The first full week of traditional fantasy leagues is in the books, and some of us are off to a great start. If you’re a Roto expert, put that knowledge to profitable use in daily fantasy basketball leagues at DraftKings.
One of these nights, the Philadelphia 76ers will step up and shock someone. Not tonight, as the runnin’ Rockets are in town. Don’t count on James Harden $10300 or Dwight Howard $8500 to play huge minutes; the latter has a tender knee and they probably won’t be needed. The value picks are Terrence Jones $6300, Trevor Ariza $6000 and rookie Kostas Papanikolaou $3000, with Isaiah Canaan $3800 and Jason Terry $3000 both in line for extra run if Patrick Beverley $4800 takes another night off with a hamstring strain. Donatas Motiejunas $3400 could also surprise and if Howard is declared out, he becomes a bargain.
This is the fourth game in five nights for the Clippers, so beware. They lost at home yesterday to the Kings as Jamal Crawford $5600 sat out (ribs) and J.J. Redick $4800 missed eight 3PT attempts. Spencer Hawes $4200 had his best game yet for his new team (17 PTS in 23 minutes) and that might be the start of a trend. The Jazz are more favorably priced: Gordon Hayward $7600 and Derrick Favors $7900 are the big guns, while Alec Burks $5400 and Trevor Booker $3600 are possibilities.
Perhaps the most interesting game for DFS purposes is in Dallas, where Dirk Nowitzki $7100, Chandler Parsons $6500 and Monta Ellis $7200 could feast on the Celtics’ D. However, the Mavs may not prevent Jared Sullinger $6400, Jeff Green $5900 and Kelly Olynyk $5000 from scoring. Rajon Rondo $7900 is back, though not yet at 100% effectiveness. Wait for his fitness to increase and his salary to come down.
In Denver there is one huge question. Will DeMarcus Cousins $9700 repeat his awesome 68.25 fantasy points from yesterday’s national TV matinee? DMC had been barely half that good in his first two games, burning daily owners. Rudy Gay $7600 has put two very good ones together and is a decent bet to make it three. For the rested Nuggets at home, Ty Lawson $7000 is the engine. Timofey Mozgov $5100 and Kenneth Faried $7500 have the toughest defensive assignments; Arron Afflalo $5300 seems due for a big night.
Anthony Davis $11500 has been so dominant that his salary is off the charts. Feel free to surround him with cheap guys and hope for the best, but I’ll pass. The Grizzlies try to beat everyone 71-69, and just did exactly that in Charlotte. Nobody in this game is a recommended play, though it will be great fun to watch.
Injuries have turned the mighty Thunder into a distant rumble. Perry Jones $6300 is their primary scorer and Sebastian Telfair $5500 may start again at PG after a 1-for-10 shooting disaster last game. The best play, considering matchups, is Serge Ibaka $7300, as BLK and REB count well in the DK format. I prefer the Nets, rested and at home, with Deron Williams $7000 taking charge and Joe Johnson $6800 scoring at will. A rejuvenated Kevin Garnett $5500 had 18 PTS and 14 REB in Detroit, while Mirza Teletovic $4900 is a deep threat off the bench.
Putting it all together is a challenge as usual. For the first time in this young season, there is nobody at the salary floor of $3000 who I feel good about. Might key on Harden in a couple of lineups, but am leaning to medium-priced, “safe” picks. That type of roster construction lends itself more to H2H and 50/50 play. The big jackpots tend to reward risk-taking.
Tonight DK offers contests in many different formats, for every price range. Here’s a free entry to the $30K Layup, with its $5,000 top prize, for anyone who opens an account. That’s normally a $2 ticket. Finish in the top 4,000 (from a maximum of 17,250 teams) and you win cash. Good luck!
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Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.