Congratulations to “tuuckk” whose team scored 263 fantasy points to win the $200 first prize in our Saturday Freeroll. It was a tough beat for “muggsy205,” who finished a strong second with 261 but earned nothing in the winner-take-all payout format. My team limped home 88th out of 146 entries, as “sure thing” Varejao was outplayed by Chris Kaman, who ironically had bombed in my Friday Freeroll lineup to cost me at least a consolation prize.
Week 3 has been very frustrating; the last of my $100 bankroll is in play today in a handful of $1 and $2 leagues. You do need some luck to go along with good handicapping, and mine has been mostly bad. We’ll regroup tomorrow with a fresh hundred bucks and hope for a better outcome in Week 4.
It’s easy to join FanDuel (if you haven’t already) with no deposit or credit card required, the rules are simple — pick a 9-man team without exceeding the salary cap — and it’s a great challenge that’s fun even if you don’t win.
| FanDuel 15 | Nov. 18 |
| Stars | Over $7,000 |
| Kevin Durant | $9,900 |
| Deron Williams | $7,700 |
| DeMarcus Cousins | $9,100 |
| Nicolas Batum | $8,300 |
| Kobe Bryant | $8,800 |
| Scrubs | Under $5,000 |
| Lavoy Allen | $4,000 |
| Meyers Leonard | $3,500 |
| Harrison Barnes | $4,800 |
| Kyle Singler | $3,700 |
| C.J. Watson | $4,500 |
| Starters | $5,000 to $7,000 |
| Damian Lillard | $6,900 |
| Joe Johnson | $6,700 |
| Wesley Matthews | $6,600 |
| Thaddeus Young | $6,400 |
| Kevin Martin | $6,200 |
With two NBA games starting early, FanDuel has many leagues that close at noon EST, allowing you to select players from the matinees (Pacers at Knicks and Magic at Raptors) or the evening games. They also have a variety of leagues and tournaments with the (Late) designation; those close at 6:00 p.m. and do not include players from the afternoon contests.
The chart at right includes five good possible plays in three price ranges for Late leagues. If you want to use Carmelo Anthony ($8,300) or J.R. Smith ($6,600) or Nikola Vucevic ($5,600) you must join one of the events that closes early.
PG Damian Lillard CHI@POR $6,900
PG Deron Williams BKN@SAC $7,700
SG Joe Johnson BKN@SAC $6,700
SG Wesley Matthews CHI@POR $6,600
SF Kevin Durant GSW@OKC $9,900
SF Nicolas Batum CHI@POR $8,300
PF Thaddeus Young CLE@PHI $6,400
PF Lavoy Allen CLE@PHI $4,000
C Meyers Leonard CHI@POR $3,500
Today’s Fantasy Spin looks at all eight NBA games in more detail and reviews what happened last night.