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Fantasy Basketball: 10 Best Value Picks In 2014-15 So Far

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By @b2brennan

Fantasy Basketball: 10 Best Value Picks In 2014-15 So Far

Hassan Whiteside, Miami Heat, Fantasy Basketball
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We are at the midseason break in the 2014-15 NBA season, it's time to reflect on the best and worst picks in fantasy basketball this year. Here are my top 10 value picks.

10. DeAndre Jordan

Brooklyn Nets V Los Angeles Clippers
Jesse D. Garrabant - Getty Images

10. DeAndre Jordan

Brooklyn Nets V Los Angeles Clippers
Jesse D. Garrabant - Getty Images

Jordan was probably taken relatively early in most drafts, but I placed him around the 10th-best center at the beginning of the season. Among centers, he is first in rebounds and blocks and still averaging around 11 PPG. If you waited for a center and drafted him after all the bigger names went, you made a great choice.

9. Klay Thompson

klay thompson 2015 - text
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9. Klay Thompson

klay thompson 2015
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Most people knew Thompson was going to be good sooner rather than later, but not a lot of people knew he'd be this good. I'm willing to assume he slipped through some cracks and dropped behind a few bigger-name shooting guards, but he's second among shooting guards in scoring and contributes in other areas as well.

8. Gordon Hayward

dueldiscohaywardcropped
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8. Gordon Hayward

dueldiscohaywardcropped
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Hayward doesn't get the credit he deserves, but the only small forward beside him averaging over 15 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 4.0 APG is LeBron James. Yes, he is on a bad team and that helps, but Hayward was never a high pick and has be one of the more consistently solid players on his owners' teams.

7. Kyle Lowry

Detroit Pistons v Toronto Raptors
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7. Kyle Lowry

Detroit Pistons v Toronto Raptors
Rob Turenne - Getty Images

I'm sure many people didn't think Lowry would have as good a season as he did in 2014 (17.9 PPG, 7.4 APG, 4.7 RPG), but he actually has managed to maintain those numbers and increase his scoring total a little bit. A lot of that has to do with DeMar DeRozan being hurt early in the year, but I can assure you Lowry's value is outstanding since he's doesn't have the reputation as some of the other guards in the league.

6. Pau Gasol

Chicago Bulls v Detroit Pistons
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6. Pau Gasol

Chicago Bulls v Detroit Pistons
Dan Lippitt - Getty Images

After an up-and-down run with the Los Angeles Lakers, I'm sure many people didn't think Pau Gasol would be nearly as good as he has been. Among power forwards, he's fourth in points and assists per game, first in rebounds per game and third in blocks per game. Being ranked as the seventh or eighth power forward before the season, Gasol is my pick for fantasy MVP so far.

5. Jeff Teague

Oklahoma City Thunder v Atlanta Hawks
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5. Jeff Teague

Oklahoma City Thunder v Atlanta Hawks
Scott Cunningham - Getty Images

Nobody thought the Atlanta Hawks or Jeff Teague would be this good this year. Teague might have barely cracked the top 20 point guards before the season, yet he's averaging 17 PPG and 7.5 APG, and is one of the best defensive point guards in the league. He is the definition of great value this season.

4. Nikola Vucevic

Memphis Grizzlies v Orlando Magic
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4. Nikola Vucevic

Memphis Grizzlies v Orlando Magic
Fernando Medina Getty Images

Vucevic is having one of the quietest 19-plus PPG and 11-plus RPG seasons I have ever seen. He doesn't have the name that many of the other frontcourt players have in the league, but he definitely has the numbers. He has been a consistent force this season, and his output has been substantially better than some of the game's "elites."

3. Brandon Knight

Milwaukee Bucks v Miami Heat
Issac Baldizon - Getty Images

3. Brandon Knight

Milwaukee Bucks v Miami Heat
Issac Baldizon - Getty Images

Knight is another one of the point guards in the "Jeff Teague area" of the draft. His numbers have been nothing short of very good this year, averaging about 18 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 6.5 APG. He fell behind a lot of the big names, but has outplayed most of them from a fantasy standpoint.

2. Jimmy Butler

Milwaukee Bucks v Chicago Bulls
Gary Dineen - Getty Images

2. Jimmy Butler

Milwaukee Bucks v Chicago Bulls
Gary Dineen - Getty Images

Jimmy Butler went from a 13 PPG scorer to a 20 PPG scorer in the blink of an eye. He plays a ton of minutes, scores, rebounds and plays great defense. Butler is a premier shooting guard in the league right now, and I can guarantee most people didn't have him in the top 10 in his position before the year.

1. Hassan Whiteside

Hassan Whiteside, Miami Heat, Fantasy Basketball
Issac Baldizon - Getty Images

1. Hassan Whiteside

Hassan Whiteside, Miami Heat, Fantasy Basketball
Issac Baldizon - Getty Images

Before the season, almost every NBA fan would have saw this name and said, "Who?" He hasn't quite arrived yet since he hasn't play starter-worthy minutes, but in the 18 games he's played over 15 minutes, he is averaging over 12 PPG, 11 RPG and almost 3.0 BPG. He was most likely undrafted in basically every league, and now he is a top-tier center. Talk about value.

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