A very busy Sunday starts at 3:00 EDT, with five matinees, three of them excellent matchups. Early-Only and All-Day contests revolve around the Russell Westbrook $13200 decision. Contradictory arguments can be made that he’s too good to leave out of lineups, and too expensive to use.
Six more games, a couple of them potentially high-scoring, are covered in DFS leagues that close at 6:00. Then there’s Late action at 7:00, with only three games to choose from. Let’s take a quick look at those.
CHA @ MIN features Gorgui Dieng $6400 vs. Al Jefferson $6800 but the T-Wolves also have Andrew Wiggins $6300, Kevin Martin $6000 and Ricky Rubio $7500 (ankle) who is not re-injured; he simply sat out a back-to-back. Chase Budinger $3700 has scored in double figures off the bench in four straight.
DAL @ PHO should be a showcase for Tyson Chandler $5600 against former teammate Brandan Wright $5200. In their previous meetings, Monta Ellis $6600 has looked good, but so has Eric Bledsoe $8100.
PHI @ LAL is for pride. Nerlens Noel $7700 keeps improving and in a non-Wiggins year would be the league’s best rookie. Of the four PG, Ish Smith $5700 and Jordan Clarkson are trending upward. Tarik Black $3800 double-doubled in 30 minutes against the Jazz.
Plays of the Day
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Of the 6:00 starts, DEN @ ORL has the greater potential for a high score. Rookie Elfrid Payton $7400 has triple-doubled in two straight games, Nikola Vucevic $8000 is one of the better centers and Victor Oladipo $7800 is capable of big numbers. The Nuggets are in a pattern of resting two or three rotation players every night, so be careful about using Ty Lawson $6800 and ready to plug in Jameer Nelson $4500, who sat out on Friday. Danilo Gallinari $5600 is also likely to return, which could mean a night off for Wilson Chandler $5400. While the uncertainty does not sit well with the fans, the players or their fantasy owners, it may improve the team’s lottery odds.
It sure looked like the Celtics were tanking too, but they have won seven of ten to leapfrog the Pacers into eighth place. At home after a night off, they should beat the Pistons, who shocked Chicago last night thanks to another big game from Reggie Jackson $7000, a decent effort from Andre Drummond $8000 and solid 3-point shooting from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope $4400 and Caron Butler $3000. Boston relies on a host of inexpensive guys — Avery Bradley $5800, Evan Turner $5600, Jae Crowder $5000 — but Marcus Smart (suspension) won’t play and the big men are not exactly hot. Jonas Jerebko $3400 is a hunch play against his former team.
It’s beginning to look as if Kevin Durant (foot) might be out all season and Serge Ibaka (knee) will miss a few more weeks. Enes Kanter $7000 (ankle) could return today, which would make it less likely that Steven Adams $5500 repeats his latest (12 PTS, 16 REB, 2 BLK, 2 STL) just as his salary is bumped a thousand bucks. Miami would love the sixth seed in the East and will battle the Thunder with Dwyane Wade $8100, Hassan Whiteside $7700, Goran Dragic $7000 and Luol Deng $5400 who are all playing well.
The flip side of the Heat’s climb is a collapse by the Bucks, who will have trouble snapping a five-game losing streak as they host Cleveland. Giannis Antetokounmpo $7100, Khris Middleton $6500, Ersan Ilyasova $5600 and Zaza Pachulia $4700 all had their last-game numbers inflated by triple-overtime. Kyrie Irving $7700, Kevin Love $7000 and LeBron James $9900 should all share in the scoring and Timofey Mozgov $4600 is a nice price.
Atlanta doesn’t have much incentive, other than staying healthy. They have wrapped up home-court advantage in the East and the second-best record in the league. The visiting Spurs are only one game out of fourth in the tightly-bunched West. Kawhi Leonard $7900 may be the safest pick in this game, a sharp Tiago Splitter $4000 is good value and if the Hawks are inspired, Paul Millsap $7300 and Al Horford $6300 are attractively priced.
Anthony Davis $11500 (ankle), Tyreke Evans $7600 (ankle) and Omer Asik $5500 (calf) are all questionable, Jrue Holiday (leg) and Ryan Anderson (knee) are out. That’s a pretty good lineup on the sidelines as a promising season slips away for New Orleans. Alexis Ajinca $4600 and Norris Cole $4000 are potential DFS bargains. You can load up on Clippers, just be aware that Chris Paul $9800, Blake Griffin $8900 and DeAndre Jordan $8500 might not play in the fourth quarter if this one gets out of hand.
There will be loud, sustained booing at the Air Canada Centre this afternoon every time Andrea Bargnani $6000 touches the ball. The #1 overall pick never lived up to expectations in Toronto and has a well-deserved reputation for being soft. He’s playable if you think he’ll rise to that challenge, and Alexey Shved $7000 is also on fire for the Knicks. Kyle Lowry $7200 (back) may miss another game, leaving Greivis Vasquez $4200 at PG and increasing touches for Lou Williams $4400 off the bench. DeMar DeRozan $7700 and Jonas Valanciunas $5400 should both be productive.
WAS @ SAC could mark the return of DeMarcus Cousins $9700 (calf); he and Rudy Gay $7800 (knee) are both “probable” according to the Kings’ official site. John Wall $8700 is the safest play in this one, though Nene Hilario $4400 and Bradley Beal $5800 also have great matchups and the Wizards have much more at stake.
| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | R. Westbrook $13200 | John Wall $8700 | Greivis Vasquez $4200 |
| SG | Dwyane Wade $8100 | Monta Ellis $6600 | Dion Waiters $4700 |
| SF | LeBron James $9900 | Kawhi Leonard $7900 | Chase Budinger $3700 |
| PF | Blake Griffin $8900 | Nerlens Noel $7700 | Nene Hilario $4400 |
| C | D. Cousins $9700 | Tyson Chandler $5600 | Jusuf Nurkic $4000 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.