Fantasy basketball advice: NBA FanDuel sleepers/busts for Friday, March 19

First off, a quick introduction. If you don't know what FanDuel is, well, you're missing out. FanDuel is a site that offers daily fantasy sports games. Participants get a chance every day to select new players, fill out a lineup and, most importantly, win some cash. If you choose poorly Monday, you can come back Tuesday and try again. Easy as that. Click here to enter a $2 FanDuel contest that offers a $10,000 prize today.

As for what we're doing in this space: The goal here will be to direct your attention toward some players who you might not otherwise consider. If you're here and reading this, then you already know that LeBron James is really good. But when filling out a roster you can't just pick out stars. You'll blow your cap and get stuck praying to the basketball gods that a guy like Kosta Koufos gets into the game. No, if you want to win, you have to take advantage of certain matchups -- and in order to do that you have to know where to look. That's what we're here for. Also, this space is going to be used to give you advice for the games on Friday, March 19. Thursday night is generally a slower one in the NBA, while Fridays are always packed. So with that, let's get started.

Alexey Shved, G, Knicks: Shved may be allergic to defense, but hey, this is fantasy; who cares about defense? Over the last couple of weeks, Shved has emerged as the Knicks' best (and perhaps only legitimate NBA) player, and he even led the team to a win over the Spurs on Tuesday. Over his last five games, the 26-year-old point guard is averaging 17.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.8 steals. Knicks head coach Derek Fisher has put the ball in Shved's hands and he's actually getting some decent results. Also working in Shved's favor: His Friday night matchup against the Sixers. Over its last 10 games, Philadelphia is allowing opposing point guards to score 45.6 FanDuel points, the fifth-worst number in the league, per Rotoworld. The only concern here is that the game turns into a tank fest, with both teams trying to figure out ways to lose.

Russell Westbrook, G, Thunder: At this point, I'm not sure you can afford to not have Westbrook on your team, at least as long as Kevin Durant remains on the bench. You're probably aware of the insane numbers that Westbrook has been putting up lately, but here's what he's averaging over his last 10 games: 34.6 points, 10.1 assists, 10.1 rebounds, 2.7 steals in 38.5 minutes. And now Enes Kanter might be joining Serge Ibaka on the sideline. Westbrook, who will face the Hawks on Friday, is going to cost you an arm and leg in FanDuel. He's probably worth it.

J.J. Reddick, G, Clippers: Reddick continues to shoot the lights out in Jamal Crawford's absence. He's averaging 20.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.6 three-pointers and 1.0 steal in March. He's shooting the ball with confidence and has become a primary option in the Clippers offense. That Matt Barnes is now out, too, just means Reddick will get more opportunities. On Friday he'll play the Wizards. That's a gamble, since Washington has been great at locking down opposing shooting guards. But right now Reddick is a must-play, no matter who he's facing.

Jeff Teague, G, Hawks: Teague, from a fantasy standpoint, continues to struggle. He's averaging just 15.9 points and 5.8 assists over his last 10 games, and he's played less than 30 minutes per game over that stretch. The Hawks are beginning to rest their stars for the playoffs, which hasn't helped Teague statistically, but he also hasn't been playing at the same dynamic level that we saw from him in the first half of the season. Oh, and Teague is going to have to guard Russell Westbrook on Friday. That certainly won't make things easier for him.

Andre Iguodala, F, Warriors: This has nothing to do with the kind of basketball player Iguodala is, it's just fantasy/FanDuel thing. A lot of people seem to believe that, with Klay Thompson out, Iguodala is about to get an influx of minutes and touches. That's just not how the Warriors work. Steve Kerr knows the team has the No. 1 seed in the West clinched and seems to have no intention of running a player like Iguodala, who is 31 years old, into the ground. Iguodala played just 29 minutes Wednesday against the Hawks. It would be a surprise if he crossed the 30-minute mark at any point before the playoffs.

Joakim Noah, C, Bulls: Perhaps it's the minutes, or the age, or all those nagging injuries. But whatever the case, Noah has just not been good recently. In his last nine games, he's averaging 7.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists. The all-around play is still there, and the assists are great, but those points and rebounds need to be higher if Noah is to garner a FanDuel play.

Some injuries to keep an eye on: Enes Kanter in OKC and Kyle Lowry in Toronto. If they can't go, then Steven Adams and Greivis Vasquez become must-plays ... The Sixers have benched Isaiah Canaan in favor of Ish Smith. If you want to take a shot on an under-$4,000 point guard, Smith might not be a bad gamble ... Two rookies putting up great numbers lately: Marcus Smart (14.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists. 1.7 steals, 1.0 block over his last three games) in Boston and Elfrid Payton (12.7 points, 9.7 assists, 7.7 rebounds, 2.0 steals in 37.5 minutes over hist last three games) in Orlando. Smart is an especially good play, given that Isaiah Thomas will sit out with a back injury.