Daily Fantasy Basketball: Some DraftKings Values for March 4th

If you play daily fantasy sports (and who isn'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 DraftKings leagues, rosters consist of eight players and the salary cap is $50,000, which averages to roughly $6,250 per player. To give you an idea of the range for Tuesday's games, Thunder SF/PF Kevin Durant ($10,900) has the contest's highest salary while many are tied for the lowest at the game-minimum salary ($3,000).

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 (March 4th) DraftKings leagues:

PG - Darren Collison, Los Angeles Clippers (at PHO), $4,300: With Jamal Crawford expected to miss a few more games, Collison could get another start on Tuesday. In his past two games, Collison has averaged 28.25 fantasy points per game by scoring 17.0 points with 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

PG - Ishmael Smith, Phoenix Suns (vs. LAC), $3,600: In his past four games, Smith has averaged 28.63 fantasy points per game. During that stretch, Smith has averaged 9.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.25 assists and 2.5 steals per game.

SG/SF - Tyreke Evans, New Orleans Pelicans (at LAL), $6,000: Not as cheap as he is in FanDuel leagues ($5,400), but Evans is still a value here at $6,000. Against the Kings, his former team, Evans was only two assists shy of a triple-double with 27 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists and scored 54.5 fantasy points. The Lakers have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season.

SG/SF - Kent Bazemore, Los Angeles Lakers (vs. NOP), $4,400: Although Bazemore has played in only 28 and 27 minutes in his past two games, his two lowest totals since joining the Lakers, he has scored 20-plus fantasy points in all six of his games as a Laker.

SG/SF - Wesley Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers (vs. NOP), $5,200: Against the Blazers yesterday, Johnson extended his streak of games with 36-plus minutes and 35-plus fantasy points to three games. During that stretch, he has averaged 14.67 points, 8.0 boards, 3.0 assists, 3.0 blocks and 1.0 steal per game.

SF - Caron Butler, Oklahoma City Thunder (vs. PHI), $3,900: Nearly $1,000 cheaper on DraftKings than FanDuel, Butler will make his Thunder debut on Tuesday and he gets an extremely favorable matchup against the Sixers. With Thabo Sefalosha (calf) out for the next month or so, Butler could start. Either way, he should get plenty of minutes in his debut.

PF/C - Markieff Morris, Phoenix Suns (vs. LAC), $5,700: Morris has scored more than 32 fantasy points in back-to-back games and in five of his past six. Only six teams have allowed more fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season than the Clips.

PF/C - Alexis Ajinca, New Orleans Pelicans (at LAL), $4,100: Ajinca had a dud against the Kings in his last outing, but he has scored 30-plus fantasy points in three of his past five games and has a pair of double-doubles during that span. No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing centers so Ajinca may bounce back nicely at a very modest cost.

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For those interested in FanDuel leagues, I posted some FanDuel values earlier this morning here.

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Daily Fantasy Basketball: FanDuel Values for March 4th

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 Tuesday's games, Thunder SF Kevin Durant ($11,900) 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 (March 4th) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder (vs. PHI), $7,400: While there is the potential that Westbrook, Durant, etc. sit in the fourth quarter of a potential blowout (as Sean noted in his DraftStreet post), Westbrook's salary ($7,400) as a stud point guard is still more than $2,000 less than that of Chris Paul ($9,600). Even in 25 minutes (like against the Bobcats on Sunday), Westbrook can still score 35 fantasy points. Against the league's worst defense, three quarters of Westbrook may be more than enough.

PG - Ishmael Smith, Phoenix Suns (vs. LAC), $4,600: In his past four games, Smith has averaged 27.68 fantasy points per game. During that stretch, Smith has averaged 9.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.25 assists and 2.5 steals per game.

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SG - Tyreke Evans, New Orleans Pelicans (at LAL), $5,400: Evans appeared on my FanDuel list yesterday and he delivered for DFS owners that started him by dropping 50 fantasy points. Against the Kings, his former team, Evans was only two assists shy of a triple-double with 27 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Evans is a must-start against the Lakers, who have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season.

SG - Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs (at CLE), $4,700: Despite playing less than 30 minutes in each game, Ginobili has averaged 29.5 fantasy points per game over his last three games. During that stretch, Ginobili has averaged 15.3 points, 7.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 block per game.

SG - Kent Bazemore, Los Angeles Lakers (vs. NOP), $4,400: Although Bazemore has played in only 28 and 27 minutes in his past two games, his two lowest since joining the Lakers, he has scored 20-plus fantasy points in four consecutive games and in five of his six as a Laker.

SG - Ray Allen, Miami Heat (at HOU), $3,500: Provided that Dwyane Wade sits out another game, Allen is a solid option at the contest-minimum salary. The Rockets have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards.

SF - Wesley Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers (vs. NOP), $4,900: Against the Blazers yesterday, Johnson extended his streak of games with 36-plus minutes and 33-plus fantasy points to three games. During that stretch, he has averaged 14.67 points, 8.0 boards, 3.0 assists, 3.0 blocks and 1.0 steal per game.

SF - Caron Butler, Oklahoma City Thunder (vs. PHI), $4,700: Butler will make his Thunder debut on Tuesday and he gets an extremely favorable matchup against the Sixers. With Thabo Sefolosha (calf) out for the next month or so, Butler could start. Either way, he should get plenty of minutes in his debut.

PF - Markieff Morris, Phoenix Suns (vs. LAC), $6,000: Morris has scored more than 30 fantasy points in back-to-back games and in five of his past six. Only six teams have allowed more fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season than the Clips.

PF - Tristan Thompson, Cleveland Cavaliers (vs. SAS), $5,900: Thompson has seven double-doubles in his past 10 games and he missed a double-double in two of those games by only one rebound. Thompson is averaging 15.3 points, 11.5 rebounds and 31.1 fantasy points in his past 10 games.

C - Alexis Ajinca, New Orleans Pelicans (at LAL), $4,200: Ajinca had a dud against the Kings in his last outing, but he has scored 29-plus fantasy points in three of his past five games and has a pair of double-doubles during that span. No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing centers so Ajinca may bounce back nicely at a very modest cost.

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Daily Fantasy Basketball: DraftStreet Advice for March 4th

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 Tuesday's games:

Here are some early leans on some players for Tuesday's action:

Cleveland Big Men - Spencer Hawes $11,610 / Tristan Thompson $11,842

I'm not a huge fan of this matchup against the Spurs, but I do think both have a very good shot at making value on Tuesday. Both should be in double/double range with Anderson Varejao still a game or two away from returning.

David Lee F - Golden St. $14,509

This is another tough matchup vs. the Pacers, but Lee at 14.5 is downright larceny. Lee is one of the top PF in daily fantasy formats, especially on Draft Street where efficiency comes into play.

Tyreke Evans F - Hornets $12,601

I'm riding the Tyreke express until he fails me. Evans is one of those fill-the-stat-sheet guys that I like and he has a very juicy matchup against the Lakers.

Wesley Johnson F - Lakers $12,093

Johnson has been one of the best-kept secrets the past week or so in the DFS world. He has been as consistent as they come. New Orleans is in the bottom third in the NBA in defending opposing forwards.

Darren Collison G - Clippers $9,660 / Matt Barnes F - Clippers $9,511

Jamal Crawford is likely out for Tuesday's game vs. the Suns, which should mean extra minutes for Collison, and Barnes. I like the value on each player and will be playing them in a couple GPP's and cash games.

Caron Butler F - Thunder $8,865

Butler could be moved into the starting lineup with Thabo Sefolosha being sidelined with an injury. This is a very intriguing game. I'd almost want to stay away from the Big 3 (Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka) of the Thunder because you could see all three of them on the bench the entire 4th quarter. Butler could be a sneaky value start.

Tony Parker G - Spurs $13,495

Parker is very undervalued in this game vs. the Cavs. We all know about Kyrie Irving's problems on the defensive end. I think Parker has a field day against the All-Star MVP. Parker is one of my must plays in all formats.

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

If you play in full-season leagues, check out our site's rest-of-season Fantasy NBA rankings.

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Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire (January 19th Update)

Here are some players to consider adding and all are available in at least 50 percent of Yahoo! leagues:

PG - D.J. Augustin, Chicago Bulls (owned in 24 percent of Yahoo! leagues): Augustin has scored 16-plus points in four of his past five games and has dished out seven-plus assists in six of his past eight games. Over the past eight-game stretch, Augustin is averaging 13.88 points, 2.0 three's, 6.88 assists and 1.13 steals per game.

PG - Ramon Sessions, Charlotte Bobcats (14 percent): With Kemba Walker suffering an ankle injury on Saturday, Sessions played a season-high 38 minutes and scored 16 points with five assists. Sessions now has five assists in four consecutive games.

PG - Brian Roberts, New Orleans Pelicans (13 percent): In his past four games, Roberts has averaged 11.25 points, 5.25 assists, 1.25 three's and 0.75 steals. As long as Jrue Holiday (stress fracture) is out, Roberts should continue to see 30-plus minutes each night.

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PG/SG - Alec Burks, Utah Jazz (23 percent): With Gordon Hayward out, Burks has scored 16-plus points in four of his past five games. During that five-game span, he is averaging 18.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 0.8 steals per game.

PG/SG - Kirk Hinrich, Chicago Bulls (13 percent): In his past two games, Hinrich has a total of 24 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists and four blocks. He also has at least five assists in five of his past six games.

SG - Jodie Meeks, Los Angeles Lakers (49 percent): One of the league's better three-point shooters, Meeks has knocked down 2.25 three's per game this month including six of them on Wednesday. In addition, he's averaging 19.5 points, 3.13 assists and 1.5 steals per game as well.

SG/SF - Wesley Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers (22 percent): Over the past six games, Johnson has averaged 15.17 points, 2.0 three's, 5.0 rebounds, 1.33 steals and 0.67 blocks per game. As long as both Kobe Bryant and Xavier Henry are out, Johnson should continue to see big minutes, but one or both could return by the end of the month.

SG/SF - Courtney Lee, Memphis Grizzlies (nine percent): Lee has scored 15-plus points in three of his past four games and has five three-pointers, four steals and three blocks during that span as well.

SG/SF - Martell Webster, Washington Wizards (32 percent): Over his past four games, Webster has scored in double figures mostly due to his three-point shooting. In those four games, he has a total of 12 three's and four steals.

SG/SF - P.J. Tucker, Phoenix Suns (12 percent): Over his past six games, Tucker has averaged 8.83 rebounds per game and has eight or more rebounds in five of those six games. During that span, he has also averaged 10.67 points and 1.67 three-pointers as well.

SF - Al-Farouq Aminu, New Orleans Pelicans (14 percent): With the injuries in the Pelicans' frontcourt (Ryan Anderson and Jason Smith), it means more minutes for Aminu. Over his past four games, he is averaging 10.5 points and 10.25 rebounds per game.

SF/PF - James Johnson, Memphis Grizzlies (20 percent): Johnson has two blocks or more — including six blocks on Wednesday — in six consecutive games. While he has scored in double-digits only twice this month (out of nine games), he is averaging 4.0 rebounds, 3.11 assists, 1.44 steals and 2.11 blocks per game in January.

PF/C - Glen Davis, Orlando Magic (44 percent): In nine games this month, Davis has four double-doubles and he was just a rebound off of two other double-doubles. During the month, he is averaging 14.89 points, 9.44 rebounds and 1.11 steals per game.

PF/C - Josh McRoberts, Charlotte Bobcats (18 percent): McRoberts has scored in double digits in three consecutive games and he has a total of nine three-pointers in that span. In his past six games, he has at least four assists in four of those games and a total of seven steals and seven blocks during that span.

* Note: All stats referenced above are through Saturday's games.

For more assistance with waiver-wire decisions, check out my rest-of-season fantasy basketball rankings.

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