Tonight’s contests at DraftKings have been open since early Thursday and are filling up fast. They close at 8:00 Eastern, with two-day competitions also available that include Saturday’s games.
In yesterday’s Spin, I took a closer at this evening’s matchups and salaries. Blake Griffin $10500 is a must-start but we still don’t know if Chris Paul $9600 (hamstring) will play. If he sits out again, Jamal Crawford $4900 gains the most value, though Austin Rivers $4300 would start. Matt Barnes $5300 and DeAndre Jordan $7800 are solid either way. James Harden $10100, Dwight Howard $8300 and Trevor Ariza $5700 should keep carrying the Rockets.
The other Friday clash has LeBron James $11200 and the Cavs in Chicago. Slight edge to Derrick Rose $7700 over Kyrie Irving $8700, big advantage for Pau Gasol $8500 against Tristan Thompson $4700. If you can’t afford Harden, Jimmy Butler $8400 is next on the SG list.
DK matches your first deposit 100% (up to $600) with bonus funds that convert to cash, plus you get a FREE entry in the $100K Sharpshooter — the top score earns $10,000 and 7,850 of 38,315 teams will get paid. Odds are even better in the $75K Crossover, normally a $27 buy-in. That contest has 630 guaranteed cash prizes ($10,000 for first) and a maximum of only 3,168 teams.
That “sprain” for John Wall $9200 (wrist) turned out to be four fractures. If (when?) he’s ruled out for Game Three, Ramon Sessions $4600 becomes an excellent bargain. I’m not keen on Jeff Teague $7000 (ankle) at that price but am considering Dennis Schroder $3700 again.
Also added to the PG pool in Friday-Saturday offerings are the courageous Mike Conley $5600 (facial fractures) and MVP Stephen Curry $10600, who will not go 2-for-11 from deep again. However, any playoff game in Memphis is quite likely to be the lowest-scoring of the four.
Third choice at SG, Bradley Beal $7600 (ankle) may not be 100% but he’s the main man for the Wizards, who are in big trouble. I’m going to keep playing Paul Millsap $8800 and Al Horford $8100 as often as possible. DeMarre Carroll $7200 has scored 20+ in six straight games, with REB, AST and STL thrown in.
Today’s sample lineup and Short List is for those two-day contests that close tonight. Again, check out yesterday’s Spin for my Friday-only selections. PF and C are the deepest positions by far; you’ll want to own one of the top four at both spots. Marc Gasol $8000 is a solid choice in a pivotal home game, and the clash of Jordan vs. Howard could be win-win for DFS purposes.
Talented as they are, Gasol and Draymond Green $8200 rank only third and fourth at PF for me. Terrence Jones $4400 was shaken up in Game One, then played well in 27 minutes on Tuesday. In a timeshare with SF-eligible Josh Smith $6100, Jones is better value.
We all wish we could afford LBJ, but there’s room for only one 5-digit salary without having to dip in to the shallowest end of the player pool. Yes, it’s a big dropoff to the next SF, but Ariza (or Otto Porter $5400) is a very safe play at roughly half the cost.
Note that you can always change lineups until each player’s game begins. Let’s say Wall somehow decides to play. Sessions could be replaced by Harrison Barnes $4500 or Courtney Lee $4800 so there’s plenty of flexibility until 5:00 ET on Saturday.
| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | Stephen Curry $10600 | Derrick Rose $7700 | Ramon Sessions $4600 |
| SG | James Harden $10100 | Jimmy Butler $8400 | Jamal Crawford $4900 |
| SF | LeBron James $11200 | DeMarre Carroll $7200 | Trevor Ariza $5700 |
| PF | Blake Griffin $10500 | Paul Millsap $8800 | Terrence Jones $4400 |
| C | Al Horford $8100 | DeAndre Jordan $7800 | Pero Antic $2400 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.