Fantasy NBA FanDuel DFS Values (Jan. 28)

Earlier today, I posted some value plays that I like on DraftKings and now I turn my attention to FanDuel.

Wednesdays always have a large slate of games and there are four $11,000-plus players on tonight's 11-game slate: Anthony Davis ($11,400), James Harden ($11,400), DeMarcus Cousins ($11,100) and LeBron James ($11,000).

In order to afford one of those high-priced studs, finding lower-priced bargains is essential. With that said, here are some FanDuel values (salaries of $7,000 or less) for Wednesday's NBA games:

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PG - D.J. Augustin, Detroit Pistons (at PHI), $6,000: In his second start following the season-ending Achilles injury to Brandon Jennings, Augustin followed up his 49.8-point performance with 36.3 fantasy points. Augustin had 19 points, nine assists, four rebounds and two steals against the Cavs in 36 minutes last night. While he may not score 36 fantasy points again tonight, Augustin has a favorable matchup against the Sixers.

PG - Isaiah Thomas, Phoenix Suns (vs. WAS), $5,800: Over his past four games, Thomas has knocked down 15-of-30 three-pointers and scored at least 22 (real) points in every game. During that four-game span, Thomas has averaged 32.38 fantasy points (5.58 times tonight's salary). Even though the Wizards have one of the league's best defenses, they have been a little friendlier to opposing point guards recently by allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to the position over their past five games and Vegas projects the Suns to score the most points tonight. IT2 will be on a few of my FanDuel tournament lineups.

PG - Langston Galloway, New York Knicks (vs. OKC), $4,800: Signed for the rest of the season after a pair 10-day contracts, Galloway has been one of the bright spots for the Knicks. In his past four games, he has averaged 32 minutes and 28 fantasy points per game.

PG - Zach LaVine, Minnesota Timberwolves (vs. BOS), $3,700: LaVine gets a huge boost tonight with both Mo Williams (personal reasons) and Ricky Rubio out and should see 30-plus minutes at a near minimum salary.  In 11 games in which he has played at least 30 minutes, LaVine has averaged 24.34 fantasy points per game.

PG - Dante Exum, Utah Jazz (vs. LAC), $3,500: The good news is that Exum should score more than he did in his last game. Of course, it'd be difficult to score less than 2.2 fantasy points. The matchup against Chris Paul and the Clippers tonight is difficult, but Exum is priced at the position-minimum salary, his ownership levels should be very low after his previous dud and he had scored at least 19.5 fantasy points in his previous two games.

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SG - Wes Matthews, Portland Trail Blazers (at CLE), $6,000: Matthews has been really productive over his past five games. During that stretch, he has scored at least 26.6 fantasy points and averaged 29.66 per game. Matthews has a little more upside on DraftKings due to the half-point bonus for three-pointers as he's averaging four three-pointers over that stretch, but he's a solid bet to reach value tonight.

SG - Eric Gordon, New Orleans Pelicans (vs. DEN), $5,600: Over his past 11 games, Gordon has scored a minimum of 19.1 fantasy points in each game with an average of 25.83 per contest. During that stretch, he has averaged 15.36 points and 2.18 three's per game. Over their past 10 games, the Nuggets have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards.

SF - Wilson Chandler, Denver Nuggets (at NO), $5,900: Chandler has now scored 34-plus fantasy points in back-to-back games and at least 32 fantasy points in three consecutive games. And Chandler had 30.5 fantasy points the first time this season against the Pelicans, who have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards.

SF - K.J. McDaniels, Philadelphia 76ers (vs. DET), $4,600: I considered listing McDaniels in the DraftKings values post, but I like his value even more on FanDuel where he is priced $100 less. And with a higher average salary on FanDuel, that puts McDaniels' salary at 69.0 percent of the average starter salary versus 75.2 percent on DraftKings. That said, McDaniels has scored at least 28.5 fantasy points in two of his past three games and should be able to reach value tonight.

PF - Thaddeus Young, Minnesota Timberwolves (vs. BOS), $6,800: Over his past seven games, Young has scored at least 32 fantasy points five times and has averaged 34.59 fantasy points per game. During that span, he's averaging 18.57 points, 6.14 rebounds, 4.71 assists and 1.43 steals per game. In addition, he has played over 40 minutes in back-to-back games.

PF - Jason Smith, New York Knicks (vs. OKC), $4,100: Playing at least 32 minutes in four consecutive games, Smith has scored more than 24 fantasy points in three of those four games. With Amar'e Stoudemire dealing with some injuries (ankle and wrist) and expected to miss some time, Smith should continue to see big minutes.

C - Marcin Gortat, Washington Wizards (at PHO), $5,500: Gortat's production has underwhelmed recently and he's been a bit inconsistent as well -- less than 20 fantasy points in six of his past 16 games. That said, he has averaged 24.1 fantasy points per game over his past 12 games and I think he has an excellent shot to reach 5x his value tonight. Moreover, I'm not crazy about many of the other low-priced center options tonight.

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Fantasy NBA DraftKings DFS Values (Jan. 28th)

Q: When is it a bad idea to pay up for Anthony Davis?
A: Never.

The Unibrow has scored at least 52 fantasy points in six of his past eight games including 64.5 points in his last game against the Sixers on Monday. During that eight-game span, Davis has averaged 28.88 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 1.75 steals per game.

With a matchup against the Nuggets, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards, it's going to be risky to fade Davis ($11,000), who is priced higher than all players not named James Harden ($11,100).

To make matters more interesting, however, power forward has as much value as any other position tonight.

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

PG - Jarrett Jack, Brooklyn Nets (at ATL), $6,000: With Deron Williams out again, Jack should see 34-plus minutes and he has scored at least 34.5 fantasy points in four of his past five games. Over that five-game span, Jack has scored 17.4 points with 6.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. The Hawks are one of the best defensive teams in the league, but they have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season.

PG - D.J. Augustin, Detroit Pistons (at PHI), $5,800: In his second start following the season-ending injury to Brandon Jennings, Augustin followed up his 53.5-point performance with 40.5 fantasy points. Augustin had 19 points, nine assists, four rebounds and two steals against the Cavs in 36 minutes last night. While we shouldn't expect 40-plus points from him on a nightly basis, Augustin has a favorable matchup against the Sixers, who have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards. Take advantage of his depressed price tag while you can.

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PG - Langston Galloway, New York Knicks (vs. OKC), $4,300: Signed for the rest of the season after back-to-back 10-day contracts, Galloway has been one of the bright spots for the Knicks. In his past four games, he has averaged 32 minutes and nearly 30 fantasy points (29.69) per game.

PG - Brian Roberts, Charlotte Bobcats (at SA), $4,200: With Kemba Walker scheduled to have knee surgery on Wednesday, Roberts will run the point for the foreseeable future, but the best thing about him is his price. On the season, he is averaging only 0.66 fantasy points per minute, but the uptick in minutes due to his role should allow him to reach value.

[Update: Mo Williams has been ruled out for personal reasons, which means Zach LaVine gets the start with a $3,000 price tag and should see 30-plus minutes.  As I noted in my FanDuel values post, LaVine has played 30-plus minutes in 11 games.  In those games, he has scored at least 20 fantasy points 10 times and averaged 26.8 per game.]


SG - DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors (vs. SAC), $6,500: DeRozan continues to shake the rust off as he has scored at least 24 (real) points and 36.5 fantasy points in back-to-back games. The good times should continue to roll for DeRozan as the Kings have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season.

SG - Wesley Matthews, Portland Trail Blazers (at CLE), $6,100: Matthews has been really productive over his past five games. During that stretch, he has scored at least 28.75 fantasy points and averaged 32.25 per game. Averaging four three-pointers over that stretch, Matthews has averaged 20.2 points and 1.6 steals per game.

SG - Kyle Korver, Atlanta Hawks (vs. BKN), $4,800: Priced at 5.31 times his full-season production (25.5 fantasy points per game), Korver is a deadly outside shooter (and occasional high riser). Given the inconsistent nature of his game log, however, Korver is a better suited as a tournament play.

SG - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Detroit Pistons (at PHI), $4,100: Of the shooting guards in action tonight that average at least 23 minutes per game, only Ben McLemore (0.54) averages fewer fantasy points per minute than Caldwell-Pope (0.59). That said, KCP gets nearly 32 minutes per game and a favorable matchup tonight against the Sixers, who have allowed the third-most fantasy points to the position.

SF - Wilson Chandler, Denver Nuggets (at NO), $6,000: Chandler has now scored 38-plus fantasy points in back-to-back games and at least 33 fantasy points in three consecutive games. And Wilson had just shy of 33 fantasy points (32.8) the first time he played the Pelicans this season. The Pelicans have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards.

SF - Paul Pierce, Washington Wizards (at PHO), $4,700: Pierce (toe) sat out last night's game against the Lakers, but if he plays against the Suns tonight, he is one of my favorite values at small forward. Pierce has played at least 30 minutes and scored a minimum of 28.75 fantasy points in each of his past three games played. Meanwhile, the Suns have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards. Since this game has a 10:30 start, we may not know his status prior to 7 PM, but you can pivot to P.J. Tucker ($4,100), if necessary, thanks to DraftKings' late-swap feature.

PF - Thaddeus Young, Minnesota Timberwolves (vs. BOS), $6,400: Over his past seven games, Young has scored at least 30 fantasy points six times and has averaged 35.82 fantasy points per game. During that span, he's averaging 18.57 points, 6.14 rebounds, 4.71 assists and 1.43 steals per game.  In addition, he has played over 40 minutes in back-to-back games.

PF - Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks (at HOU), $6,400: Last night, Nowitzki had a 17-game low in fantasy points (25.25). While his ceiling isn't what it once was, Nowitzki has a 25-point floor and needs 32 fantasy points to reach 5x value. During that 17-game span, he has averaged 31.38 fantasy points per game.

PF - Brandon Bass, Boston Celtics (at MIN), $4,900: Even as his price creeps up, Bass remains a solid value option at the position. Bass has scored a minimum of 22 fantasy points in six consecutive games and the T'Wolves have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season.

PF - Jason Smith, New York Knicks (vs. OKC), $3,900: Playing at least 32 minutes in four consecutive games, Smith has scored more than 25 fantasy points in three of those four games. With Amar'e Stoudemire dealing with some injuries (ankle and wrist) and expected to miss some time, Smith should continue to see big minutes despite his sub-$4,000 price tag.

C - Marcin Gortat, Washington Wizards (at PHO), $5,500: Gortat's production has underwhelmed recently and he's been a bit inconsistent as well -- less than 20 fantasy points in five of his past 16 games. That said, he has averaged more than 25 fantasy points per game over his past 12 games and I think he has an excellent shot to reach 5x his value tonight. Moreover, I'm not crazy about many of the other low-priced center options tonight.

C - Nikola Pekovic, Minnesota Timberwolves (vs. BOS), $4,900: Pekovic has now played 30-plus minutes in back-to-back games although he has averaged roughly 20 fantasy points in those two games. Pek gets a more favorable matchup tonight against the Celtics, who have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season.

[Note: Al Jefferson is priced slightly higher than my cutoff at $6,700, but he's going to start tonight and is probably my favorite play at center tonight.]

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Henry Sims posts another double-double

Entering tonight's game against the Bulls, Sixers center Henry Sims has averaged 4.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game on the season.

That said, Sims now has double-doubles in back-to-back games and three in his past seven games.

In tonight's loss to the Bulls, the team's 24th straight loss, Sims scored 18 points and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds while adding two blocks and two assists. Meanwhile, Thaddeus Young led the Sixers in scoring with 28 points.

Over his past two games, Sims is averaging 17.0 points, 14.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and a block per game.

The Sixers will face the Spurs on Monday in San Antonio.

Daily Fantasy Basketball: DraftStreet Advice for March 8th

In order to help you set your DraftStreet lineups in daily fantasy basketball leagues, Sean Beazley has a list of some players that he likes for Saturday's games:

Here are a few players I like tonight.

C – Marcin Gortat – Washington – $15,285

Gortat has a great matchup vs. the Bucks, against whom he has averaged 19.5 points and 8.0 boards in two games. I think Gortat is a lock for a double-double and should exploit the middle of this defense that ranks 28th in the NBA against fantasy centers. I’m expecting 40 fantasy points (FP) tonight.

F – Boris Diaw – San Antonio – $11,429

In his past four games, Diaw has averaged 28 FP, and almost 30 minutes per game. Diaw is now the starting center in San Antonio, and he is very efficient from the field knocking down 55 percent of his shots. Diaw is definitely a player I’m aiming to hit maximum value tonight.

F – Thaddeus Young – Philadelphia – $15,543

Thad is a boom-or-bust play. In his last outing vs. the Thunder, he had a tiny 7.5 FP. He was a lineup crusher for sure. I think he rebounds tonight against a Jazz team that has been in the bottom third in the league vs. PFs over the past 10 games. I’m hoping for a 40+ point night.

G – Dion Waiters – Cleveland – $9,710

New York has had a tough time defending opposing SGs this year, so Waiters has great value at less than 10K. He is averaging about 26.5 FP per game since coming back from injury, which means he is undervalued tonight. He is still coming off the bench for the Cavs, but played five more minutes than starter Jarrett Jack last night. Waiters is a must-play in all formats tonight.

Best of Luck Tonight

Put Sean's advice to use in a DraftStreet league for tonight's games.

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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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Thaddeus Young has 29 points and 15 rebounds in loss

Sixers forward Thaddeus Young had a season-high 29 points and a career-high 15 rebounds in tonight's overtime loss to the Thunder.

Although it was the first time that Young scored 20-plus points this season, it was his second consecutive double-double and his fourth of the season.

Young added a season-high four assists, one steal and one blocked shot to his stat line as well.

On the year, Young is averaging 13.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game.