My first week of playing daily fantasy games at DraftStreet started out well, but my recent teams were disappointing. It seems one player I’m “sure” about bombs each night; on Saturday it was Josh Smith, who would have won me quite a bit of money with just an average performance. Instead, his most prominent numbers were MFG (missed field goals) and turnovers.
Confidence doesn’t matter when picking players for just one night. You never know when you’ll be right on all eight picks, so it’s important to be consistent. My $100 bankroll has dwindled to $28.80, making today the last chance to get even (or even worse) for the week. Either way, we’ll start Monday with a fresh hundred bucks and give this our best shot again.
There’s one very important 50-50 decision for Sunday-only leagues. Pay retail (over $20,000) for Kobe Bryant, or build a team without him.
| DraftStreet 15 | Dec. 16 |
| Stars | Over $13,000 |
| Kobe Bryant | $20,031 |
| Dwight Howard | $17,680 |
| LaMarcus Aldridge | $17,939 |
| Damian Lillard | $14,022 |
| DeMarcus Cousins | $15,354 |
| Scrubs | Under $9,000 |
| Isaiah Thomas | $7,677 |
| Austin Rivers | $6,958 |
| Nick Young | $5,156 |
| Devin Ebanks | $3,974 |
| Jodie Meeks | $7,540 |
| Starters | $9,000 to $13,000 |
| Kenneth Faried | $11,726 |
| Andre Iguodala | $10,464 |
| Tyreke Evans | $12,690 |
| Metta World Peace | $10,095 |
| Andre Miller | $9,549 |
There are only four games in the NBA today, but the 1:00 matinee (HOU @ TOR) doesn’t count, because all leagues close at 6:00 EST. That means fewer choices than usual but even with just 71 players in the pool, daily leagues are a game of skill, where a little luck never hurts.
As usual, the chart makes five suggestions in each of three price ranges. Here’s the lineup I like best, though breaking news and late hunches have been known to change my mind.
F LaMarcus Aldridge (POR-F) $17,939
F Kenneth Faried (DEN-F) $11,726
G Damian Lillard (POR-G) $14,022
G Andre Iguodala (DEN-G) $10,464
C Dwight Howard (LAL-C) $17,680
C J.J. Hickson (POR-C) $13,913
U Andre Miller (DEN-G) $9,549
U Devin Ebanks (LAL-G) $3,974
This is going against Kobe, but I’m hoping Howard has a monster game against the weak Sixers centers. Using three Blazers and three Nuggets seems like a good idea, as those could be high-scoring games. For less than $4,000, anything Ebanks does is a bonus.
Today’s Fantasy Spin previews all four of today’s NBA games in detail and recaps an exciting Saturday, with Kyrie Irving and Ricky Rubio making the most fantasy news. Later today, we’ll take a quick look at the week ahead to help you with those sit-or-start choices.