Especially if you have never played in a daily fantasy league before, give it a try in the Sheridan Hoops Freeroll on February 1 and you could win $100 cash. There’s an additional $200 in consolation prizes for second through 15th place. Though it’s fun just to enter, that contest had 1,068 entries last Friday, making it extremely difficult to win.
The odds are much better in $2 and $5 leagues, where a limited number of teams square off and the prize pools are larger. Click the top-left logo to join a Wednesday league — they have free ones for the curious — where the #1 decision is whether or not to spend $24,299 from the $100,000 Salary Cap on LeBron James.
I’m down $25 after two days this week, and haven’t come close to finishing in the money. That happens; it takes only one good night each week to turn a profit. Since my bankroll is reset to $100 on Mondays and we do this every day, it’s hard to justify spending more than $15 until my luck changes.
| DraftStreet 15 | Jan. 30 |
| Stars | Over $13,000 |
| LeBron James | $24,229 |
| Carmelo Anthony | $17,125 |
| Blake Griffin | $18,270 |
| James Harden | $17,519 |
| Tony Parker | $17,334 |
| Scrubs | Under $9,000 |
| Isaiah Thomas | $8,880 |
| Courtney Lee | $8,785 |
| Jeff Green | $7,834 |
| Jared Sullinger | $8,281 |
| Avery Bradley | $5,637 |
| Starters | $9,000 to $13,000 |
| Paul Millsap | $12,3869 |
| Nikola Pekovic | $12,973 |
| Tiago Splitter | $12,286 |
| Jeremy Lin | $11,303 |
| Andre Drummond | $10,463 |
With 12 NBA games, there are millions of possible 8-man combinations. That’s what makes daily leagues so challenging. The chart makes five recommendations in three different price ranges, but dozens of other players are worth seriously considering. Enter early; some of the best contests will fill long before the the 7:00 EST deadline and you can make unlimited roster changes until then.
F1 LeBron James (MIA-F) $24,299
F2 Carmelo Anthony (NY-F) $17,195
G1 Jeff Teague (ATL-G) $13,528
G2 Jeremy Lin (HOU-G) $11,303
C1 Kosta Koufos (DEN-C) $9,989
C2 Bismack Biyombo (CHA-C) $9,874
U1 Jeff Green (BOS-F) $7,834
U2 Avery Bradley (BOS-G) $5,637
The above lineup is the most ‘extreme’ I have ever entered; spending more than 41% on two players is generally not a good idea. However, LBJ had had two 60-point nights and two others above 50 in his last six games. I think Melo will have a huge night and am hoping the other six are bargains.
To get started with tonight’s NBA games, open a free DraftStreet account. Be sure to join the Friday Freeroll, which costs nothing to enter and pays a guaranteed $300 in cash prizes to the top 15 finishers.
The Fantasy Spin appears by 9:00 every morning, with recaps of every NBA game from Tuesday and previews of tonight’s busy schedule.
Kevin Williams, I’d like to join you in your DraftStreet leagues or maybe do some H2H. Please let me know how I can get into your league if they are still open, or if you wanted to try a H2H.