Daily Fantasy Basketball: FanDuel Values for March 6th

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

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

For FanDuel leagues, rosters consist of nine players and the salary cap is $60,000, which averages to roughly $6,667 per player. To give you an idea of the range for Thursday's games, Thunder PF Kevin Durant ($12,100) 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 Thursday (March 6th) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder (at PHO), $7,700: In only 20 minutes against the Sixers, Westbrook recorded a triple-double (13 points, 10 rebounds, 14 assists) and added three steals for a total of 46 fantasy points. In a game that should be more competitive, Westbrook shouldn't sit out the fourth quarter tonight like on Tuesday.

PG - Darren Collison, Los Angeles Clippers (at LAL), $5,600: While I have a Chris Paul-Westbrook PG combo in most of my FanDuel leagues for tonight, Collison is a (much) cheaper option. With Jamal Crawford considered to be "doubtful" for tonight's "road" game, Collison will once again get a ton of minutes. In 40 minutes on Tuesday, Collison finished with 18 points, five assists and three steals.

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SG - Kent Bazemore, Los Angeles Lakers (vs. LAC), $4,800: In 35 minutes on Tuesday, Bazemore tied his Lakers high with 23 points and added four rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal. Coincidentally, he tied his highest total of fantasy points (35.3) as a Laker and he now has 20-plus fantasy points in five consecutive games.

SG - Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs (vs. MIA), $4,700: Even though Ginobili will likely see only 20-something minutes, he has now scored more than 20 fantasy points in four consecutive games. During that four-game stretch, he has averaged 14.25 points, 6.75 assists and 1.25 steals per game.

SF - Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs (vs. MIA), $6,200: In his four games since returning from injury, Leonard has scored a minimum of 27.9 fantasy points each game and has more than 30 fantasy points in three of those outings. He is averaging 15.25 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.0 blocks per game during that span.

SF - Matt Barnes, Los Angeles Clippers (at LAL), $5,300: Like Collison, Barnes played 40 minutes on Tuesday and will benefit from Crawford's likely absence tonight as well. Barnes scored 28 points and added six boards, two assists, a steal and a block for 41.2 fantasy points on Tuesday. Even when he played only 24 minutes against the Pelicans on March 1st, Barnes still scored 31.2 fantasy points.

SF - Perry Jones, Oklahoma City Thunder (at PHO), $3,700: Jones got the start against the Sixers and had a productive outing: 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 29 minutes. Even with the addition of Caron Butler, Jones should continue to see around 25 minutes per game while Thabo Sefolosha is out and is a solid value with a cost barely above the game minimum.

PF - Markieff Morris, Phoenix Suns (vs. OKC), $5,700: Morris is coming off a disappointing performance of nine points, four rebounds and four turnovers against the Clips on Tuesday. That said, he had scored 30-plus fantasy points in his previous two games and in his previous five of six games.

PF - Boris Diaw, San Antonio Spurs (vs. MIA), $4,900: With back-to-back games of 31 fantasy points, Diaw has scored 21-plus fantasy points in nine of 10 games. In his past four games, Diaw has averaged 11.5 points, 5.75 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.25 blocks and 0.75 steals per game.

PF - Marcus Morris, Phoenix Suns (vs. OKC), $4,000: The other Morris twin has been productive recently. Like his brother, he had a down game on Tuesday, but he had scored 29-plus fantasy points in his previous two outings. At only $4,000 and with only three games on Thursday, Morris is a solid option at PF.

C - Tiago Splitter, San Antonio Spurs (vs. MIA), $4,500: Based on his current pattern of alternating between 25-plus fantasy points and less than 15 fantasy points, he is due for a 25-plus night. Of course, that pattern is purely a coincidence, but the Heat have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season, which could bode well for the Brazilian.

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Hanson: 2012 NBA Mock Draft, 2.0

With just slightly more than a month before the 2012 NBA Draft, I updated the first round of my mock draft.

The NBA lottery will be held on May 30th, which means the order will (likely) change and I will update my mock at that point to reflect that change and then at least weekly until the NBA Draft.

Here is how I see things shaking out:

1. Charlotte Bobcats: Anthony Davis, PF, Kentucky

This is such a no-brainer pick that, as Kyle Baillargeon points out in his mock, GM Michael Jordan "can't mess this up."

2. Washington Wizards: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, SF, Kentucky

Aside from his outside shooting, there are virtually no holes in Kidd-Gilchrist's game. MKG is a tough-minded, versatile defender with good size and strength on the wing. With intangibles, leadership and a great feel for the game, MKG will make his teammates better.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers: Andre Drummond, PF/C, UConn

Drummond has the ability and physical tools to dominate yet the propensity to disappear at times as well. With plenty of upside, Drummond has the size, strength and athleticism to contribute right away on the defensive end but is a work-in-progress on the offensive end.

4. New Orleans Hornets: Thomas Robinson, PF, Kansas

Like Drummond, Robinson has good strength, size and athleticism. Unlike Drummond, there is no questioning Robinson's motor and his offensive game is much more advanced.

5. Sacramento Kings: Bradley Beal, SG, Florida

Both of my counterparts -- Kyle Baillargeon (view mock) and Brendan Donahue (view mock) -- have Beal going within the top three picks as do many other sites. If he is still on the board at this spot, Beal gives the Kings a shooter with great range and a good all-around offensive game.

6. Portland Trail Blazers: Austin Rivers, SG, Duke

Rivers, the son of Celtics coach Doc Rivers, can provide the Blazers with instant offense. Many of Portland's guards become free agents or can opt out this year: Nicolas Batum, Jamal Crawford, Raymond Felton and Johnny Flynn.

7. Golden State Warriors: Harrison Barnes, SF, North Carolina

Barnes did himself no favors in the tournament, but I don't have him slipping as far as Kyle has in his mock. Barnes has plenty of offensive skill, but often settles for jumpers and does not get to the line as much as you would expect for a wing player with his size and strength.

8. Toronto Raptors: John Henson, PF, North Carolina

Although he needs to add strength and bulk to his frame, Henson is an NBA-ready defensive player with the wingspan (7-foot-4) and athleticism to alter, affect and block plenty of shots. He will need to continue to improve his game offensively, however, but he has continued to improve on the offensive end at Carolina.

9. Detroit Pistons: Jared Sullinger, PF, Ohio State

Returning for his sophomore season means Sullinger will likely be selected (much) lower than he would have been in 2011. While he is not the most athletic player (or tallest for his position), Sullinger has great strength, polished moves in the post and was a dominant rebounder in college.

10. New Orleans Hornets: Jeremy Lamb, SG, UConn

Lamb has all the physical tools to be successful at the next level and he led the Huskies in scoring with the departure of Kemba Walker. That said, Lamb disappeared at times for a team that was a major disappointment given its talent and expectations.

11. Portland Trail Blazers: Tyler Zeller, C, North Carolina

A skilled seven-footer, Zeller improved his game in all four seasons in Chapel Hill posting career highs across the board last year: 16.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 0.9 steals per game with 55.3 percent from the field and 80.8 percent from the line.

12. Milwaukee Bucks: Perry Jones, PF, Baylor

One of the more naturally-gifted players in the draft, Jones has the length and athleticism you can't coach. On the other hand, Jones has been often criticized, and rightfully so, for his inconsistent motor.

13. Phoenix Suns: Kendall Marshall, PG, North Carolina

With Steve Nash, the former "MP3," about become a free agent, the Suns may need to find his replacement. Marshall is arguably the best point guard in this year's draft class.

14. Houston Rockets: Terrence Jones, PF, Kentucky

Jones, who was a point guard early in high school, has the versatility to play and defend a variety of positions due to his length and athleticism.

15. Philadelphia 76ers: Arnett Moultrie, PF/C, Mississippi State

After sitting out a year since he transferred from UTEP, Moultrie averaged a double-double (16.4 points and 10.5 rebounds per game) for the Bulldogs last year. Athletic with a high motor, Moultrie would fit well with the athletic Sixers squad.

Click here to see picks 16-30.

For more mock drafts, check out our mock draft database.

2012 NBA Mock Drafts and Mock Draft Database Updated

The 2012 NBA Draft will be held in New York City on June 28th, which is exactly two months after Day 3 of the 2012 NFL Draft.

Not only did we update our 2012 NBA Mock Draft Database this morning, but we also released our first two NBA Mock Drafts for 2012.

For draft order, we used the inverse of our NBA Consensus Power Rankings.

Brendan Donahue's top five picks are:

1. Charlotte Bobcats: Anthony Davis, PF, Kentucky
2. New Orleans Hornets: Harrison Barnes, SF, North Carolina
3. Washington Wizards: Michael Gilchrist, SF, Kentucky
4. Detroit Pistons: Thomas Robinson, PF, Kansas
5. Toronto Raptors: Andre Drummond, C, Connecticut

See all of his first-round mock here.

Kevin Hanson's top five picks are:

1. Charlotte Bobcats: Anthony Davis, PF, Kentucky
2. New Orleans Hornets: Andre Drummond, C, Connecticut
3. Washington Wizards: Harrison Barnes, SF, North Carolina
4. Detroit Pistons: Michael Gilchrist, SF, Kentucky
5. Toronto Raptors: Perry Jones, PF, Baylor

See all of my first-round mock here.