Yesterday, I all but guaranteed the Bulls would win and they lost by 15. But we don’t care about team results in DFS. Using six Chicago players in my DraftKings lineup paid off handsomely.
Thursday’s Spin nailed it: “…stacking Butler, Gibson, Noah, Hinrich, Dunleavy and Mirotic might be the path to success,” with Chris Paul and Darren Collison touted for the remaining two spots. After considering Carl Landry and Jason Thompson in the “cheap F” position with multiple entries, I settled on Mirotic and spent $20 in 50/50, just $8 in six other leagues. A modest 261.75 turned out to be the highest score in four of them. Cashing in all eight (for a total of $308) was my best result of the young season.
There’s no such thing as momentum; tonight we start over. Building a lineup around Anthony Davis means bargain-hunting at other positions, and that decision affects every other choice. There are so many excellent players with more reasonable salaries tonight that I’m hoping to win without him.
Plays of the Day
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The Lakers have the league’s worst defense, the Mavericks the best offense. When the Irresistible Force meets the Easily Movable Object, points occur. Dirk Nowitzki $7300, Monta Ellis $8000, Chandler Parsons $7100 and Tyson Chandler $6300 are seriously underpriced — unless it’s a rout and they don’t play the fourth quarter.
Utah is no match for Golden State. Stephen Curry $9700, Klay Thompson $7200 and Andrew Bogut $6200 are the obvious plays, but don’t sleep on Marreese Speights $3800, who has put together two very good lines.
Memphis is better than Boston. If they play at the Celtics’ pace, Grizzlies are bargains. Half the team wasn’t feeling well in Toronto and they still have 5-6 players ‘questionable’ from the illness. As far as we know, Mike Conley $7600, Marc Gasol $8200 and Zach Randolph $7800 are not only healthy, they will be required to play huge minutes.
The Pelicans have the incomparable Anthony Davis $11300 and confidence. Jrue Holiday $7500, Tyreke Evans $7400 and Ryan Anderson $5900 are also recommended against a Denver team that allows 106.5 points per game.
Beware of the Spurs resting people in Minnesota. They should win, but Gregg Popovich reminds me of the legendary racehorse trainer Horatio Luro, who said, “There is only so much juice in the lemon.” Pop always finds ways to prevent his best players from being squeezed dry. Kevin Martin $5700 is on fire, Mo Williams $4600 is (finally) the starting PG and both could be gunning all night if the Wolves are behind.
Cleveland invades Washington in a great PG matchup. Kevin Love $8700 is overdue to take over a game, but that’s just a hunch. There are no obvious bargains here, including LeBron James $11100 and John Wall $9400. Both may get their numbers, but you are paying retail.
Orlando is playing better than Charlotte, with Tobias Harris $7400 and Nikola Vucevic $8600 leading the way. However, this one’s on the road and not as likely to produce a huge score as several other games.
The Suns continue on their Eastern swing and could suffer a letdown in Philadelphia, or enjoy an easy win. Ironically, unless the winless Sixers play well, the Phoenix starters will be rested. This game has the potential for big numbers, mixed with some uncertainty.
Last night there were “not enough” great players to choose from, tonight there are “too many.” This challenge is never easy, but it’s always fun and it’s fantastic when your hobby turns a profit.
Good luck with all your teams. See you on the leaderboard.
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season.
Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.