Sunday Leagues Close Early & Late
There are eight games on the NBA calendar today, and DraftStreet has given us a choice. Many leagues close at 3:00 EDT, and those are the only ones where you can use LeBron James, Al Horford or any other members of the Heat, Hawks, Bucks or Bobcats. Those two early games are ‘off the board’ in the majority of leagues, which close at 7:00 and are limited to players from the other 12 teams.
I’m entering the maximum three teams in the early GPP and playing against LBJ, who costs over $23,000 and may not have to play big minutes against lowly Charlotte. Using your best 7:00 lineup in a 3:00 league is not a bad idea, as all the games where we expect high scores are in the evening.
You can also play in numerous NCAA contests; some close as early as 12:15 EDT if you like the Iowa State game against Ohio State, and later-closing contests will be added. I lost $2 last night with my Canadian-themed lineup but came 23rd out of 110 teams and remain proud of my countrymen Kelly Olynyk and Kevin Pangos even though Gonzaga got shocked by the Shockers.
| DraftStreet 15 | Mar. 24 |
| Stars | Over $13,000 |
| LeBron James | $23,208 |
| Kevin Durant | $19,823 |
| Tim Duncan | $20,990 |
| Al Horford | $17,956 |
| DeMarcus Cousins | $15,748 |
| Scrubs | Under $9,000 |
| Ray Allen | $7,132 |
| Damien Wilkins | $7,886 |
| Kevin Martin | $8,805 |
| C.J. Watson | $6,150 |
| Keith Bogans | $2,909 |
| Starters | $9,000 to $13,000 |
| Nikola Pekovic | $12,581 |
| Chris Bosh | $12,930 |
| Brandan Wright | $11,065 |
| Chandler Parsons | $10,783 |
| Omer Asik | $11,746 |
The chart lists five players worth considering in each of three price ranges. Prices are the same for both 3:00 and 7:00 leagues; enter early before the best contests fill up, then you can make unlimited roster moves until the deadlines.
F1 Spencer Hawes (PHI-F) $16,952
F2 Dirk Nowitzki (DAL-F) $15,471
G1 Kawhi Leonard (SA-G) $13,050
G2 Keith Bogans (BKN-G) $2,909
C1 DeMarcus Cousins (SAC-C) $15,748
C2 Nikola Pekovic (MIN-C) $12,581
U1 Shawn Marion (DAL-F) $12,261
U2 Brandan Wright (DAL-F) $11,065
It’s extremely rare for me to use a player with a salary less than $3,000, but Keith Bogans played 20 minutes last night and I am expecting Joe Johnson to be rested this evening. If Bogans contributes even 15 fantasy points, there was a lot of extra cash to fill my other seven spots. DeMarcus Cousins is always a risk to argue with a ref, attack an opponent or threaten a broadcaster — even cheerleaders should be nervous — but he played his best game in ages last night and actually costs a few hundred less at home this evening.
The Fantasy Spin is here every morning, by 10:00 EDT. Joel Gibson will preview the upcoming week in the Fantasy Planner this afternoon. Follow us on Twitter — @SheridanFantasy — for updates.
Wow, lots of important injuries happening to a lot of contending teams right now; it’ll probably come down to the team with the fewest injuries at this point, considering how close a race the West has become. I love the Nuggets, who are currently without Chandler and Lawson, and it’s interesting to see Gasol and Curry go out with injuries at just the wrong time. This tight race has prompted me to record as many games as I can to keep tabs on the other teams above and below Denver’s #3 spot. I work late at DISH usually, but my new Hopper DVR can store up to 2,000 hours of shows no problem. I love coming home and flipping from one game to the next, but the injuries, fatigue and play of different young players on each team has made the quality of basketball a little worse lately, lol.