If you’re reading this after 1:00 Eastern time, you’re too late for Sunday leagues. There are only three games in the NBA today, and they are all matinees.
Daily leagues are fun anytime, and days like this can be just as challenging — and just as lucrative — as nights with a dozen or more games to choose from. The player pool includes 75 names, which we narrow down to 15 (five recommendations in each of three price ranges) in today’s chart.
I finally cashed on Saturday, though it was really just breaking even. Three of my teams won $5 consolation prizes, finishing 39th and 48th out of 550 in one GPP and 18th among 220 teams in another. The $100 bankroll resets every Monday, so I might go ‘all-in’ today with the last $46, entering some $5 leagues in addition to my usual $2 plays. A snake draft (or two) might be fun. There are no 6-man snakes today, and the pickings get slim in the later rounds of a 3-team live draft.
| DraftStreet 15 | Feb. 3 |
| Stars | Over $13,000 |
| LeBron James | $22,003 |
| Kobe Bryant | $18,073 |
| Dwyane Wade | $16,443 |
| Paul Pierce | $15,648 |
| Jarrett Jack | $13,689 |
| Scrubs | Under $9,000 |
| Courtney Lee | $8,731 |
| Matt Barnes | $8,679 |
| Jonas Valanciunas | $4,353 |
| DeAndre Jordan | $8,746 |
| Avery Bradley | $7,497 |
| Starters | $9,000 to $13,000 |
| DeMar DeRozan | $12,838 |
| Chris Bosh | $11,774 |
| Rudy Gay | $12,335 |
| Andre Drummond | $11,359 |
| Jeff Green | $9,523 |
Even with 15 players, there are a lot more possible 8-man combinations than you might think. There are ‘critical’ decisions — spend 22% of your $100K cap on LeBron James, or try to beat him?
F1 LeBron James (MIA-F) $22,003
F2 Paul Pierce (BOS-F) $15,468
G1 Dwyane Wade (MIA-G) $16,443
G2 Courtney Lee (BOS-G) $8,731
C1 Chris Bosh (MIA-C) $11,774
C2 Jonas Valanciunas (TOR-C) $4,353
U1 Rudy Gay (TOR-F) $12,335
U2 Matt Barnes (LAC-F) $8,679
That version of my lineup uses five players from the Heat-Raptors game. Another option is to replace Jonas Valanciunas with DeAndre Jordan ($8,746) and save the $4,400 difference elsewhere. Tossing out LBJ, you could have a more balanced roster. Remember, you can make lineup changes until the 1:00 deadline.
It’s always free to open a DraftStreet account. Don’t wait for next week’s Freeroll. They offer free leagues every day that will help you learn the rules, and cash contests starting with $2 entry fees, right up to hundreds of dollars.
The Fantasy Spin, published by 9:00 every morning, previews all of today’s games in more detail and reviews what happened on Saturday, when Kyrie Irving shocked the Thunder.