On the Sunny Side of DraftStreet
As mentioned a few pages ago, I enjoyed a very profitable Saturday. You don’t have to finish first to win cash in daily fantasy leagues; those consolation prizes really add up. In one $2 Guaranteed Prize Pool, my three teams finished 11th, 13th and 38th out of 550 teams, good for two $15 payouts and one for $5; in the other $2 GPP, with 275 entries, I came fourth ($40), fifth ($30) and 41st, my only team out of the money. I didn’t particularly like the Pick’Em options, trying just one $2 team — it won $13.33 for a three-way tie for 11th out of 330 entries.
That assures a winning week, as I’m $54 ahead from the original $100 bankroll, and won’t invest quite that much today. There are several leagues that close at 1:00 and will fill up fast; if you want to use any Clippers or Knicks, or anyone from the 3:30 Lakers-Heat game, get in there early. Many more leagues have a 6:00 EST deadline, limited to the other seven games on the schedule.
| DraftStreet 15 | Feb. 10 |
| Stars | Over $13,000 |
| LeBron James | $22,050 |
| Kevin Durant | $20,584 |
| James Harden | $21,735 |
| LaMarcus Aldridge | $18,490 |
| Carmelo Anthony | $17,252 |
| Scrubs | Under $9,000 |
| Jeff Green | $8,743 |
| Courtney Lee | $7,929 |
| Tony Allen | $7,679 |
| Tayshaun Prince | $8,841 |
| Marcus Thornton | $6,460 |
| Starters | $9,000 to $13,000 |
| DeMar DeRozan | $12,015 |
| Arron Afflalo | $10,792 |
| Isaiah Thomas | $10,402 |
| J.R. Smith | $12,213 |
| Wesley Matthews | $10,759 |
The chart (and the lineup below) is for 1:00 leagues, where I’m using LeBron James and J.R. Smith, who won’t be eligible in 6:00 leagues. My teams there will be more balanced, unless I decide to key on the red-hot James Harden despite his large salary.
F1 LeBron James (MIA-F) $22,050
F2 Patrick Patterson (HOU-F) $10,308
G1 Jeremy Lin (HOU-G) $12,751
G2 J.R. Smith (NY-G) $12,213
C1 DeMarcus Cousins (SAC-C) $14,080
C2 JaVale McGee (DEN-C) $9,282
U1 Isaiah Thomas (SAC-G) $10,402
U2 Jeff Green (BOS-F) $8,743
Yes, I’m using DeMarcus Cousins again, and really tempting fate with perhaps the second-biggest flake among NBA centers, JaVale McGee, whose effort really impressed me last night. Obviously, if you don’t pay retail for LBJ, you can spend that extra salary on upgrades at other positions.
It’s always free to open a DraftStreet account. They have free leagues every day to get you started, and $2 leagues have fewer entries and much higher payouts than our Friday Freeroll, which has been literally a 1,000-1 shot in two of the last three weeks.
The Fantasy Spin is here no later than 10:00 EST every morning. Mitch McClure previews the short Week 16 this afternoon, and our rookie columnist been dispensing excellent roster advice the last two Sundays. Follow us on Twitter — @SheridanFantasy — for updates.