Fantasy Spin January 3, 2015

Atlanta moved into top spot in the East by beating the Jazz last night. Back-to-back against the well-rested Blazers is a much tougher test; there will be better spots to use Jeff Teague $7400 and Al Horford $7000 in DFS. For the home team, Damian Lillard $10200 and LaMarcus Aldridge $10500 provide a potent 1-2 punch and Wesley Matthews $6100 leads the NBA in threes. Chris Kaman $4200 and Joel Freeland $3800 are decent bargains.

Not all “big games” are full of daily fantasy value, like last night’s entertaining clash between the Warriors and Raptors. Sometimes, relatively meaningless games provide opportunities to profit.

Plays of the Day

Open a new account at DraftKings and get a FREE entry for the $35K Layup — the winner gets $5,000 and 4,030 of 20,125 teams will 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. Play for higher stakes in the $60K Crossover — $27 to enter, maximum 2,520 teams, top 502 get paid and first place is worth $10,000.

DK features the 6-sport, $2.7 MILLION January Jam this month. Each sport’s final costs $100 to enter, but you can win tickets in Satellite contests for $5, $2 or even a quarter. Those tickets let you choose which sport’s Jam final(s) to enter, like the $2 Million NFL Millionaire Maker on January 10, or my target: the $500,000 NBA Slam Dunk on January 28. Top prize in that one is $100,000.

It’s a difficult Texas back-to-back for the Wizards, even against the Spurs’ B team. Bradley Beal $6500 and Nene Hilario $5000 both played through minor injuries as they lost to the Thunder in OKC. John Wall $10400 is expensive and Marcin Gortat $6300 has cooled off. Cory Joseph $5100 has been solid in the absence of Tony Parker (hamstring) and Tim Duncan $9300 can still post up Father Time. With Kawhi Leonard (hand) also out, Manu Ginobili $5900 is usually a big factor, Marco Belinelli $4200 can get hot and Patty Mills $3900 is up to 29 minutes already, suggesting that a breakout game is coming soon.

I liked the Timberwolves at home on Thursday but they lost for the tenth straight time. Andrew Wiggins $6300 went off — 27 PTS, 9 REB, 4 STL, 2 AST — while Shabazz Muhammad $6600 was closely shadowed. Gorgui Dieng $7000 looks mobile again. Once again, they have an opportunity (and motivation) to end the streak. Had Trey Burke $5800 shot even slightly better than 2-for-19 last night, the Jazz might have beaten Atlanta. Presumably exhausted, they are hurting badly, with Alec Burks (shoulder) out for the year and Enes Kanter (ankle) sidelined tonight. In these dire circumstances, Rudy Gobert $4900 can’t fail. (Couldn’t resist, Clash fans.) Dante Exum $3700 might be unleashed and Derrick Favors $7800 has a good matchup.

The Magic didn’t have to travel and are healthier than Charlotte. Both lost close games on Friday. Gotta like the home team and Elfrid Payton $5200, who just missed a triple-double (16 PTS, 10 AST, 9 REB, 3 STL, 1 BLK) while leading a spirited comeback. He and Victor Oladipo $5600 are improving together. In the lineup shuffle, Evan Fournier $5300 now runs the second unit and Channing Frye $4200 might enjoy his new role. Ben Gordon $3000 was hot last night but they were playing catchup. This mediocre game could be hiding a few bargains.

Jimmy Butler $9100 provided excellent value back when he cost 25 percent less. He deserves this all-time high salary, and may earn it tonight. Pau Gasol $9200 is rejuvenated — nine blocks! — and also reasonably priced. However, the Bulls won’t have to dial their intensity up to 11 vs. Boston. Giving Gasol and/or Derrick Rose $6900 a rest is not a Tom Thibodeau thing to do, but they could see reduced minutes. Watch for breaking news and consider guys like Taj Gibson $5500, Kirk Hinrich $3500 or Aaron Brooks $4000 if someone gets the night off. Use the Celtics, who got trounced at home last night by Rajon Rondo and the Mavs, at your own risk.

Much better since Chris Bosh $8300 rejoined Dwyane Wade $8800, Miami is still no match for a top team from the West. James Harden $11600 and Dwight Howard $9200 are very expensive for this back-to-back; remember that Donatas Motiejunas $4400 is no ordinary backup SF, he’s the probable starting center if/when Howard rests.

Don’t expect the banged-up Grizzlies to run up the score. They might even be ripe for an upset, 24 hours after winning a squeaker vs. the Lakers. Ty Lawson $9500, Kenneth Faried $7400 and Arron Afflalo $5900 are all worth the money and Jusuf Nurkic $4700 is suddenly relevant. Memphis is down to Mike Conley $8000 and Marc Gasol $9700 as scoring threats; last night the second unit came up huge. Kosta Koufos $4300, Beno Udrih $3000 and Tayshaun Prince $3500 will be needed again.

We mocked the Sixers yesterday, they lost by 16 and it gets worse tonight. Doc Rivers may have the luxury of giving the Clippers’ Big Three some minimal exercise and letting the second unit take over. I’m using Spencer Hawes $3600, who improved a lot in his second game back after that knee injury cost him nine. Jordan Farmar $3500 might also surprise. One of J.J. Redick $5200 and Jamal Crawford $5600, perhaps both, figure to have a big scoring night. If you are entering Late contests and need a mid-priced piece, Tony Wroten $5700, Robert Covington $5500 and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute $4300 are the least-risky Philly players.

Pos	Premium	Midrange	Bargain
PG	Damian Lillard $10200	Elfrid Payton $5200	Patty Mills $3900
SG	Jimmy Butler $9100	Manu Ginobili $5900	Victor Oladipo $5600
SF	Tobias Harris $7300	Andrew Wiggins $6300	Tayshaun Prince $3500
PF	L. Aldridge $10500	Kenneth Faried $7400	Cody Zeller $4800
C	Marc Gasol $9700	Rudy Gobert $4900	Spencer Hawes $3600