Friday, March 28, 2014

Daily Fantasy Basketball: FanDuel Values for March 28th

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, 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 Friday (March 28th) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Reggie Jackson, Oklahoma City Thunder (vs. SAC), $6,000: Since tonight's game is not part of a back-to-back, Russell Westbrook should start at point guard tonight. That said, an early big lead against the Kings, who are 21 games under .500, could lead to plenty of rest for Westbrook. In his past three games, Jackson is averaging 17.33 points, 6.67 rebounds, 7.33 assists and 1.33 steals per game.

PG - Shaun Livingston, Brooklyn Nets (vs. CLE), $4,700: Only the Sixers and Lakers have allowed more fantasy points to opposing point guards this season. In his past 10 games, Livingston has only one game with 30-plus fantasy points. That said, he is a perfect 10-for-10 during that stretch when it comes to scoring at least 20 fantasy points.

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SG - Dion Waiters, Cleveland Cavaliers (at BKN), $6,400: Not only is Waiters assured of big-time minutes, but he has scored at least 30 fantasy points in five of his past six games. (The exception was a 29.0-point performance.) Brooklyn is an excellent defensive team, but their worst position to defend from a fantasy perspective is shooting guard. They have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing off guards this season.

SG - Terrence Ross, Toronto Raptors (vs. BOS), $4,100: Ross lit up the Celtics for 24 points (and 32.8 fantasy points) while adding four rebounds, two assists and a steal on Wednesday and he gets another opportunity tonight.

SG - Chris Douglas-Roberts, Charlotte Bobcats (at ORL), $4,000: CDR has scored at least 22 fantasy points in three of his past four games and played at least 22 minutes in all of those contests. The Magic have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season.

SG - Ben McLemore, Sacramento Kings (at OKC), $3,600: Even though he is only a rookie, McLemore has been a bit of a disappointment in fantasy this season. In his past two games, however, McLemore has been more productive by averaging 15.5 (real) points and scoring at least 20.7 fantasy points in the two games. The Thunder have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season.

SF - Paul Pierce, Brooklyn Nets (vs. CLE), $5,400: Even though Pierce starts as a four for the Nets, he has played 31-plus minutes in each of his past three games and he's averaging 26.3 fantasy points per game during that stretch.

SF - Corey Brewer, Minnesota Timberwolves (vs. LAL), $4,600: It's never a bad idea to start small forwards facing the Lakers as only the Sixers allow more fantasy points to the the position. Brewer has scored 22.4 and 29.1 fantasy points in his past two games, respectively, and could be in for a big night with such a favorable matchup.

SF - Caron Butler, Oklahoma City Thunder (vs. SAC), $4,600: While Butler may not have tremendous upside playing with Durant, Westbrook, and others, he has been consistent with four consecutive games of 21-plus fantasy points. In addition, the Kings have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards this season.

SF - Al-Farouq Aminu, New Orleans Pelicans (vs. UTA), $4,100: Depending on the health of some other Pelicans, Aminu could be in line for 30-something minutes once again. In two of his previous three games, Aminu has scored at least 25 fantasy points including 32.0 against the Clippers on Wednesday.

PF - Amar'e Stoudemire, New York Knicks (at PHO), $5,300: Facing his former team in his former home arena, Stoudemire could be in for a big night after a couple of mediocre outings. In his past three games, Stoudemire has scored 19.4-20.7 fantasy points, but he had 30-plus fantasy points in three of his previous five games before that.

PF - Jordan Hill, Los Angeles Lakers (at MIN), $4,900: More than likely, the majority of my FanDuel leagues will feature a PF duo from this game with Kevin Love and Hill. With the exception of Monday's dud (nine points, five boards in 14 minutes), Hill has averaged 41.87 fantasy points in his other three games since returning from injury. Over his past four games, Hill has averaged 18.5 points and 12.0 rebounds per game.

C - Enes Kanter, Utah Jazz (at NOP), $5,700: Now that he is getting the playing time he deserves, Kanter has delivered for fantasy owners recently. Kanter has three double-doubles in his past four games and six double-doubles in his previous 10. The Pelicans have allowed the 11th-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season.

C - Gorgui Dieng, Minnesota Timberwolves (vs. LAL), $5,300: Regardless of whether or not Nikola Pekovic returns on Friday, it's hard to sit Dieng. Posting a double-double in five of his past six gmaes, Dieng has averaged 12.67 points, 14.0 rebounds, 1.17 blocks and 1.17 steals (and 35.8 fantasy points) per outing in his past six. Furthermore (as if you needed more), the Lakers have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season.

C - Timofey Mozgov, Denver Nuggets (vs. SAS), $4,400: With J.J. Hickson (torn ACL) out for the season, Mozgov has played 30-plus minutes in consecutive games. Not only do the Spurs allow the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing centers, but Mozgov had a double-double (14 points and 11 rebounds) and two blocks vs. the Spurs on Wednesday.

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Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Daily Fantasy Basketball: FanDuel Values for March 26th

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 Wednesday'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 (March 25th) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzlies (at UTA), $6,800: Conley has scored 31-plus fantasy points in three of his past four games and the off game was 28.8 vs. the Heat, who allow the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing point guards. During that four-game span, Conley is averaging 18.5 points, 5.75 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals per contest. The Jazz have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season.

PG - Brandon Jennings, Detroit Pistons (vs. CLE), $6,100: Jennings is tough to trust (example: 2.2 fantasy points in 14 minutes on Mar. 21st). That said, he has 40.9 and 25.2 fantasy points in his past two games and has averaged 17.0 points, 7.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 points in those two contests. The Cavs have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season.

PG - Darren Collison, Los Angeles Clippers (at NOP), $5,600: Even with Jamal Crawford back for two games, Collison has played 26 and 34 minutes and scored 20.5 and 28.4 fantasy points, respectively, in those two games. The Pelicans have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season.

PG - Mario Chalmers, Miami Heat (at IND), $5,100: While it's not necessarily a great matchup (from a fantasy perspective, that is), Chalmers has been playing well lately. Over his past four games, he has averaged 12.75 points, 6.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.

PG - Jarrett Jack, Cleveland Cavaliers (at DET), $5,000: Jack has 31-plus fantasy points in three of his past five games, which coincides with the timeframe that Kyrie Irving has missed. During that span, Jack has averaged 16.6 points, 5.8 assists and 4.2 rebounds in over 38 minutes per game. Over the past 15 days, only the Lakers have allowed more fantasy points to opposing point guards.

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SG - Dion Waiters, Cleveland Cavaliers (at DET), $6,000: With Irving out, Waiters has played in at least 40 minutes in five consecutive games. During that span, Waiters is averaging 37.32 fantasy points per game with a line of 23.8 points, 6.4 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.

SG - Rodney Stuckey, Detroit Pistons (vs. CLE), $4,300: With the exception of Saturday's six-point performance, Stuckey has scored at least 18 (real) points and 21.9 fantasy points in four of his past five games.

SG - Tim Hardaway Jr., New York Knicks (at SAC), $3,700: Hardaway's fantasy output can be wildly inconsistent, but he scored 23.7 fantasy points against the Lakers last night and now has 20-something fantasy points in four of his past seven outings. Only the Lakers have allowed more fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season than the Lakers.

SF - Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs (vs. DEN), $6,700: My only concern with Leonard is the potential for Poppovich to severely limit Leonard's (or any of his player's) minutes. Other than that, the matchup is great — the Nuggets allow the sixth-most fantasy points to SFs — and Leonard has an all-around game. Over his past 10 games, he is averaging 14.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks per outing.

SF - Luol Deng, Cleveland Cavaliers (at DET), $6,000: Deng went off last night with 19 points, six rebounds, seven assists, a block and a steal, which was good for nearly 40 fantasy points (39.7 to be exact). The Pistons have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards this season.

SF - DeMarre Carroll, Atlanta Hawks (at MIN), $5,900: Carroll has scored at least 25 fantasy points in each of his past three games. During that three-game run, he has averaged 14.33 points, 5.0 rebounds and a whopping 3.33 steals per game. The T'Wolves have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards this year.

SF - P.J. Tucker, Phoenix Suns (at WAS), $5,500: Tucker has an underrated game and he has scored 20.2, 26.6 and 31.2 fantasy points in his past three games. Over his past nine games, he has averaged 11.44 points, 7.22 rebounds and 2.22 steals per game. The Wizards have allowed the 11th-most fantasy points to small forwards this season, but they have been more generous recently: fifth-most over the past 15 days.

PF - Amar'e Stoudemire, New York Knicks (at SAC), $5,400: Stoudemire scored 16 points last night, but he added just two rebounds, which is a seven-game low. Tonight's matchup isn't as favorable as last night's against the Lakers, but the Kings have allowed the 11th-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards this year.

PF - Trevor Booker, Washington Wizards (vs. PHO), $4,100: Booker has been a steady contributor with more than 20 fantasy points in four consecutive games. He has scored in double figures in three of those games and has averaged 6.25 rebounds, 1.25 blocks and 1.25 steals per game over that stretch.

PF - Jonas Jerebko, Detroit Pistons (vs. CLE), $3,900: After a surprise 22-point, nine-rebound performance with two steals on Saturday, Jerebko had a more modest but reasonably productive outing against the Jazz with seven points, eight rebounds and a steal. He has played 24-plus minutes in each of his past two games.

PF - Drew Gooden, Washington Wizards (vs. PHO), $3,500: With a contest-minimum salary, Gooden has been productive even with modest minutes. Despite getting less than 20 minutes in each of his past two games, Gooden has extended his streak of games with 20-plus fantasy points to five games. The first three games of that span, Gooden had more than 30 fantasy points each game with 26-28 minutes per contest.

C - Tiago Splitter, San Antonio Spurs (vs. DEN), $5,400: Bigs facing the Nuggets always tend to do well as Denver has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season. That said, Splitter followed up a huge game (17 points, 14 rebounds, three assists) of 41.3 fantasy points with a DNP against the Sixers. I expect him to play tonight (and enough minutes to be productive), but guessing Poppovich's distribution of minutes is never an easy task.

C - Gorgui Dieng, Minnesota Timberwolves (vs. ATL), $5,100: If Nikola Pekovic misses another game, look for Dieng to continue his highly productive play. Dieng has four double-doubles (including a 20-20 game) over his past five games. During that stretch, he has averaged 12.2 points, 13.8 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals per game.

C - Timofey Mozgov, Denver Nuggets (at SAS), $4,300: With J.J. Hickson (torn ACL) out for the season, Mozgov played a season-high 32:25 in his most recent game. Mozgov finished the game with 12 points, nine rebounds and a block for 23.3 fantasy points. The Spurs have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season.

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Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Daily Fantasy Basketball: FanDuel Values for March 25th

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 ($12,000) 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 25th) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Raymond Felton, New York Knicks (at LAL), $5,800: Felton has been inconsistent this season and his last three games (30.2, 18.6 and 38.2 fantasy points, respectively) illustrate that. With a favorable matchup against the Lakers, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing point guards, perhaps Felton scores 30-something fantasy points again.

PG - Reggie Jackson, Oklahoma City Thunder (at DAL), $5,600: With double-doubles and 40-plus fantasy points in back-to-back games, Jackson is unlikely to repeat those numbers with Russell Westbrook likely to play tonight. That said, he has at least 24.5 fantasy points in four consecutive games. During that four-game stretch, Jackson has averaged 16.25 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.75 assists and 1.25 steals per game. If for some reason Westbrook sits tonight, which is not expected, Jackson becomes a must-start.

PG - Greivis Vasquez, Toronto Raptors (at CLE), $4,500: Teammate Kyle Lowry ($9,100) is the most expensive point guard for tonight's games and is generally worth it with 40-plus fantasy points in seven of his past nine games. That said, Vasquez has been productive recently as well and at half of the cost. Vasquez has scored at least 21.9 fantasy points in each of his past three games.

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SG - Devin Harris, Dallas Mavericks (vs. OKC), $4,600: Harris has scored a minimum of 20 fantasy points in four of his past five games. During that five-game span, Harris has averaged 10.2 points, 5.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game. This season, the Thunder have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards.

SG - Tim Hardaway, Jr., New York Knicks (at LAL), $3,700: Even though Hardaway has scored less than 15 fantasy points in three consecutive games, he has the potential to get hot and the Lakers may enhance the likelihood of that happening. In his previous three games, Hardaway scored 20-plus points per game.

SF - J.R. Smith, New York Knicks (at LAL), $5,400: Against the Cavs on Sunday, Smith played 38 minutes and scored 18 points with four assists and three rebounds. If he gets close to 40 minutes again tonight against the Lakers, Smith could be in store for a huge game.

SF - Caron Butler, Oklahoma City Thunder (at DAL), $4,300: After scoring just four points against the Raptors, Butler scored 23 points against the Nuggets last night. That said, he has now scored at least 21 fantasy points in three consecutive games.

PF - Amar'e Stoudemire, New York Knicks (at LAL), $5,400: Stoudemire scored 20.7 fantasy points against the Cavs on Sunday and that was a six-game low. Averaging 29.55 fantasy points per game during that span, Stoudemire is averaging 18.33 points and 7.33 rebounds per game over that stretch. With the Lakers allowing the most fantasy points to opposing power forwards, an all-Knicks combo with Amar'e and Carmelo Anthony wouldn't be a bad idea.

PF - Jordan Hill, Los Angeles Lakers (vs. NYK), $5,000: Even though the Knicks allow the fewest fantasy points to opposing power forwards, Hill is still worthy of a start on Tuesday night. In his two games since an extended absence, Hill has scored 31.8 and 45.6 fantasy points, respectively. In those two games, he is averaging 18.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. Plus, Pau Gasol (vertigo) is "doubtful" to play tonight.

C - Tyson Chandler, New York Knicks (at LAL), $6,700: Can you start too many players against the Lakers? That's a question you won't hear any fantasy owners asking. With a favorable matchup, Chandler should bounce back after a subpar performance (four points and six boards) on Sunday. In his previous two games, Chandler averaged 12.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and a block per game.

C - Kyle O'Quinn, Orlando Magic (vs. POR), $4,900: With O'Quinn, you know what to expect: 20-something fantasy points at a reasonable price. In his past 10 games, he has played more than 25 minutes only twice, but he has at least 19.9 fantasy points in all of those games. During that stretch, he is averaging 8.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.

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Monday, March 24, 2014

Pau Gasol (vertigo) is doubtful for Tuesday vs. NYK

After spending last night at the hospital, Lakers PF/C Pau Gasol is listed as "doubtful" for Tuesday's game against the Knicks although he will be re-examined tomorrow morning.

In addition, Gasol had a case of vertigo as the MRI came back clean:

If Gasol does not play, as expected, the Lakers will start Chris Kaman at center.

Gasol currently leads the Lakers in both scoring (17.5 PPG), rebounding (9.8 RPG) and blocks (1.53 BPG).

In 18 minutes per game this season, Kaman is averaging 9.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.06 blocks per game.  That said, Kaman has not played since Feb. 28th.

Consensus NBA Power Rankings, Week 22

As Yogi Berra once said, it's been "deja vu all over again" for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Losing to the Bulls on Saturday, the 76ers extended their franchise-worst losing streak to 24 games. The previous club record was set more than 40 years ago when the Sixers lost 20 consecutive games in the 1972-73 season.

Not only are the Sixers tied with the Cavs for the second-longest losing streak in NBA history, but the 2010-11 LeBron James-less Cavs squad set the NBA record of 26 straight losses.

Up next for the Sixers are two difficult road matchups against the Spurs (on Monday) and Rockets (on Thursday). If (or should I say when?) the Sixers lose those two games, they will tie the record.

After that point, they have a couple of winnable (or at least, less difficult) games against the Pistons, Hawks, Bobcats and Celtics. All four of those teams have losing records.

As the Sixers continue to tank lose, the obvious goal is to accumulate more ping-pong balls for the lottery and the opportunity to get a stud like Joel Embiid, Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker in June's NBA Draft. And since they traded Jrue Holiday to the Pelicans last year, the Sixers have two first-rounders in such a highly-touted draft class this year.

[Related: 2014 NBA Mock Draft - 2014 NBA Mock Draft Database]

With the opportunity to rebuild their roster with a couple of lottery picks this year, the Sixers actually have had success with their two lottery picks last year.

Point guard Michael Carter-Williams could possibly win the NBA Rookie of the Year award this year. And while Nerlens Noel has yet to play this season as he recovers from his torn ACL injury, coach Brett Brown has lofty expectations for Noel as he recently compared him to Chicago's Joakim Noah.

“Every time I see Joakim, I hope I’m seeing what we get in Nerlens,” Brown said (via CSN Chicago). “He’s one of the prime examples that I point to as we try to groom a young player.”

Of course, he's not Noah yet, but as a Sixers fan, I'd be thrilled to see Noel develop into a player that is close to what Noah brings to the Bulls.

- Check out our 2013-14 NBA Power Rankings for Week 22

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Daily Fantasy Basketball: FanDuel Values for March 24th

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 Monday's games, Thunder SF Kevin Durant ($12,000) 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 Monday (March 24th) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Reggie Jackson, Oklahoma City Thunder (vs. DEN), $5,600: Fortunately, the MRI for Russell Westbrook showed no additional damage on his knee, but OKC has back-to-back games tonight and tomorrow. Continuing with their existing plan for Westbrook to not play in back-to-backs, it's likely they sit him tonight and if they do, Jackson is an excellent option. In 42 minutes on Friday, Jackson scored 25 points with 12 rebounds and three assists for 42.9 fantasy points.

PG - Mario Chalmers, Miami Heat (vs. POR), $4,900: Chalmers has scored more than 20 fantasy points in three consecutive games including 32.9 on Saturday. During that three-game stretch, he has averaged 13.33 points, 7.0 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game. The Blazers have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season.

PG - Will Bynum, Detroit Pistons (at UTA), $4,800: In his past three games, Bynum has scored 23.3-28.4 fantasy points per game. During that stretch, he is averaging 8.67 points, 9.67 assists, 2.67 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game.

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SG - Gerald Henderson, Charlotte Bobcats (vs. HOU), $5,200: Against the Blazers on Saturday, Henderson scored 23 points and added eight rebounds, five assists, a block and a steal for 42.1 fantasy points. He has averaged 30.23 fantasy points per game over his past four games. The Rockets have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards.

SF - Caron Butler, Oklahoma City Thunder (vs. DEN), $4,300: On Saturday, Butler played 36 minutes, his high since joining the Thunder. If Westbrook sits out tonight, it's possible he plays 30-plus minutes again tonight. Either way, he has played 26-plus minutes in three straight and in five of his past six games. Butler has scored 21 fantasy points in back-to-back games and has seven steals during that span. The Nuggets have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards.

SF - Dorell Wright, Portland Trail Blazers (at MIA), $4,000: With LaMarcus Aldridge (back contusion) out for at least one more game, Wright will get the start at power forward. In his past two games, Wright has averaged 16.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

SF - Richard Jefferson, Utah Jazz (at DET), $3,500: While he may not score 21 (real) points with 29.6 fantasy points like on Saturday, Jefferson has been reasonably productive and he gets a favorable matchup yet he's priced at the contest's minimum salary. The Pistons have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards.

PF - Mason Plumlee, Brooklyn Nets (at NOP), $4,600: Plumlee has only played 19 to 27 minutes in his past four games, but he has scored 24.4 or more fantasy points in three of those outings. The Pelicans have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season.

C - Enes Kanter, Utah Jazz (vs. DET), $5,700: Kanter has double-doubles in back-to-back games with at least 36 minutes in each game. Kanter now has five double-doubles in his past eight games. The Pistons have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season.

C - Henry Sims, Philadelphia 76ers (at SAS), $4,700: Sims is coming off back-to-back double-doubles and he has scored a total of 75.6 fantasy points in his past two games. The Spurs have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing centers and we could see mostly backups for San Antonio on Monday night.

* Note: I love the Spurs matchup against the Sixers, obviously, but it wouldn't surprise me to see the Spurs you'd prefer to start either sit out or have their minutes significantly reduced against Philly.

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Sunday, March 23, 2014

Kevin Love posts 36/14/9 line in loss to Suns

In today's loss to the Suns, Timberwolves power forward Kevin Love was just one assist shy of getting the second triple-double of his career.

Along with nine assists, Love finished the game with 36 points, 14 rebounds and two steals.

Back in February, he had 37/12/10 against the Jazz in his first career triple-double. Before today's game, Love had just one double-double in his previous four games.

For those that play in FanDuel daily basketball leagues, that is the equivalent of 67.3 fantasy points. It was his second game with 60-plus fantasy points over his past 10 games played and he has averaged just shy of 50 fantasy points (49.57) per game during that stretch.

Love and the T'Wolves face the Grizzlies on Monday.

LaMarcus Aldridge (back contusion) won't play Monday

Portland Trail Blazers power forward LaMarcus Aldridge has now missed five consecutive games in a row due to his back contusion.

At a minimum, he will miss at least one more.

Per Chris Haynes of Comcast SportsNet Northwest, Aldridge won't play on Monday against the Miami Heat.

In his past six games, Dorell Wright has scored in double figures five times and has averaged 11.83 points and 5.33 rebounds per game.

With a FanDuel salary of just $4,000 (find FanDuel games here), Wright is a solid value in daily fantasy basketball leagues on Monday.

Daily Fantasy Basketball: FanDuel Values for March 23rd

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 Sunday's games, Timberwolves PF Kevin Love ($11,300) 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 Sunday (March 23rd) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Jeff Teague, Atlanta Hawks (at TOR), $6,900: Teague has exploded for a total of 90.7 fantasy over his past two games, which includes 50.1 fantasy points against the Raptors on March 18th. Over his past five games, he has scored at least 34.6 fantasy points four times and he's averaging 21.6 points, 8.0 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game during that stretch.

PG - Shaun Livingston, Brooklyn Nets (at DAL), $4,400: Livingston has scored at least 20-plus fantasy points in seven consecutive games. Even though the matchup isn't necessarily a great one, he has been extremely consistent at his (still) low price.

PG - Matthew Dellavedova, Cleveland Cavaliers (at NYK), $3,800: For a second consecutive game, Dellavedova recorded a double-double as he finished with 14 points, 10 assists and six boards against the Rockets on Saturday. With Kyrie Irving (biceps) out, Dellavedova should continue to get a healthy amount of minutes.

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SG - Victor Oladipo, Orlando Magic (at LAL), $6,500: If I didn't have you at he's facing the Lakers, Oladipo has started recently in place of Jameer Nelson (knee). In six games since returning from his own two-game absence, Oladipo is averaging 14.17 points, 5.17 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game. And as a reminder, the Lakers have allowed the most points to opposing shooting guards this season.

SG - Dion Waiters, Cleveland Cavaliers (at NYK), $5,600: Waiters has played 40-plus minutes in three consecutive games and he has scored at least 34.3 fantasy points in each of those games. During that three-game span, he is averaging 24.33 points, 7.67 assists, 3.33 rebounds and 1.33 steals per game. In addition, the Knicks have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season.

SF - Shawn Marion, Dallas Mavericks (vs. BKN), $5,200: The Matrix has scored more than 30 fantasy points in back-to-back games and at least 21.2 fantasy points in four consecutive games. During that four-game span, Marion is averaging 15.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game.

SF - Maurice Harkless, Orland Magic (at LAL), $4,500: Harkless has been inconsistent with single-digit fantasy points in two of his past five games. He also has two games with 26-plus fantasy points in that stretch and a favorable matchup against the Lakers on Sunday.

PF - Amir Johnson, Toronto Raptors (vs. ATL), $6,100: Johnson scored 25 points and added 12 boards, five blocks, four assists and two steals in 50 minutes on Friday. While Sunday's game is unlikely to be extended to two overtimes, Johnson has at least 25 fantasy points in seven straight games and at least 36 fantasy points in four of them. The Hawks have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season.

PF - Amar'e Stoudemire, New York Knicks (vs. CLE), $5,300: Stoudemire has averaged 31.32 fantasy points per game in his past five games played. During that stretch, he is averaging 19.6 points, 7.6 boards and a block per game.

PF - Jordan Hill, Los Angeles Lakers (), $4,300: After missing eight games, Hill got 27 minutes on Friday and made the most of his playing time as he finished with nine points, 14 boards and four blocks. If he gets as many minutes on Sunday night, he could be productive once again as the Magic have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards.

PF - Trevor Booker, Washington Wizards (at DEN), $4,000: Bad news first: Booker played only 15 minutes in his most recent game due to foul trouble. Now the good news: Booker has still managed to score 20-plus fantasy points in three consecutive games and in four of his past five. In addition, the Nuggets have allowed the third-most fantasy points this season and J.J. Hickson is out for the year with a torn ACL.

C - Gorgui Dieng, Minnesota Timberwolves (vs. PHO), $5,100: In the three games that Nikolva Pekovic has missed, Dieng has been a double-double machine. In his most recent game, the rookie from Louisville had 22 points, 21 rebounds and four assists against the Rockets. Reports are that Pek is unlikely to play on Sunday.

C - Kyle O'Quinn, Orlando Magic (at LAL), $4,800: In the month of March, O'Quinn has averaged more fantasy points (24.4) than minutes (22.3). During the month, he has averaged 8.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 0.9 steals per game. With the Lakers allowing the most fantasy points to opposing centers, there is no reason that trend won't continue on Sunday.

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Saturday, March 22, 2014

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.