Big Sunday? Nine NBA games are scheduled, seven of them starting at 6:00 or 7:00 ET. DraftKings does offer All-Day contests that close at 3:30 and include the two matinees, then the majority of DFS action is in the evening.
The Raptors had to go to overtime a week ago for a 95-90 win in New York, and they must board a plane for Chicago right after this game. Just saying, an apparent mismatch might be closer (and lower-scoring) than expected. The Knicks lost at home last night, Carmelo Anthony $10300 (ankle) is not 100% and while Jose Calderon $4300 might get a warmer welcome from fans than many former Toronto players who return, he’s no match for Kyle Lowry $10200.
Memphis visits Cleveland in a terrific real-life matchup that is not exactly teeming with fantasy bargains. Each team’s Big Three has earned their lofty salaries — though Zach Randolph $7900 (knee) is questionable — but playoff-like intensity does not lead to easy buckets or a high score.
My advice, free as always and worth every penny, is to enter a few All-Day events with lineups that ignore both early games.
Oddly enough, the Timberwolves have three very interesting guys at the SF position. Shabazz Muhammad $5800 has inherited a starting role after the trade of Corey Brewer, rookie Andrew Wiggins $5500 is due to get hot (just 9-for-31 in his last three) and Chase Budinger $3000 could be the best play of all. His minutes jumped from single digits to 28 in the first game post-trade, and he hit three triples en route to 19 points, 4 boards, a steal and a block. I also like Thaddeus Young $6700 and Gorgui Dieng $6800 today and am avoiding the Pacers, who absolutely stunk last night in Denver, scoring the grand total of 73 points on lights-out 30.7% shooting, as in perhaps the arena lights were out.
Another attractive DFS game that means very little in real life is Sacramento hosting the Lakers. DeMarcus Cousins $10500 was much better than expected (27 PTS, 11 REB, 5 AST in 33 minutes) after missing 10 games with an illness. L.A. can’t stop the Boogie. Rudy Gay $8700 and Darren Collison $6800 are both more efficient when DMC is on the floor and Ben McLemore $5300 was red hot on Friday. Kobe Bryant $9400 should bounce back from a poor 3-for-15 in his latest and Ed Davis $4700 finally woke up (18 PTS, 9 REB, 2 BLK) but for me, this one boils down to using Kings or nobody.
The 2-23 Sixers visit Orlando with very little chance to win. Nikola Vucevic $9100 and Tobias Harris $7700 are just too good, and Evan Fournier $5400 is a nice price. The main concern is how long the Magic starters will be needed if the score gets lopsided early.
John Wall $10400 can be used with confidence and the Suns might have trouble stopping Marcin Gortat $7000 in the paint. The Wizards are 6-point favorites, the over/under is 204 and Nene Hilario $5000 has looked healthy for two straight games if you’re bargain-hunting.
In a rare poor performance, Anthony Davis $11800 was badly outplayed last night by LaMarcus Aldridge, as the Blazers led 62-40 at halftime and 94-58 (which looks like a typo) after three quarters. Now the Pelicans hit the road to face the Thunder 24 hours later, and even if Kevin Durant $10600 (ankle) misses another game, that’s a tough matchup. Russell Westbrook $11900 is deservedly the highest-salaried player on the board, and Andre Roberson $4300 is a possible value play if KD sits out, along with Reggie Jackson $5800, who played 36 minutes off the bench on Friday.
The Celtics have a new look without Rajon Rondo and we presume they will start Jameer Nelson $4300 at PG for a while, with rookie Marcus Smart $4500 gradually taking over. There’s also a timeshare at C between starter Tyler Zeller $4600 and bench scorer Kelly Olynyk $5300, who is thriving in that role. Jared Sullinger $6600 might have broken out of a shooting slump on Friday but his salary dropped. Since losing Chris Bosh (calf) Miami has relied heavily on Dwyane Wade $8600 and so far, he’s been tremendous as the #1 (only?) option.
Off an apathetic home effort vs. Toronto, I don’t expect the Pistons to seriously challenge the Nets. Deron Williams $7500 (calf) is doubtful, making Jarrett Jack $5200 a clever spot start, but it’s Joe Johnson $6500 who will get the most extra touches and has big-game potential.
| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | Russell Westbrook $11900 | Darren Collison $6800 | Jarrett Jack $5200 |
| SG | Dwyane Wade $8600 | Evan Fournier $5400 | Andre Roberson $4300 |
| SF | Rudy Gay $8700 | S. Muhammad $5800 | Chase Budinger $3000 |
| PF | Anthony Davis $11800 | Thaddeus Young $6700 | Ed Davis $4700 |
| C | DeMarcus Cousins $10500 | Marcin Gortat $7000 | Steven Adams $4400 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.