7.7 assists and 1.7 steals during that span. In addition, Jack has averaged more than 37 minutes per game over his past nine games and Deron Williams (ribs) will miss tonight's game.

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SG - Wesley Matthews, Portland Trail Blazers (vs. BOS), $5,700: With LaMarcus Aldridge (and Robin Lopez) out, Matthews will continue to shoulder more of the offensive load. Matthews now has 17-plus shot attempts in each of his past three games and has averaged 33.42 fantasy points per game during that stretch. That said, Avery Bradley is one of the league's best on-ball defenders, but it's possible he guards Damian Lillard instead of Matthews.

SG - Joe Johnson, Brooklyn Nets (at LAC), $6,000: Averaging more than 38 points per game over his past 12 games, Johnson broke out of a six-game slump (23.75 FPPG) with 31.75 and 34.5 fantasy points in his two most recent games. In his past 21 games, Johnson has as many games (two) with 40-plus fantasy points as he has with less than 20 fantasy points (two) and has averaged slightly more than 30 fantasy points during that span.

SG - Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (vs. UTA), $5,200: The Alphabet has played 32 minutes in back-to-back games with 25 fantasy points in each game. Given Jason Kidd's rotations and allotment of minutes, it's hard to trust any Buck not named Brandon Knight to get consistent minutes. But he should be able to reach 5x value if he gets 32 minutes once again and he has 40-point upside considering his stat-stuffing nature of his game. If you play The Greek Freak, however, I'd stick with GPPs over cash games.

SF - Nicolas Batum, Portland Trail Blazers (vs. BOS), $5,300: Breaking out of his slump, Batum scored a season-most 52.5 fantasy points last night after scoring no more than 38.5 in his first 36 games this season. In fact, he had just 67.25 fantasy points in his past four games combined. Knocking down six of eight three-pointers last night, Batum scored 27 points and added 10 rebounds, five assists and a block. It would be unrealistic to expect a repeat performance, but the injury to LMA should continue to lead to increased offensive opportunities for Batum, who does a lot more than just score.

SF - Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks (vs. UTA), $5,100: Over his past nine games, Middleton has scored a minimum of 21 fantasy points and averaged 27.42 per game. Before that, however, he had a couple of games with seven or less fantasy points in a six-game stretch. That said, Middleton has averaged 11.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 steals over that nine-game stretch. Until Kidd pulls the rug from under us, Middleton appears safe.

SF - Dorell Wright, Portland Trail Blazers (vs. BOS), $3,000: Getting the start in place of Aldridge at power forward, Wright is a minimum-salary option at SF. Wright played (and fouled out in) nearly 35 minutes and finished with 30.75 fantasy points. Wright scored 15 points and added five assists, three rebounds and two steals and was three-of-six from behind the arc. Like with Batum, I wouldn't expect a repeat of last night's production, but he's certainly a viable punt option.

PF - Taj Gibson, Chicago Bulls (vs. SA), $6,100: With Joakim Noah listed as doubtful for tonight's game, Gibson should once again get a heavy dose of minutes as is typical when Noah or Pau Gasol is out. Averaging close to 40 minutes in his past three games, Gibson has averaged 10.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game during that span.

PF - Ersan Ilyasova, Milwaukee Bucks (vs. UTA), $3,700: After playing 12 and 22 minutes in his first two games of the month, Ilyasova is expected to move into the starting lineup for tonight's game. In the past eight games that the oft-injured Ilyasova has played 20-plus minutes, he has scored a minimum of 21.75 fantasy points and averaged 26.78 fantasy points. At his price point, he should easily reach value given starter's minutes.

C - Brook Lopez, Brooklyn Nets (at LAC), $6,400: Over his past three games, Lopez has averaged 35.5 fantasy points as well as 21.0 (real) points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 1.0 steal per game. In addition, Lopez has been getting to the line with 7.0 made free throws per game over that stretch. Meanwhile, the Clippers have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season.

C - Enes Kanter, Utah Jazz (at MIL), $5,900: Starting and playing 33 minutes, Kanter had a monster 24/17 double-double last night and finished a fraction shy of 50 fantasy points. Meanwhile, Rudy Gobert played less than 20 minutes. With starter's minutes, Kanter should be able to reach value tonight.

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Daily Fantasy Basketball: FanDuel Values for March 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 Wednesday'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 Wednesday (March 5th) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Jeff Teague, Atlanta Hawks (at POR), $6,700: In his past four games, Teague has scored at least 26 points and 33.6 fantasy points per game. In his most recent game, Teague scored 29 points and added nine assists, six boards, two steals and a block for 52.7 fantasy points. It's unclear if Paul Millsap (knee) will play tonight and if he does, Teague may score fewer points, but he's a solid value as the 13th-highest priced point guard for tonight's games. Only the 76ers have allowed more fantasy points to opposing point guards this season than the Blazers.

PG - George Hill, Indiana Pacers (at CHA), $4,700: Hill returned to the court last night after missing two games and he gets a favorable matchup tonight against the Bobcats. Over the past 15 days, the Bobcats have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards.

PG - Will Bynum, Detroit Pistons (vs. CHI), $4,600: While I'd like to see Bynum get more minutes, he's been productive with the time he's getting. In 18 minutes against the Knicks on Monday, Bynum scored 16 points and added three rebounds, three assists and three steals for 27.1 fantasy points. In his past three games, he has averaged 15.33 points, 5.67 assists and 1.67 steals per game despite the modest playing time.

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SG - Vince Carter, Dallas Mavericks (at DEN), $5,800: Over his past five games, Carter has scored more than 30 fantasy points four times. During that run, he has averaged 18.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. The Nuggets have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season.

SG - Kevin Martin, Minnesota Timberwolves (vs. NYK), $5,800: After a multi-game absence due to his thumb injury, Martin is averaging 24.0 points per game since returning. While he's primarily a one-category (points) producer, Martin has 25.4 and 36.8 fantasy points in his two games back. In addition, the Knicks have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to shooting guards this year.

SG - Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (vs. SAC), $4,300: While the rookie from Greece has been a little inconsistent with his fantasy production, he has scored 26-plus fantasy points in four of his past seven games. During that seven-game span, Antetokounmpo has averaged 23.83 fantasy points per game. The Kings have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing SGs this season.

(As great as Paul George has been playing, it's hard to keep him out of my lineups tonight. At a reasonable price for a stud player ($8,900), George has scored at least 37 fantasy points in eight consecutive games and he has 41.4-plus in five of those games including 49.4 last night. With the Bobcats allowing LeBron to score 61 on Monday, George should be in for a big night.)

SF - Nicolas Batum, Portland Trail Blazers (vs. ATL), $6,900: While his price has crept up slightly, he's still pricely barely above the average cost of a starter ($6,667). Batum has appeared in many of these FanDuel posts as a multi-category stat stuffer. In his past five games, Batum has scored a minimum of 30.7 fantasy points in each game and has averaged 38.52 per game. Over that stretch, Batum has averaged 16.6 points, 10.6 boards, 4.8 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals. The Hawks have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards this season.

SF - Wilson Chandler, Denver Nuggets (vs. DAL), $5,200: After missing a game against the Nets, Chandler has been solid in his two games back including a double-double (25 points, 10 rebounds) on Monday. The Mavs are in the bottom third in the league at limiting fantasy points to opposing small forwards.

SF - Maurice Harkless, Orlando Magic (vs. HOU), $4,400: Harkless has been inconsistent this season overall, but he has been consistently productive in his past four games. Since Feb. 25th, Harkless has played more than 30 minutes per game and averaged 14.75 points, 4.5 boards, 1.25 blocks and 1.0 steals per game. He has scored between 22.1 and 29.7 fantasy points in each of those four games and gets a solid matchup against the Rockets (19th at defending small forwards this season).

PF - Andray Blatche, Brooklyn Nets (vs. MEM), $5,100: It's unclear whether or not Kevin Garnett (back spasms) will play tonight, but Blatche has been productive for three consecutive games with 29.3, 45.6 and 26.5 fantasy points, respectively. The matchup against the Grizzlies isn't great so I like Blatche assuming KG is out. Otherwise, I'd definitely look for a different option to pair with Kevin Love, who is a must-start in daily formats.

PF - Brandon Bass, Boston Celtics (vs. GS), $4,600: Bass has scored at least 23 fantasy points in three consecutive games and in five of his past six games. The minutes for the Celtics' bigs can be a bit uncertain when Bass, Jared Sullinger, Kris Humphries and Kelly Olynyk are all available, but Bass has played 30-plus minutes in five of his past six games (and the exception was 27 minutes).

PF - Trevor Booker, Washington Wizards (vs. UTA), $3,500: The matchup against the Jazz isn't great as Utah has allowed the eighth-fewest fantasy points to opposing power forwards, but the value of Booker's production should exceed his contest-minimum cost as injuries have opened the door for him. In his last two outings, which includes a tough matchup against the Grizzlies, Booker has averaged 14.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.

C - Robin Lopez, Portland Trail Blazers (vs. ATL), $6,100: There are a lot of talented centers going tonight with Joakim Noah, DeMarcus Cousins, Al Jefferson, Dwight Howard and Andre Drummond among those playing. If you're looking for a slightly cheaper option, Lopez has been hot lately with at least 40 fantasy points in three of his past six games. During that six-game run, which included a Feb. 23rd dud (six points, five rebounds), Lopez is averaging 13.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game.

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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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Bulls center Joakim Noah gets another triple-double

Coming off a relatively quiet performance against the Mavs on Friday, Chicago's Joakim Noah bounced back with a triple-double against the Knicks.

Noah finished the game with 13 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high 14 assists, but he also added two blocks and two steals as the Bulls extended their winning streak to four games. (The Knicks have now lost six games in a row.)

Not only is it uncommon for a center to get a triple-double, but this was Noah's second triple-double in his past nine games. Of the 18 players with at least one triple-double this season, Noah is the only center.

In addition, Noah now has double-digit assists in four of his past 11 games.

To state it differently, Noah has as many games with double-digit assists (four) as the rest of the Bulls team combined this season. The others are D.J. Augustin (two), Kirk Hinrich (one) and Luol Deng (one), who is now in Cleveland.

Over his past 12 games, Noah has averaged 13.92 points, 12.17 rebounds, 6.92 assists, 1.83 blocks and 1.00 steals per game.

Only Indiana's Lance Stephenson (four) and Golden State's Stephen Curry (three) have more triple-doubles than Noah this season. Portland's Nicolas Batum and Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant also have two of them.

Daily Fantasy Basketball (March 1st): 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 Saturday's games, Timberwolves PF Kevin Love ($11,500) 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 1st) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Aaron Brooks, Denver Nuggets (at POR), $4,700: There are several top-notch fantasy point guards going tonight like Chris Paul, John Wall, Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard, etc. With Wall facing the Sixers, the league's friendliest of teams in terms of fantasy points to lead guards, he will be in many of my lineups despite the high salary ($9,100). With Ty Lawson (ribs) still out, Brooks gets the second-most favorable matchup for point guards at a much cheaper cost. In fact, no team has allowed more fantasy points to PGs over the past 15 days.

PG - C.J. Watson, Indiana Pacers (at BOS), $3,500: With George Hill (shoulder) out tonight, Watson will get the start against the Celtics. Per 36 minutes, Watson is averaging 12.1 points, 3.2 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.8 steals and should be a solid option at the game-minimum salary tonight.

SG - Eric Gordon, New Orleans Pelicans (at LAC), $5,000: With solid performances in back-to-back games, Gordon has averaged 36 minutes, 20 points, three assists and 1.5 steals in those two games. Tonight, he will face his former team, which should give him some extra motivation.

SG - Evan Fournier, Denver Nuggets (at POR), $4,400: With Wilson Chandler out tonight, Fournier will get another start. In 44 minutes on Thursday, Fournier had a disappointing outing: eight points, three boards, five assists and four turnovers. That said, he has two 40-point (in fantasy terms) performances in his past six outings and has a decent amount of upside at a relatively low price.

SF - Nicolas Batum, Portland Trail Blazers (vs. DEN), $6,600: Priced at a little below the average salary of the starting lineup, Batum has been productive in his past three outings, which includes a matchup against the Nuggets. He has scored a minimum of 30.7 fantasy points in those three games, but he is averaging 37.97 points during that span. During that three-game stretch, Batum has averaged stat-stuffing line of 19.0 points, 7.33 rebounds, 4.33 assists, 1.67 blocks and 1.0 steals.

SF - Jordan Hamilton, Houston Rockets (vs. DET), $3,700: Hamilton has averaged exactly 24 minutes in his two games with the Rockets and he has scored at least 24 fantasy points in both outings. On the season, the Pistons have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards.

PF - Thaddeus Young, Philadelphia 76ers (vs. WAS), $8,600: While he's far from "cheap" in absolute terms at $8,600, Young has been one of the most productive players recently. Since the All-Star break, Young is averaging 43.25 fantasy points per game and only six players have more during that span. In those four games, Young has averaged 23.0 points, 7.5 boards, 4.0 assists and 3.75 steals per game.

Power forward is a stacked position and it's possible you go stud-stud in those two roster spots with someone like Love, Blake Griffin, Young, etc. Love has more than 60 fantasy points in three of his past four games. The "off" game was 41 points. Meanwhile, Griffin has scored more than 45 fantasy points in eight of his past 10 games and the Pelicans, his matchup tonight, have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season. In many of my leagues, I have a Love-Griffin combo in my starting lineup.

C - Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic (vs. MIA), $7,300: Over his past eight games, Vucevic has scored more than 30 fantasy points seven times. During that eight-game stretch, Vucevic has averaged 17.0 points, 11.25 rebounds, 1.25 blocks and 1.25 steals.

C - Marcin Gortat, Washington Wizards (at PHI), $7,200: With a 31/12 line on Thursday, Gortat extended his streak of games with a double-double and 30-plus fantasy points to six games. The Polish Hammer has averaged 18.83 points, 11.33 rebounds and 1.17 blocks per game during that stretch and he faces the league's worst defense tonight.

C - Timofey Mozgov, Denver Nuggets (at POR), $4,400: While I'd prefer to go with Gortat or Vucevic, Mozgov rounds out my (unintended) trio of Eastern European centers as solid bargains. Over his past two games, he's averaged a respectable 23.9 fantasy points per game.

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Daily Fantasy Basketball (Feb. 25th): Some 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, you select your team based on a player's salary and your team's salary cannot exceed the game 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, 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 Tuesday (Feb. 25th) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Aaron Brooks, Denver Nuggets (vs. POR), $3,600: If Ty Lawson (ribs) misses another game (although it's possible that he returns tonight), the recently-acquired Brooks is a quality low-priced option at the point in FanDuel leagues. Starting in only his second game with the Nuggets on Sunday, Brooks finished with nine points, eight assists, two rebounds and two steals in 32 minutes.

PG - Jarrett Jack, PG, Cleveland Cavaliers (vs. TOR), $3,800: Big minutes does not necessarily mean big production as we've seen with Jack in his past two games. Despite averaging nearly 40 minutes per game over his past two, Jack has barely averaged 15 fantasy points. That said, he should get plenty of minutes with Dion Waiters and C.J. Miles out again tonight. Feeling lucky?

PG - Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers (at DEN), $7,900 Five point guards have a higher salary than Lillard so he's not a bargain in absolute terms, but Lillard has scored 40-plus fantasy points in three consecutive games. Only the 76ers (111.0) and Lakers (105.9) allow more points per game than the Nuggets (104.7). [The Blazers allow the fourth-most points (103.6) in the NBA.]

SG - Evan Fournier, Denver Nuggets (vs. POR), $4,400: Like with Brooks above, Fournier could see expanded minutes especially if Lawson misses another game. Fournier has scored 40-plus fantasy points in two of his past four games. On Sunday, Fournier had 27 points, four rebounds, five assists, a steal and a block in 36 minutes off the bench.

SG - Kent Bazemore, Los Angeles Lakers (at IND), $3,600: In two games with the Lakers, Bazemore has scored 15-plus points and added two steals in at least 29 minutes in each game. Despite the tough matchup against the Pacers, Bazemore is a cheap option that should get roughly 30 minutes and 20 fantasy points.

SG - Ben McLemore, Sacramento Kings (vs. HOU), $3,600: With Marcus Thornton now in Brooklyn, McLemore moved into the starting lineup and played 36 minutes on Sunday. Even though he only scored six points, he added four boards and three steals. Going forward, I would expect better shooting performances from McLemore.

SF - Nicolas Batum, Portland Trail Blazers (at DEN), $6,200: While he isn't necessarily cheap as only four small forwards have a higher salary, Batum is coming off a monster game and could very well follow that up with another strong performance tonight. On Sunday, Batum had 22 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and a steal. Especially if LaMarcus Aldridge misses a fourth consecutive game tonight, the Blazers will need more production from Batum.

PF - Mike Scott, Atlanta Hawks (vs. CHI), $4,500: With Paul Millsap out tonight and tomorrow, Scott has an opportunity to continue his hot streak even though the Hawks have a tough matchup. In his past two games, Scott has scored a total of 50 points including a career-high 30 on Saturday against the Knicks.

PF - Thomas Robinson, Portland Trail Blazers (at DEN), $4,300: As noted with Batum, it's possible that Aldridge misses another game and if he does, Robinson will be a quality low-priced option at power forward. On Sunday, he posted a double-double (14 points, 18 rebounds) in 33 minutes while adding a couple of assists and blocks as well.

In the majority of my FanDuel leagues for tonight, I'll be starting Chicago's Joakim Noah at center. Although he's not cheap at $9,100, Noah has averaged 13.54 points, 13.08 rebounds, 5.96 assists, 1.92 blocks and 0.88 steals per game since January. In his past seven games, he has double-digit assists in three of them and even had a triple-double earlier this month.

C - Timofey Mozgov, Denver Nuggets (vs. POR), $3,900: If I were looking for an option (much) less expensive than Noah, Mozgov could be the guy. With Mozgov moving into the starting lineup on Tuesday, that hopefully means that he also gets starter's minutes as well. In the five games in which Mozgov has 30-plus minutes this season, he has averaged 12.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 0.8 steals per game.

FanDuel leagues: Fantasy Basketball Games - Win Cash In Just 1 Day!

If you play in full-season leagues, check out my rest-of-season Fantasy NBA rankings or my waiver-wire post from yesterday.

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2013-14 NBA Power Rankings, Week 9

Less than two months into the new season, the Portland Trail Blazers are only 10 wins from tying their 2012-13 win total.

One year after finishing 16 games below .500 (33-49), the Blazers are 18 games above .500 and have the league's best record at 23-5.

The Blazers have yet to lose back-to-back games and they have a few matchups against the league's best clubs between Christmas and New Year's.

Portland will face the Clippers, Heat and Thunder, all of whom are in the top six of our power rankings, over their next four games.  They will also face the Pelicans during that stretch.

After that, however, they will face several below-mediocre squads to start the year: CHA (13-15), PHI (8-20), SAC (8-18), ORL (8-19), BOS (12-17) and CLE (10-16).  Those six clubs all have losing records and are collectively 46 games under .500.

Although they rank in the bottom third in defense (102.1 points allowed per game), Portland is primarily winning with their offense as they lead the NBA in scoring (108.4 points per game).  They also rank fourth in the league in rebounding (45.9 per game) and fifth in assists (23.5 per game).

Blazers power forward LaMarcus Aldridge is currently having the best season of his seven-year career.  Aldridge is averaging 23.1 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game, all of which are career highs.

In addition to Aldridge, Damian Lillard (21.5 PPG) is also scoring more than 20 points per game.  Both Wesley Matthews (16.3) and Nicolas Batum (14.0) are also scoring in double-digits as well.

Compared to the previous week, the Blazers edged up by just one-quarter point in our Consensus NBA Power Rankings heading into Week 9.

Despite compiling the best record in the NBA up to this point, the Blazers are currently third in our power rankings behind both the Heat and Pacers.  In fact, this is the first week since Week 1 that the Heat are atop our power rankings.

- See our full power rankings here

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Is it "evitable" that the Warriors trade Monta Ellis?

According to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group, "it seems inevitable" that the Warriors will trade guard Monta Ellis even though they aren't actively shopping him.

Meanwhile, Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle writes that "Ellis' representatives have joined the Warriors in an attempt to find a mutually beneficial destination."

Per Thompson, four players the Warriors have discussed are Rudy Gay of Memphis, Andre Iguodala of Philadelphia, Luol Deng of Chicago and Nene of Denver.

Some of the other players mentioned by Simmons include Atlanta's Josh Smith and Portland's Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum.

While one of Thompson's sources says "it's not close to happening," the Iguodala-to-Warriors option, in particular, is "the one that has legs."

Ellis, who is under contract at $11 million per season for three more years, averaged 24.1 points, 5.6 assists and 2.1 steals per game in 80 games last season. Ellis led the team in scoring and steals and was second in assists behind guard Stephen Curry.