Tonight there’s a six-pack of NBA games. That size of player pool is right in my “sweet spot” for daily fantasy competition at DraftKings. Busier slates present a handicapping challenge and two-game contests aren’t always interesting, though a home-and-home for Portland off the loss in Phoenix and a Sacramento-Clippers rematch make Late (10:00 ET) pools an exception.
L.A. has been resting at home since Wednesday’s 111-104 victory. This is not only a road game for the Kings, it’s a back-to-back. Rajon Rondo $5600 shredded the Lakers in a 132-point avalanche; he won’t repeat that 37.3 DK score against Chris Paul $9600. In his first career start, Willie Cauley-Stein $3000 was superb (17 PTS, 9 REB, 3 BLK, 1 STL) against Roy Hibbert. The 22-year-old will be learning from professor DeAndre Jordan $7700 tonight.
At 8:00 there are 3-game Turbo contests that also include Brooklyn — off a 27-point thrashing 27 in San Antonio — visiting Memphis. The likelihood of garbage time makes Marc Gasol $8200, Mike Conley $6800 and Zach Randolph $7000 somewhat risky in DFS. Second-unit guys like Beno Udrih $3300 and Brandon Wright $3500 could get extra run. Feel free to ignore this game entirely.
Plays of the Day
The $12K Sharpshooter is a $3 buy-in (FREE to new depositors at DraftKings) that pays the top 935 finishers from up to 4,600 teams. First place wins $1,000. Enter before 8:00 Eastern. Even after contests close, you can make lineup changes until each player’s game begins.
Our focus is the full slate at 7:00. The Knicks face a difficult challenge in Washington where John Wall $9200, Bradley Beal $6200, Marcin Gortat $6000 and Otto Porter $4800 will be pumped for the home opener. Last night the Wizards went small in a 36-point fourth-quarter comeback. Ramon Sessions $3000 and Gary Neal $3000 may not play as much when they’re ahead. The only guesswork is at PF, where starter Kris Humphries $4000 gave way to Nene Hilario $4000.
Rookie Kristaps Porzingis $4500 is off to an excellent start and Kyle O’Quinn $3700 could be the best-value big on the board. Jerian Grant $3600 is already the team’s best PG but Wall is a nightmare matchup. Maybe Carmelo Anthony $8700 and Robin Lopez $5200 can keep it close.
The Warriors and Stephen Curry $9900 made a strong statement in Houston last night. That was an important, emotional game. Don’t expect them to be similarly inspired in New Orleans, while the wounded Pelicans want revenge for an opening-night loss — especially Anthony Davis $10400. They don’t have to win, just play well. Eric Gordon $5300 and Ryan Anderson $5000 are also good value. Due to injuries, the starting centers will be Kendrick Perkins $3000 and Festus Ezeli $3100 — that’s a possible double-double for the youngster, who just held his own against Dwight Howard.
Utah at Indiana will be faster-paced this season. Rudy Gobert $7100 and Derrick Favors $7200 are quite a load for any combination of Ian Mahinmi $3900, Jordan Hill $4500 and Myles Turner $4100. The Pacers will play Paul George $8100 at SF with C.J. Miles coming off the bench. George Hill $6000 looks great but if Monta Ellis $6900 doesn’t get going (6-for-23) they are in trouble. So far, backup Rodney Stuckey $4000 has been more productive.
Our Jazz men Rodney Hood $3900 (17 PTS in 23 minutes) and Alec Burks $4800 (15 PTS, 7 REB) didn’t disappoint last night in an easy romp over the Sixers; this is a much sterner test.
Today’s Short List and sample lineup is extreme stars-and-scubs. Davis, Griffin and Wall eat up almost 60% of the salary cap. That was deliberate because I like WCS and Ezeli so much. Beal and Al-Farouq Aminu $4600 are safe and affordable; Stuckey has only a slight edge over Miles and Grant in the eighth spot but that’s why we enter multiple teams.
Start with up to 50 Beginner contests if you haven’t played daily NBA at DraftKings before. See you on the leaderboard.
| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | John Wall $9200 | Mike Conley $6800 | Jerian Grant $3600 |
| SG | Eric Bledsoe $7300 | Bradley Beal $6200 | Rodney Stuckey $4000 |
| SF | Carmelo Anthony $8700 | Rudy Gay $7500 | Al-Farouq Aminu $4600 |
| PF | Anthony Davis $10400 | Blake Griffin $9500 | Kyle O’Quinn $3700 |
| C | DeMarcus Cousins $10200 | Festus Ezeli $3100 | Willie Cauley-Stein $3000 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.