Daily Fantasy Basketball: FanDuel Values for March 14th

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 Friday's games, Timberwolves ($11,800) 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 Friday (March 14th) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs (vs. LAL), $6,600: Despite the favorable matchup against the Blazers, Parker had a disappointing performance on Wednesday with only 17.3 fantasy points (nine points, five assists, four rebounds and four turnovers). In his previous two games, Parker had 35-plus fantasy points and gets another favorable matchup against the Lakers to redeem himself. Only the Sixers and Cavs have allowed more fantasy points to opposing point guards.

PG - George Hill, Indiana Pacers (at PHI), $4,800: In his past two games, Hill has averaged 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Tonight, Hill and the Pacers face the Sixers and Hill has a great opportunity to exceed the 29.05 fantasy points he's averaged in those two games.

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SG - Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs (vs. LAL), $4,800: Even though he played only 18 minutes on Wednesday, Ginobili scored 27.2 fantasy points and he now has at least 24.9 fantasy points in three consecutive games. The Lakers allow more fantasy points to opposing shooting guards than any other team in the league.

SG - Austin Rivers, New Orleans Pelicans (vs. POR), $3,700: Rivers has seen 26-plus minutes in back-to-back games and he has produced with at least 24.9 fantasy points in each game. In those two games, he has avergaed 13.5 points,7.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

SF - Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs (vs. LAL), $6,400: The theme continues as another Spur with a fantasy-friendly matchup vs. the Lakers makes this list. In his eight games since returning from injury, Leonard has scored more than 25 fantasy points in all eight games played. During that stretch, Leonard has averaged 14.63 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.38 steals and 1.5 blocked shots.

SF - Ryan Kelly, Los Angeles Lakers (at SAS), $4,500: Kelly continued his hot streak last night with 28.8 fantasy points against the Thunder. During a three-game stretch, he has averaged 35.5 fantasy points per game. Even though the Spurs are tough against small forwards, he's still worth consideration here due to his modest salary and (recently) immodest production.

SF - Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors (vs. CLE): Green has a much more favorable matchup than Kelly as the Cavs have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards. Green does a bit of everything and he has scored more than 20 fantasy points in five of his past six games.

PF - David West, Indiana Pacers (at PHI), $6,700: At roughly the average cost of a nine-man FanDuel starting lineup, West is an above-average option. Over his past 10 games, West has averaged 31.94 fantasy points per game. The Sixers have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards.

PF - Amir Johnson, Toronto Raptors (vs. MEM), $5,200: With Patrick Patterson out, Johnson should be in line for another productive outing at his modest cost. Johnson has scored 36.0 and 37.3 fantasy points in his two most recent games and has averaged 18.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 2.0 steals per game.

PF - Thomas Robinson, Portland Trail Blazers (at NOP), $4700: With LaMarcus Aldridge (back) out for tonight's game, Robinson should see an increase in minutes against the Pelicans. As we saw with a game last month, Robinson showed his potential for a monster game (14 points, 18 rebounds and two blocks in 33 minutes vs. MIN). If Robinson gets 20-plus minutes vs. the Pelicans, who have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards, Robinson could deliver for DFSers.

PF - Drew Gooden, Washington Wizards (at ORL), $3,500: In his past four games, Gooden has played only 17 to 19 minutes per night, but he has averaged nearly 20 fantasy points (19.83) per game. The Magic have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season.

C - Miles Plumlee, Phoenix Suns (at BOS), $4,100: Plumlee has averaged 26 minutes and 24.65 fantasy points in his past two games. In those two games, he has averaged nearly a double-double (10.5 points and 9.5 rebounds) and a block per game.

C - Henry Sims, Philadelphia 76ers (vs. IND), $3,900: Of course, Sims is not going to give fantasy owners 20 points, 10 boards, three assists, three steals and two blocks every night like he did on Wednesday against the Kings. That said, Sims has played 20-plus minutes in eight consecutive games and has scored at least 20 fantasy points in three of his past five games.

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LaMarcus Aldridge (back contusion) to miss two games

With an MRI confirming a lower back contusion for Blazers power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, the team announced that he is expected to miss their next two games and then be reevaluated next week.

That means Aldridge will miss (at least) games against the Pelicans on Friday and Warriors on Sunday. Next week, the Blazers will face the Bucks (Tuesday), Wizards (Thursday) and Bobcats (Saturday).

Aldridge currently leads the team in scoring (23.4 points per game) and rebounding (11.1 per game).

With Aldridge out tomorrow against the Pelicans, who have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season, Thomas Robinson is an interesting option in FanDuel daily contests with a salary of just $4,700.

Less than a month ago (Feb. 23rd), Robinson had a huge game (14 points, 18 rebounds and two blocks), but he has otherwise been quiet since returning a knee injury that had sidelined him for four games.

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.

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James Harden scores career-high 46 vs. Thunder

With the NBA trade deadline fast approaching, the Rockets acquired rookie power forward Thomas Robinson, the fifth overall pick in last year's draft, from the Kings earlier tonight (per Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports).

Meanwhile, James Harden, Robinson's new teammate, had a career night against the team that traded him to Houston before the season began.

Despite trailing by 14 points around midway through the fourth quarter, the Rockets mounted a comeback and beat the Thunder by three, 122-119.

In the process, Harden scored a career-high 46 points.  He set his previous career high against the Hawks in his second game as a Rocket.

Not only was he 14 of 19 from the field, Harden made seven of eight three-pointers and 11 of 12 free throws.  On top of his great shooting night, Harden added eight rebounds, six assists, a steal and a blocked shot.

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.

Final Four Prediction: Kansas Jayhawks vs. Ohio State Buckeyes (Trifone)

It seems that my predictive powers have waned as the tournament has gone on, and I'm left with just one Final Four team in my bracket; and realistically, how many people don't have Kentucky? Still, I'm undeterred and moving forward, confident as ever in my ability to pick the winners in the Final Four, as well as the eventual Champion.

Ohio State versus Kansas seems to be the forgotten matchup due to the enormous in-state rivalry between Kentucky and Louisville, but this promises to be an excellent matchup. Thomas Robinson squaring off against Jared Sullinger should be a great battle and offers a lot of star power to the game. Both players will be lottery picks should they decide to enter the draft, so both are likely looking at their final opportunity to win the National Championship.

Ohio State has looked good so far this tournament. Gonzaga in the Round of 32 has actually been their closest matchup, as the game was tied with under 3 minutes to go. The next two games against Cincinnati and Syracuse respectively, were decent games, but Ohio St. was playing with the lead for the majority of both games. Cincinnati didn't prove to be much of a challenge as Ohio St. pretty much cruised to the Elite Eight. Syracuse was a bit tougher, but Sullinger only played for six minutes in the first half, and 'Cuse could only manage a tie game after 20 minutes of play. The Buckeyes then stormed out of the gates and took a double-digit lead early on in the second half. Syracuse kept fighting back, but Ohio St. did not relinquish the lead.

Kansas, on the other hand, has been challenged in every game thus far. Detroit gave them more of a game than the 15-point margin would indicate, but for a 2-vs.-15 matchup, was not as big of a blowout as might have been expected. But I suppose with only 50 percent of the 2 seeds getting out of the first round this year, Kansas did pretty well. The next three games were different stories. Purdue led Kansas just about wire-to-wire. Robbie Hummel was brilliant, and Kansas was really fortunate to come away with the win. Purdue was the better team for 38 minutes, but the Jayhawks found a way to squeak by. North Carolina St. was another great game, though it was a bit more back and forth. Kansas had a bit less of a challenge than the Purdue game, but still only won by three, holding off a pretty furious push by the Wolfpack. Finally, the North Carolina game was another tight one. The lead changed hands several times. Bill Self made a nice defensive switch in the second half that Carolina struggled with, and in the final few minutes, Kansas was able to pull away. It may have been a different story if Kendall Marshall had played, but the Jayhawks once again did just enough to get the W.

The obvious pick here is Ohio St. They appear to be playing very well, with more convincing victories thus far, and the Buckeyes have a more talented squad. Call it a feeling, but I'm going to take Kansas to win though. Maybe it's partly rooting for Thomas Robinson and his heartfelt story, but I believe Kansas will rise to the occasion. I've felt that Ohio St. has been a bit overrated all year, although I must admit they've been playing great basketball of late. Still, Kansas has battled, and have come through when they needed to, and I believe they have one more game in them.

Prediction: Kansas 74, Ohio St. 72

[Editor's note: John Trifone (@JohnnyT0122) is the author of this post. For his prediction for the other Final Four matchup, click here.]

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.