Fantasy Spin December 7, 2014

It took huge fantasy scores to win the big money at DraftKings on Saturday, as ten of 12 NBA teams put up 100 points or more. My main lineup produced 277 FPTs, often good enough to turn a profit, yet didn’t get a sniff.

There were bargains like Zach Levine and Robert Covington (touted here yesterday) and complete surprises like Marco Belinelli. My prediction that Pau Gasol would ‘own’ Draymond Green missed badly; Gasol (22 PTS, 20 REB) was superb but so was Green — a career-high 31 PTS including seven triples, plus 7 REB, 3 AST, 4 STL, 3 BLK for a 61.25 score at DK. Congratulations if you were among the winners last night. The rest of us can only look ahead.

There are two matinees on a relatively busy Sunday. Only ‘All-Day’ contests closing at 1:00 ET use all seven games. At 6:00 Eastern, the majority of contests close, spanning the other five.

There should be plenty of points scored in Boston this afternoon, and maybe in Atlanta, too. That means many more players to consider in those 1:00 leagues, at all price ranges. Jeff Teague $7700 and Paul Millsap $8800 are decent plays, and the Wizards are getting contributions from inexpensive Rasual Butler $3600 and Kris Humphries $4800, not just John Wall $10400. We’re more focused on the 6:00 contests, particularly the nightcap.

Plays of the Day

Anthony Davis $11700 was merely human last night, as the Pelicans were no match for the Clippers. Facing the Lakers is technically a road back-to-back, but no extra travel was involved and the matchups are much better. AD might be back in that ‘superhuman’ mode we have come to expect. Jrue Holiday $7800 also had a tough Saturday, and could bounce back. Omer Asik $5200 has double-double potential at a reasonable cost. Kobe Bryant $9400 scored 33 when these teams last met and is always worth serious consideration. An L.A. beat writer suggests that Nick Young $4900 might start, with Wesley Johnson $4500 demoted. It will be a bit surprising if this one isn’t a shootout.

LaMarcus Aldridge $9800 figures to be unstoppable and Robin Lopez $5500 is a hunch, as the New York big men have struggled while losing seven straight. After a slow start and a sore knee, Nicolas Batum $6600 is improving just in time to take on Carmelo Anthony $10100 tonight. Damian Lillard $8900 is playing with a couple of sprained fingers, so I’m looking elsewhere for a PG. Assuming they fall behind, J.R. Smith $5500 and/or Tim Hardaway Jr. $3800 could get hot off the Knicks bench.

There’s a home-and-home (of sorts) after the Mavs won in Milwaukee on Wednesday with Dirk Nowitzki $6400 resting. Brandon Knight $6900 and Khris Middleton $4600 kept that one close. However, both teams have played since, going in opposite directions on Friday. The Bucks trounced the Heat while Dallas was surprised by Phoenix.

Jason Kidd is doing a better job in real life than fantasy, with a deep rotation and surprising substitutions. He stuck with the second unit for a very long stretch against Miami, so Kendall Marshall $3000 and Jerryd Bayless $3100 got extra run. Middleton played the entire second quarter and all but 20 seconds of the fourth. Larry Sanders $4800 had the flu but managed 18 minutes with that group.

Monta Ellis $8400 and Tyson Chandler $7100 are recommended, safe selections but there’s plenty of opportunity in this game if you guess right on the hot hands for the visitors.

The Pistons are even worse than I imagined, losing at home last night to Philly and failing to score a bucket in overtime. Josh Smith $8000 played 48 quality minutes and Kyle Singler $3700 was hot (21 PTS) but Andre Drummond $8500 got himself benched, one game after a 27 and 14 with 5 blocks. Hard to say whether Stan Van Gundy or fantasy owners are more annoyed with him.

A horrendous 2-8 road record will continue to improve for the Thunder. My only concern about using Russell Westbrook $10000 is the possibility of garbage time. If Detroit puts up even a respectable fight, this could be the night that Kevin Durant $10700 goes off. It’s all about the minutes. Serge Ibaka $7000 is priced right and Jeremy Lamb $3600 is great value.

Memphis is 8-1 at home and tough to score against. There will be better opportunities for Chris Bosh $8500 and Dwyane Wade $7600. Mike Conley $7400 and Marc Gasol $8700 are the most consistent Grizzlies, and Tayshaun Prince $3000 came out of nowhere, amid trade rumors, to score 20 points in 33 minutes off the bench on Friday.

Today’s Short List does not include the two early games; it’s for 6:00 contests only. With only five games, there are still interesting possibilities for ‘stars-and-scrubs’ lineups.

Pos	Premium	Midrange	Bargain
PG	Russell Westbrook $10000	Mike Conley $7400	Kendall Marshall $3000
SG	Kobe Bryant $9400	Dwyane Wade $7600	Jeremy Lamb $3600
SF	Kevin Durant $10700	Josh Smith $8000	Khris Middleton $4600
PF	Anthony Davis $11600	Serge Ibaka $7000	Jon Leuer $3000
C	Marc Gasol $8700	Tyson Chandler $7100	Omer Asik $5200