There were no “Hail Mary” last-second heroics for me on Sunday in daily leagues. A four-day slump wiped out most of last week’s $100 bankroll, so all we can do is chalk it up to experience and try again this week.
Sometimes, you can have ‘too much information’ and get burned. Knowing that Nicolas Batum has been suffering from back spasms, and believing he was playing at far less than 100%, I completely ignored him yesterday. His 5×5 translated into 46.75 fantasy points for those who had more confidence. Though I seriously considered Metta World Peace (48.5) and included him (and Nick Young) in yesterday’s top 15 picks, neither one made it into any of my lineups. D’oh!
| DraftStreet 15 | Dec. 17 |
| Stars | Over $13,000 |
| Kevin Durant | $21,287 |
| James Harden | $18,394 |
| Blake Griffin | $17,633 |
| Zach Randolph | $17,094 |
| Raymond Felton | $13,208 |
| Scrubs | Under $9,000 |
| Gary Neal | $8,495 |
| Michael Beasley | $8,027 |
| Marcus Morris | $6,600 |
| Steve Novak | $6,548 |
| Chris Copeland | $3,954 |
| Starters | $9,000 to $13,000 |
| Nikola Pekovic | $12,465 |
| Mike Conley | $11,067 |
| Jared Dudley | $10,057 |
| Jameer Nelson | $11,682 |
| J.R. Smith | $9,944 |
The chart makes five suggestions in each of three price ranges. A six-game NBA slate is just the right size. All leagues close at 7:00 EST, and you can make unlimited changes until then.
Here’s the lineup I like best this morning, though I’ll probably replace Felton, Chandler and Smith if there’s confirmation that Carmelo Anthony will play. All three are likely to be more productive if they are trying to make up for Melo’s absence.
F Kevin Durant (OKC-F) $21,287
F Marcus Morris (HOU-F) $6,600
G Raymond Felton (NY-G) $13,208
G Jared Dudley (PHO-G) $10,057
C Tyson Chandler (NY-C) $14,498
C Nikola Pekovic (MIN-C) $12,465
U Marcin Gortat (PHO-C) $11,573
U J.R. Smith (NY-G) $9,944
If you still haven’t tried DraftStreet, you are missing out on a challenging and enjoyable fantasy contest every day. It’s not replacing my season-long keeper leagues, it’s just using my NBA knowledge in a fun new way that I hope will be more lucrative this week. Click here to get started; it’s free to join and there are leagues with no entry fee that make the game easy to learn. See you there!
Today’s Fantasy Spin previews all six of today’s NBA games in detail and recaps Sunday’s action, including a triple-double by Jose Calderon.