This Friday, there’s another Sheridan Hoops Freeroll, where someone will win $100 cash, by picking an 8-man fantasy team. It’s completely free to join, with another $200 in prize money shared among those who finish second ($60) through 15th ($5) and the game is easy to learn. It’s perfect for beginners or so-called experts; with 600 (or more) entries, you need a combination of skill and luck to win.
Then we have a very special contest on Saturday, also exclusive to SH readers. Beat me for money! It’s a 40-man league, with an $11 entry fee. In addition to $400 in a Guaranteed Prize Pool, everyone who finishes ahead of me earns an extra $5. That one won’t open until Friday, and it will fill up fast. You can join the Freeroll anytime.
I’m really not that hard to beat. Relatively new to daily fantasy games, I usually enter a handful of $2 and $5 leagues. Starting with $100 every Monday, I did manage to turn a small profit in each of the last two weeks. Last night, my ‘certainty’ about Kobe Bryant being a one-man team was costly, and I thought Omer Asik would be a great play against the Lakers’ weak front line, but the Rockets went small. Down $22 on the night, minus $28 for the week, it’s a brand-new ‘season’ tonight.
There are other formats — Pick’Em leagues take the least time, live Snake drafts the most — but the $100,000 Salary Cap is the most interesting. You pick two Guards, two Forwards, two Centers and two Utility players. That’s an average of $12,500 per roster spot. Superstars can cost well over $20,000 and an injured benchwarmer might be $3,000.
The scoring system has eight categories. Five are ‘positive’ — PTS = 1 pt; REB = 1.25 pts; AST = 1.5 pts; STL = 2 pts; BLK = 2 pts — but three are negative. You are penalized for TO (-1 pt) and -0.5 pts for each missed FT or FG.
| DraftStreet 15 | Jan. 9 |
| Stars | Over $13,000 |
| Kevin Durant | $20,662 |
| Kobe Bryant | $19,174 |
| Greivis Vasquez | $16,903 |
| James Harden | $18,418 |
| Carlos Boozer | $16,964 |
| Scrubs | Under $9,000 |
| Kevin Martin | $8,309 |
| Bismack Biyombo | $8,959 |
| Avery Bradley | $6,583 |
| Jodie Meeks | $6,911 |
| Richard Hamilton | $7,186 |
| Starters | $9,000 to $13,000 |
| Eric Gordon | $12,349 |
| Ryan Anderson | $12,726 |
| Metta World Peace | $9,699 |
| Arron Afflalo | $12,581 |
| J.J. Redick | $9,942 |
With 11 NBA games, that’s well over 200 players to choose from. The chart narrows it down to five suggestions in each of three price ranges. You could build a good team around Chris Paul ($18,172) and it’s hard to leave out Russell Westbrook ($18,013) but I’m betting on KD and hoping Boozer stays hot. Being loaded at F means less to spend at G and C, where I’ll need a few guys to outperform their modest salaries.
F1 Kevin Durant (OKC-F) $20,662
F2 Carlos Boozer (CHI-F) $16,964
G1 Ben Gordon (CHA-G) $10,992
G2 Avery Bradley (BOS-G) $6,583
C1 DeAndre Jordan (LAC-C) $10,901
C2 Kosta Koufos (DEN-C) $10,335
U1 Ryan Anderson (NO-F) $12,726
U2 Matt Barnes (LAC-F) $10,837
In some leagues, you can enter multiple teams. In all of them, your lineup can be changed until 7:00 EST. Breaking news about players often leads to opportunities — avoiding someone who’s doubtful and/or picking up a bargain reserve in line for extra minutes.
To get started immediately, click here to join DraftStreet and open a free account. They offer free leagues that will help you learn how to play. Everyone should enter the Jan. 11 Freeroll, unless you aren’t interested in free money.
The Fantasy Spin, published by 9:00 every morning, previews all of tonight’s games in more detail and reviews what happened on Tuesday.