Some of us are very much alive in two-day contests at DraftKings that conclude with two of tonight’s six NBA games. We looked ahead at the “demolition derby” between the Hornets and Heat in yesterday’s Spin; it sounds like Bismack Biyombo $4600 will play with a mask for his broken nose and we just don’t know about Al Jefferson $6500 (knee.)
The other early game is a puzzle. Who starts for Atlanta, and how long will they play? Use Jeff Teague $5800, Al Horford $6000 and DeMarre Carroll $5500 if you expect the Suns to be inspired. The better Eric Bledsoe $7600, Markieff Morris $6000, Brandan Wright $5200 and P.J. Tucker $5000 play, the more we’ll see of the Hawks’ first team. Bargain-hunters can try Mike Muscala $3900, expected to start for Paul Millsap (shoulder),
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The biggest decisions in DFS tonight involve Russell Westbrook $11800, DeMarcus Cousins $10300 and Anthony Davis $11200 — there’s a reason they are so expensive. It’s theoretically possible to get all three in the lineup, if you can fill the other five spots for about $3300 each. I’m trying to get six guys at an average of $4650 to surround Boogie and Russ. Muscala in the Util spot leaves $4800 for the other five.
Of course, it’s possible to win using Chris Paul $9800, Stephen Curry $9200 or Tyreke Evans $7900 instead of Westbrook, which allows you to spend more elsewhere. PG is always one of the deepest positions.
Fighting through fatigue and injuries, Dwyane Wade $6800 might be heroic in a must-win home game, or you can go cheap at SG with Ben McLemore $4000, who provides points, steals and threes at a reasonable cost.
SF belongs to Kawhi Leonard $7800, with a fairly big dropoff to Andrew Wiggins $6800 and an uninspiring group of low-cost options. If I’m sticking with the stars-and-scrubs plan, it’s basically a choice of Wade or Leonard as my third-best player.
Not using Davis at PF leads to punting the position. Blake Griffin $8800 might not be needed for more than 25-30 minutes, Draymond Green $7000 had a sore shin recently and there are a couple of low-priced options with decent upside. Udonis Haslem $4500 is probably the healthiest Miami big man, and Ryan Kelly $4000 played well enough against the Clippers on Tuesday to predict another start.
The second-best C is DeAndre Jordan $8200 but garbage time looms. Enes Kanter $7600 is a better fantasy alternative if you’re not a fan of DMC. With Tiago Splitter (calf) out, Aron Baynes $3300 might start for the Spurs and is worth a look.
| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | R. Westbrook $11800 | Tyreke Evans $7900 | Shelvin Mack $3900 |
| SG | Eric Bledsoe $7600 | Dwyane Wade $6800 | Ben McLemore $4000 |
| SF | Kawhi Leonard $7800 | Andrew Wiggins $6800 | P.J. Tucker $5000 |
| PF | Anthony Davis $11200 | Draymond Green $7000 | Ryan Kelly $4000 |
| C | D. Cousins $10300 | Enes Kanter $7600 | Mike Muscala $3900 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.