We devote the vast majority of this segment to the $100,000 Salary Cap game, a very enjoyable and challenging way to play fantasy hoops every day. However, when there’s time, I try to enter a Snake draft or two, because live drafts are always interesting.
Yesterday, “fantasygeek317” used the draft chat to ask if I was “the real” Chris Sheridan. When I explained that I’m only the Sheridan Hoops fantasy editor, he was quite complimentary about the site and our Friday freerolls. It’s always great to get feedback from readers, even more so when it’s positive. Then he outdrafted me, to win $17.55 (I settled for the $9.45 second money) and temporary bragging rights. Well done! I could blame Luis Scola, but it’s not his fault I picked him.
None of my other teams came close, so the $100 weekly bankroll — which gets reset every Monday — is down ten bucks. Over the last few weeks, I’ve learned that you never know when it’s your turn. On a night when you really love your picks, you can miss badly, and when you’re not as confident, things can go your way. My preferred style is to invest no more than 20% of my account balance per night, and $6 goes every day to entering three teams in the $2 GPP (Guaranteed Prize Pool) tournament, where the top 50 finishers share $1,000 in prize money.
That strategy has paid off; it’s often the ‘afterthought’ lineup that finishes in the money and on some nights, you can win multiple prizes.
| DraftStreet 15 | Jan. 15 |
| Stars | Over $13,000 |
| Kobe Bryant | $17,657 |
| James Harden | $18,797 |
| Dwight Howard | $18,455 |
| LaMarcus Aldridge | $16,529 |
| Jrue Holiday | $15,526 |
| Scrubs | Under $9,000 |
| Mike Dunleavy | $8,641 |
| Toney Douglas | $8,613 |
| Gerald Green | $7,102 |
| Jason Richardson | $7,303 |
| Keith Bogans | $4,172 |
| Starters | $9,000 to $13,000 |
| Thaddeus Young | $12,763 |
| Ed Davis | $11,901 |
| Chandler Parsons | $11,570 |
| Evan Turner | $11,184 |
| DeMar DeRozan | $10,621 |
There are six NBA games tonight, and the chart makes five suggested plays in each of three price ranges. There’s no ‘right’ way to build a team; the Stars-and-Scrubs approach is often the way to go. For once, I’m trying a lineup that has no expensive superstars, and nobody who costs less than $10,000:
F1 David West (IND-F) $12,867
F2 Thaddeus Young (PHI-F) $12,763
G1 Jrue Holiday (PHI-G) $15,526
G2 Evan Turner (PHI-G) $11,184
C1 Brook Lopez (BKN-C) $13,967
C2 Omer Asik (HOU-C) $11,136
U1 Ed Davis (TOR-F) $11,901
U2 DeMar DeRozan (TOR-G) $10,621
Obviously, I’m rooting for the Sixers to play well. All leagues close at 7:00 EST and you can make unlimited roster changes until the deadline.
If you aren’t already a member, click here to join DraftStreet and get started. They offer free leagues that will help you figure out all of the different formats and decide which one(s) you like best. Pick ‘Em leagues are the easiest to learn, and they don’t require that you know every benchwarmer on every NBA team.
The Fantasy Spin, published by 9:00 every morning, reviews all of Monday’s NBA games — including a Rajon Rondo triple-double — and previews what might happen tonight.