GET YOUR COPY OF THE 2015 FANTASY ALARM BASEBALL DRAFT GUIDE . ROOKIES, SLEEPERS, BUSTS, STRATEGIES, RANKINGS... FIND OUT HOW TO PICK UP YOUR FREE COPY.
As rough as Mondays are, at least there is daily fantasy basketball to look forward to. Ten games on the slate tonight with plenty of value plays across the board, which will help you load up on some stud options. Russell Westbrook is clearly the number one option tonight, but his enormous price tag makes it hard to put together a solid lineup for cash games. However, Westbrook is always a good option for GPP lineups despite the high price tag.
The point guard position is loaded with top-tier talent, quality mid-tier options, and a couple of great punt plays. John Wall, Damian Lillard, and Kyrie Irving are all good top-tier options, but none of them are going to greatly exceed their value. Instead, target guys like George Hill and Jeff Teague. Hill has a great matchup vs a rival eastern conference team, while Teague will be well rested after sitting out Sunday's game. Teague would become a must-start if Dennis Schroder ends up sitting out. Jameer Nelson is going to get the start for Denver and instantly becomes one of the best value plays of the night. Beno Udrih and Zach LaVine (assuming Rubio sits) are also decent low-tier options.
Dwyane Wade took it personal last time LeBron James came to town as he scored 31 points, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out five assists in that game. Expect another big performance from him tonight. Will Barton is going to heavily owned after his monster performance last night (I'll pat myself on the back for that one as he was in the playbook). However, despite the multiple players sitting out for Denver, his playing time could be reduced if Randy Foye plays. Either way, Barton should be good for 25 fantasy points, but don't expect much more if Foye and Wilson Chandler play. DeMar DeRozan is a consistent play at the position. Henry Walker, Ben McLemore and Kent Bazemore are decent punt play options.
The small forward position is loaded with mid-tier options like Chandler Parsons, Nicolas Batum, Gerald Henderson, and Andrew Wiggins. As much as I like Batum, Washington has been of the best teams at guarding the position this season, which does scare me about him. Wilson Chandler becomes a nice option if he starts and the same thing goes for DeMarre Carroll. Hard to trust LeBron tonight with an ailing knee and a tough matchup vs Luol Deng.
Even though he burned me last night by resting, the power forward position is led by Paul Millsap. The Kings are a brutal defensive team and Millsap should see heavy minutes while producing stats in all categories. Nerlens Noel and Derrick Favors are great options on FantasyAces, but are over priced on Fanduel and DraftKings. Thaddeus Young is a quality mid-tier option that is playing vs the team that traded him away about a month ago. The position is lacking good low-tier options, but J.J. Hickson makes for a good choice if I had to chose one.
The center position is mainly about two guys tonight: Enes Kanter and DeMarcus Cousins. Kanter has been awesome recently and doesn't cost that much, while Cousins gets to face a team that lacks a true center since Al Horford isn't playing. Justin Hamilton is a superb value option if Nikola Pekovic and Kevin Garnett don't play because he's averaging 35 minutes while producing 39 fantasy points in the past two games.
Here the Daily Fantasy Basketball Playbook for March 16:
Point Guards
| Player | Team | Fantasy Aces | Fanduel | DraftKings | Comments |
| Jameer Nelson | Nuggets | 4,050 | 3,800 | 4,000 | Best value option on the board as he should start with Ty Lawson out |
| George Hill | Pacers | 4,700 | 6,600 | 6,800 | Safe mid-tier option with a good matchup |
| Jeff Teague | Hawks | 5,350 | 6,800 | 6,700 | Kings are an atrocious defensive team |
| Kyrie Irving | Cavs | 5,850 | 8,600 | 8,100 | Has been on fire recently, but loses value with LeBron playing |
Shooting Guards
| Player | Team | Fantasy Aces | Fanduel | DraftKings | Comments |
| Dwyane Wade | Heat | 5,400 | 8,000 | 7,500 | Had 51 FP last time the Cavs came to Miami |
| DeMar DeRozan | Raptors | 5,300 | 7,400 | 7,300 | Know you're going to get 30 FP from him with the ability to reach 40 FP |
| Will Barton | Nuggets | 3,950 | 5,100 | 4,500 | He's been awesome lately, like him more if Randy Foye doesn't play |
| Kent Bazemore | Hawks | 3,700 | 4,100 | 3,400 | Solid punt play with Korver out. Make sure he starts though |
| Bradley Beal | Wizards | 4,600 | 5,700 | 6,000 | Good mid-tier option that should have no problem exceeding value |
Small Forwards
| Player | Team | Fantasy Aces | Fanduel | DraftKings | Comments |
| Chandler Parsons | Mavericks | 4,850 | 6,200 | 6,200 | OKC is brutal vs opposing SFs with Durant out. |
| Nicolas Batum | Blazers | 4,950 | 6,200 | 6,700 | Nice mid-tier option on Aces/FD |
| DeMarre Carroll | Hawks | 4,400 | 5,400 | 5,200 | Picking on the Kings bad defense |
| Gerald Henderson | Hornets | 4,550 | 5,700 | 5,500 | Has produced at least 33 FP on DK in 3 out of the past 4 games |
Power Forwards
| Player | Team | Fantasy Aces | Fanduel | DraftKings | Comments |
| Paul Millsap | Hawks | 5,700 | 7,500 | 7,500 | Solid matchup and no Mike Scott or Al Horford means huge minutes for Millsap |
| Nerlens Noel | Sixers | 5,100 | 7,500 | 7,200 | Still ridiculously cheap on Aces. Same with Favors |
| Thaddeus Young | Nets | 4,700 | 6,000 | 5,900 | Revenge game; safe mid-tier option |
Centers
| Player | Team | Fantasy Aces | Fanduel | DraftKings | Comments |
| Enes Kanter | Thunder | 4,800 | 6,200 | 6,100 | Flourishes with Ibaka out by producing at least 39 FP in 3 out of the past 4 games |
| DeMarcus Cousins | Kings | 7,300 | 10,900 | 9,800 | Will dominate the Hawks with Horford out. Not a fan of his price tag on FD though |
| Justin Hamilton | Wolves | 3,300 | 4,100 | 4,000 | Amazing punt play if Garnett/Pekovic don’t play. Otherwise like Steven Adams more |
Player News
Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 61 points (18-of-29 FGs, 19-of-24 FTs), 11 rebounds, 10 assists, two steals and six three-pointers in a 140-139 double overtime loss to the Timberwolves on Tuesday.
Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 34 points (12-of-25 FGs), 10 rebounds, eight assists, one steal, five three-pointers and five turnovers in a 140-139 double overtime win over the Nuggets on Tuesday.
Aaron Gordon lit up the Timberwolves with 30 points (9-of-15 FGs, 8-of-10 FTs), eight rebounds, five assists, one block and four three-pointers on Tuesday.
Christian Braun recorded a double-double on Tuesday with 18 points (8-of-14 FGs), 12 rebounds, four assists, three steals and one three-pointer against the Timberwolves.
Julius Randle lit up the Nuggets with 26 points (11-of-22 FGs), nine rebounds, seven assists, one steal and four three-pointers on Tuesday.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker provided a boost off the bench with 26 points (8-of-16 FGs), seven rebounds, eight assists, two blocks and five three-pointers against the Nuggets on Tuesday.