We are pleased to present another exclusive Sheridan Hoops Freeroll this Friday, where you could win $100 cash, with no entry fee, by picking an 8-man fantasy team for games of January 18 only. It’s free to join DraftStreet (click the top-left logo to get started immediately.)
The Freeroll offers an additional $200 in prize money to those who finish second ($60) through 15th ($5) and the $100,000 Salary cap format is easy to learn. It’s perfect for beginners or so-called experts; with hundreds of entries, it takes a combination of skill and luck to win.
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.
Last night, for example, Dwight Howard (31 PTS, 16 REB, 4 BLK, 4 MFG, 5 MFT, 2 TO) scored 52.5 fantasy points but Kobe Bryant (31 PTS, 2 REB, 6 AST, 1 STL, 7 MFG, 1 TO) scored ‘only’ 40 — those rebounds and blocks really add up. I didn’t use either one, so none of my teams cashed. The $100 bankroll is down $33.55 after two nights, and Wednesdays can be especially tricky.
| DraftStreet 15 | Jan. 16 |
| Stars | Over $13,000 |
| Kevin Durant | $22,096 |
| LeBron James | $21,834 |
| DeMarcus Cousins | $18,995 |
| Rajon Rondo | $17,256 |
| James Harden | $18,552 |
| Scrubs | Under $9,000 |
| Nando DeColo | $4,853 |
| John Lucas | $4,207 |
| Avery Bradley | $6,487 |
| Danny Green | $6,652 |
| Gary Neal | $7,205 |
| Starters | $9,000 to $13,000 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | $12,299 |
| Joe Johnson | $11,277 |
| J.J. Redick | $10,896 |
| Ryan Anderson | $9,398 |
| Carlos Delfino | $9,076 |
With ten NBA games, more than 250 players are in the pool tonight. That’s millions of possible 8-man lineups. The trick is to narrow it down a little. Each day, the chart makes five suggestions in three different salary ranges. With so many high-priced superstars to choose from, some ultra-cheap ‘Scrubs’ are needed for balance. Marcus Morris ($5,158), Mirza Teletovic ($5,819), Landry Fields ($6.979) and Lance Stephenson ($7,949) are among other potential bargains.
F1 Kevin Durant (OKC-F) $22,096
F2 Kevin Seraphin (WAS-F) $9,221
G1 Stephen Curry (GS-G) $15,494
G2 George Hill (IND-G) $9,910
C1 DeMarcus Cousins (SAC-C) $18,995
C2 Emeka Okafor (WAS-C) $12,571
U1 Darrell Arthur (MEM-F) $7,298
U2 John Lucas (TOR-G) $4,207
I’m going with Kevin Durant despite the cost, and hoping DeMarcus Cousins plays with intensity rather than insanity. Stephen Curry is good bang for the buck and everyone else is affordable, though obviously not as certain to contribute.
In some leagues called GPP (Guaranteed Prize Pools) you can enter multiple teams. In all of them, your lineups can be changed until 7:00 EST. Breaking news about players often leads to roster adjustments.
To get started with tonight’s NBA games, click here to open a free account. Try a free league that will help you learn how to play, or make a deposit and join a $2 contest. Everyone should enter the Jan. 18 Freeroll, which pays $300 in cold, hard cash (via PayPal, the next day) to the top 15 finishers.
The Fantasy Spin, published by 9:00 every morning, previews all of tonight’s NBA games and reviews what happened on Tuesday, including a monster night by Jamal Crawford.
There’s no such FREEROLL?