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 ($11,200) 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.
OK, with the preliminary stuff out of the way, here are some value plays to consider for Saturday (April 5th) FanDuel leagues:
PG - Ramon Sessions, Milwaukee Bucks (vs. TOR), $6,600: Playing at least 40 minutes per game in his past six contests, Sessions is averaging 19.67 points, 5.67 assists and 4.33 rebounds per game during that span. In those six games, he has averaged 32.92 fantasy points per game with a minimum of 24.3 in each game.
PG - Shaun Livingston, Brooklyn Nets (at PHI), $4,800: Livingston scored 34.8 fantasy points yesterday and has at least 32 fantasy points in two of his past three games. No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing point guards this season than the Sixers.
PG - Jerryd Bayless, Boston Celtics (at DET), $4,300: Not only is Rajon Rondo out for tonight's game, but Avery Bradley has also missed his past two games. Bayless should have an excellent opportunity to take advantage of the fantasy-friendly matchup tonight. The Pistons have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards based on FanDuel scoring.
PG - Greivis Vasquez, Toronto Raptors (at MIL), $4,300: Kyle Lowry (knee) has missed his past two games, and if he misses another, Vasquez should have a third straight productive outing. In his past two games, Vasquez is averaging 12.5 points, 5.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game.
Find FanDuel Fantasy Basketball One-Day Contests and Win Cash
SG - Victor Oladipo, Orlando Magic (vs. MIN), $6,600: In his past eight games, Oladipo is averaging 16.75 points, 5.0 assists, 3.75 rebounds and 2.38 steals per game. During that span, he has scored a minimum of 23.4 fantasy points in every game and has averaged 29.38 fantasy points per outing. The T'Wolves have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season.
SG - Terrence Ross, Toronto Raptors (at MIL), $4,200: While he has lacked consistency, Ross has scored 31-plus fantasy points in three of his past six games including yesterday's game against the Pacers.
SG - Marcus Thornton, Brooklyn Nets (at PHI), $3,600: Speaking of inconsistency, Thornton has struggled to put together back-to-back solid performances. That said, the 76ers give him an excellent opportunity to score at least 20 fantasy points in back-to-back games for the first time since he did so on Mar. 21st and 23rd.
SF - Kyle Singler, Detroit Pistons (at BOS), $4,500: Over his past three games, Singler has scored 23 or more fantasy points twice and he has played 39 minutes in back-to-back games. In his past three games, he has averaged 13.33 points, 3.67 rebounds, 2.0 assists and a block per game.
SF - Chase Budinger, Minnesota Timberwolves (at ORL), $3,700: It's unclear whether Kevin Martin (foot) will play tonight, but if he's out, it should mean more minutes and fantasy points for Budinger. Budinger has four games of 24-plus fantasy points in his past six games and the Magic have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards this season.
PF - Andray Blatche, Brooklyn Nets (at PHI), $4,500: If Kevin Garnett returns after missing 19 games, it could take some minutes from Blatche, but the matchup against the Sixers is ideal from a fantasy perspective. Blatche has scored at least 20 fantasy points in three of his past four games and five of his past seven.
PF - Cody Zeller, Charlotte Bobcats (at CLE), $3,900: With Josh McRoberts out again, Zeller will get another opportunity to put up respectable fantasy numbers. In his past three games, he has averaged 21.83 fantasy points per game.
C - Spencer Hawes, Cleveland Cavalieres (vs. CHA), $5,900: While he's unlikely to match last night's performance, Hawes had a double-double (16 points and 10 rebounds) scored 49 fantasy points last night. In addition to his double-double, he added six steals and two blocks. He now has 36.1 and 49.0 fantasy points in his past two games, respectively.
C - Henry Sims, Philadelphia 76ers (vs. BKN), $5,700: While the Nets don't present a favorable matchup, Sims has scored at least 30 fantasy points in five of his past eight games. During that eight-game stretch, he has averaged 15.63 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
C - Jonas Valanciunas, Toronto Raptors (at MIL), $5,500 : Valanciunas has scored a minimum of 26 fantasy points in six consecutive games and he has 30-plus fantasy points in four of those outings. During that span, he has averaged 16.5 points and 9.33 rebounds per game. The Bucks have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season.
C - Kyle O'Quinn, Orlando Magic (vs. MIN), $4,600: With Nikola Vucevic (Achilles) out last night, O'Quinn played 30 minutes and put up 10 points with six rebounds, five blocks and three steals. If Vucevic is unable to go again tonight, O'Quinn is a low-priced option at center to strongly consider.
FanDuel Fantasy Basketball Games - Win Cash In Just 1 Day!
Keep track of our Fantasy NBA updates by following us on Twitter, "liking" us on Facebook and/or adding us to your Google+ circle.
