No, this site’s founder and publisher is not a masochist. If you joined DraftKings from a Sheridan Hoops link — or sign up today — and finish ahead of Chris Sheridan in tonight’s $55,000 Layup, your account will be credited with an extra $2.00, refunding your entry fee. That’s in addition to any prize money; 6,600 teams will win cash, including $5,000 for first place. Deposit $5 or more in a new DK account and that contest is already free, plus they will match your deposit (up to $600) with bonus money that gets converted to cash faster the more you play.
Two players tower above the rest in potential. Anthony Davis $11000 scored 32 of the Pelicans’ 94 points in a Wednesday loss, adding 14 rebounds and four blocks. On the same night, DeMarcus Cousins $10500 (23 PTS, 15 REB, 4 AST, 3 BLK) led his team to a surprisingly easy win over the Thunder. There’s a significant gap between Davis and the next-best PF and a huge dropoff from DMC to the other centers. Kevin Durant $10400 tops the Friday SF list, but has not been in full superstar form the last couple of games. SG is the weakest position overall, and PG the deepest.
Plays of the Day
Open a new account at DK and get a FREE entry for tonight’s $55K Layup — the winner earns $5,000 and 6,600 of 31,625 teams receive cash prizes. Beat Sheridan (no matter where he finishes) for an extra deuce. Win even more in the $125K Friday Spectacular — $20 to enter, maximum 7,090 teams, top 1,450 get paid and the highest score earns $20,000.
The 6-sport, $2.7 MILLION January Jam costs $100 per team, 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 tomorrow’s $2 Million NFL Millionaire Maker where first place is literally worth a million bucks. My target is the $500,000 NBA Slam Dunk on January 28. Top prize in that one is $100,000.
Stephen Curry $10300 vs. Kyrie Irving $8800 is a dream matchup. Kyrie returned from a sore back to drop 38 points on the Rockets, but Steph adds more assists, steals and even rebounds. You can be sure of a fast pace in that game, and Kevin Love $10400 is certainly playable, but the Warriors are so much deeper. Klay Thompson $7100 just hit six 3-pointers among his 40 points, and Draymond Green $8200 is a multi-category star. Andrew Bogut $5000 has returned after missing 12 games with a knee injury, which will impact Green, David Lee $5000 and Marreese Speights $4600 negatively in DFS while making the team even better on the hardwood.
Another high-scoring key game is Denver at Sacramento. Rudy Gay $8400 and Darren Collison $7000 are the best Kings (other than Cousins) and for the Nuggets, Ty Lawson $8800 and Arron Afflalo $5800 lead the way. Jusuf Nurkic $5600 is the new starting C but will have easier matchups. J.J. Hickson $4500 is a potential bargain, especially if Nurkic gets in foul trouble.
Suns at Spurs is interesting, though difficult to handicap. When all three Phoenix guards are healthy, they tend to combine for big numbers, but there isn’t one individual standout. Isaiah Thomas $5500 might be the best value. Pick a winner between Alex Len $4200 and Tiago Splitter $4200 if you need a bargain C; otherwise this one could be more fun to watch than it is to invest in.
We usually examine the late games first, because the West tends to generate more points and other stats. Nikola Vucevic $8400, Victor Oladipo $6100 and Tobias Harris $6900 look good against the Lakers, and Elfrid Payton $5300 is a sweet price. I like the Bucks to beat Minnesota, particularly Brandon Knight $7500 and Khris Middleton $4800, but Jason Kidd employs a deep and variable rotation. Andrew Wiggins $6600 has scored 20+ in seven of his last eight starts.
Russell Westbrook $9900 has missed 32 of his last 40 shots. If he, KD and Serge Ibaka $6400 all play well together, OKC can trounce the Jazz, but those last two losses were just awful. For the visitors, Trey Burke $5400, Rudy Gobert $6100 and Trevor Booker $4000 are all reasonably priced.
The high-flying Hawks visit the vastly-improved Pistons and Jeff Teague $8400 has never been better. Greg Monroe $7500 and Andre Drummond $9300 are a lot bigger than Paul Millsap $8600 and Al Horford $6400 but experience and savvy are important. Atlanta’s greatest edge is on the wings and their energetic bench.
Likely to be hard-fought and relatively low-scoring, the Bulls-Wizards game is better in reality than fantasy. The same with Memphis at New Orleans, though AD is always worth strong consideration.
Boston visits Indiana and the Sixers are in Brooklyn; Jarrett Jack $6400 is the best play in those relatively meaningless affairs, because Deron Williams (rib) is out indefinitely. Brook Lopez $7200 is in the coach’s doghouse, so Mason Plumlee $6800 is worth a long look.
| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | Stephen Curry $10300 | Jeff Teague $8400 | D.J. Augustin $3900 |
| SG | Jimmy Butler $8500 | Klay Thompson $7100 | Avery Bradley $4100 |
| SF | Kevin Durant $10700 | Andrew Wiggins $6600 | Khris Middleton $4800 |
| PF | Anthony Davis $11000 | Serge Ibaka $6400 | Trevor Booker $4000 |
| C | DeMarcus Cousins $10500 | Mason Plumlee $6800 | Alex Len $4200 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.