Fantasy Spin December 26, 2014

Hope you got some of the big money at DraftKings on Christmas Day. I used three Spurs in a game where Matt Bonner $3000 led them in scoring.

Of the 11 games in the NBA on Friday, one is a 1:00 ET start (Nets at Celtics) that is not included in most daily fantasy contests. A few Head-To-Head and non-guaranteed All-Day events are available, and there are plenty of Late offerings that close at 9:00 and span just three games.

There’s an unbelievable array of talent to choose from tonight at every position. The “super-expensive” class has never been deeper. There isn’t room for a fourth column in my Short List, but Russell Westbrook $12000, James Harden $11500, LeBron James $11700, Anthony Davis $11600 and DeMarcus Cousins $10700 deserve their own category.

If you pick any two (I’d take AD and DMC) that leaves about $4600 per player to fill six spots. Are there enough bargains available? The lineup at right is where I ended up by following that path, and it’s not bad.

The shorthanded Cavaliers are playing the second half of the Florida doubleheader after losing to the Heat yesterday, and Orlando might shock them, with Nikola Vucevic $8900 especially dangerous. We were wrong about Tristan Thompson $5500 starting at C; coach David Blatt went small instead, with Kevin Love $9500 at C and Shawn Marion $3200 starting at PF. This theoretically allows Thompson and Dion Waiters $4100 to score off the bench. Beware of using Kyrie Irving $9400; he played well enough in Miami but suffered a knee bruise late in the fourth.

Pacers at Pistons would be a “who cares?” game except that it’s the first outing for Detroit since waiving J-Smoove. Back in the starting lineup, Greg Monroe $7400 is a better play and Andre Drummond $9100 is becoming more of a focal point. George Hill $6000 is back for Indiana but was limited to 21 minutes in his first game; Donald Sloan $3000 maintains some value at that price.

The aforementioned Josh Smith is now with Houston, presumably as the starting PF, though he isn’t in the DK player pool tonight and it may take a few games for everyone to adjust. Harden and Dwight Howard $9000 remain the big guns, and Donatas Motiejunas $5200 takes a hit.

Plays of the Day

Open a new account at DK and get a FREE entry for today’s $45K Layup — the winner gets $5,000 and 5,075 of 25,875 teams earn cash prizes. Your initial deposit ($5 or more) is matched 100% up to $600 with bonus money, which you earn a dollar at a time as you play.

Lineup Plan B (left) is “none of the above” — avoid all of the top-priced megastars and get an undervalued performer at every position. Unless you are keen on Rudy Gay $8300, SF drops off in a hurry; DeMarre Carroll $5200 is my value pick at the thinnest spot. By comparison, there are slightly cheaper, yet productive alternatives to Davis at PF — LaMarcus Aldridge $10500 and Paul Millsap $8300 — who let you upgrade somewhere else. C and PG are also loaded.

Milwaukee visits Atlanta, 13-2 on their home court and challenging for top spot in the East. I like Millsap, Carroll and Al Horford $7700 a lot, but am steering clear of the Hawks’ guards. Jeff Teague $7100 played 24 minutes off the bench on Tuesday after a hamstring strain cost him three games, and he may not be 100% recovered.

It’s another unfortunate scheduling quirk for the Spurs, who lost again at home on Christmas and are away tonight. Who knows if Tony Parker $6800, Tim Duncan $9100 or Manu Ginobili $5000 will play? I am tired of guessing (mostly wrong) what Gregg Popovich will do. For the Pelicans, Davis and Tyreke Evans $7700 are the most logical plays. If word comes down that the San Antonio ‘big three’ will be rested, that makes Cory Joseph $5000, Boris Diaw $4800, Marco Belinelli $3800, Tiago Splitter $4300, Aron Baynes $3500 and even the Red Rocket (Bonner) cheap, speculative picks.

Charlotte is no match when Oklahoma City is at full strength, but Kevin Durant (ankle) remains sidelined and they played a very tough road game yesterday. Reggie Jackson $5000 is a lot cheaper than Westbrook. Gerald Henderson $4200 is a bargain for the Hornets while Lance Stephenson (pelvis) is out.

The Timberwolves are extremely young but the Brewer trade means extra responsibility for Shabazz Muhammad $6400 and Andrew Wiggins $5700, plus a lot of losses. Gorgui Dieng $7100 is also responding well to his growing role, and Thaddeus Young $6700 (‘old’ at 26) can drop 20+ at any time. This group will be a lot of fun when Ricky Rubio (ankle) gets back; for now PG is a mediocre timeshare. Ty Lawson $9700 might carve them up. Kenneth Faried $6000 finally double-doubled (20 & 14) but remains affordable.

I don’t know how the Suns can stop the Boogie. On the other hand, the Kings will be shredded by Eric Bledsoe $9100 and the other Phoenix guards. Scores could go high in all three of the late games, giving those players a slight edge in 7:00 contests.

Mismatch #1 this evening is the Sixers visiting Portland. Injuries to Robin Lopez and Nicolas Batum (wrist) have made Damian Lillard $9700 and LMA more important than ever. Wesley Matthews $5900 was 5-for-8 from deep on Tuesday and will again be the third option.

Mismatch #1A is the Lakers, off a 20-point loss without Kobe Bryant, in a road back-to-back at Dallas. Tyson Chandler $7200 is the safest play, as the rest of the Mavs get used to Rajon Rondo $7900 handling the ball. Garbage time is also a possibility here.

Pos	Premium	Midrange	Bargain
PG	Russell Westbrook $12000	Reggie Jackson $5000	Donald Sloan $3000
SG	James Harden $11500	Wesley Matthews $5900	Gerald Henderson $4200
SF	LeBron James $11800	Rudy Gay $8300	DeMarre Carroll $5200
PF	Anthony Davis $11600	Paul Millsap $8300	Matt Bonner $3000
C	DeMarcus Cousins $10700	Tyson Chandler $7200	Joel Freeland $3000