It’s hard to believe that Stephen Curry $10300 and Golden State are better than last season. The MVP is averaging 35.8 PTS, 5.6 3PTM, 5.8 AST, 5 REB and 2.2 STL while the average team score of 118-97 is ridiculous.
Tonight they are “only” 17-point favorites to make it 6-0 against the Nuggets. One caveat about stacking the Warriors is a high probability of early garbage time. Bench guys like Marreese Speights $3100 might surprise.
The opener of a ten-game NBA slate sees the 5-0 Toronto Raptors in Orlando. That would be a much tougher test if Nikola Vucevic (knee) could play. Perhaps the Magic will go small to negate Jonas Valanciunas $6200, but that would make Kyle Lowry $7900 and DeMar DeRozan $7400 even better DFS plays. Victor Oladipo $7700 and Tobias Harris $6200 are off to excellent starts, Evan Fournier $5200 is en feu (59 PTS in two games) and Dewayne Dedmon $3000 will be a bargain if he can avoid foul trouble.
In the other late game, the Rockets should win easily in Sacramento with DeMarcus Cousins (Achilles) out. It seems like a perfect tome to rest Dwight Howard $7100, which makes Clint Capela $3700 a must-start and opens up minutes for rookie Montrezl Harrell $3000. So far, James Harden $10000 has shot 29.4% but this could be the night he goes off. Ty Lawson $6100 and Trevor Ariza $5400 are solid value and Marcus Thornton $4000 has nine triples and 51 points in his three starts.
Plays of the Day
The $300K Sharpshooter is just a $3 buy-in (FREE to new depositors at DraftKings) that pays the top 23,535 finishers from up to 115,000 teams. First place wins $20,000. Enter before it fills; even after the 7:00 deadline you can make lineup changes until each player’s game begins.
In Monday’s game between the 76ers and Cavaliers, LeBron James $9900 missed a triple-double by one board and scored 61.75 FPTS. Kevin Love $7600 and Mo Williams $5800 were also sharp in Philly and are now at home. New Sixers PG T.J. McConnell $4000 makes up for a lack of scoring with AST and REB, while Nik Stauskas $4100 has the greenest of lights. Jahlil Okafor $6300 and Nerlens Noel $7000 are also worth considering but this young team will have easier nights.
Anthony Davis $10700 and the Pelicans are overdue. Injuries are a big reason for their 0-4 start and teams have ganged up on the big man to force tough shots. The Hawks are not the easiest team to break out of a slump against.
I’m leaning to the Bucks in New York, especially Greg Monroe $8500 and Giannis Antetokounmpo $7300. The Greek Freak was suspended when the Knicks shocked them 122-97 on opening night.
No longer paired with Monroe, Andre Drummond $8900 has become a fantasy monster — 25 points and 29 rebounds last game! The Pistons probably won’t win in Phoenix, but Tyson Chandler $6000 will need all his veteran savvy to handle the 22-year-old in the paint.
This is an interesting pool for the stars-and-scrubs approach. My sample lineup spends 72.2% of the cap on four players and I’m confident about Capela, Dedmon and McConnell. There are several other possibilities for the fourth “scrub” — Luke Babbitt $3200, Cory Joseph $3200, Alex Len $3200 and Lavoy Allen $3100 to name a few. Speights is kind of a placeholder with ten hours until the deadline; I plan to enter multiple lineups with various players in the Util spot. That’s why only seven names appear in bold on today’s Short List.
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| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | Stephen Curry $10300 | Kyle Lowry $7900 | T.J. McConnell $4000 |
| SG | James Harden $10000 | DeMar DeRozan $7400 | Marcus Thornton $4000 |
| SF | LeBron James $9900 | G. Antetokounmpo $7300 | Evan Fournier $5200 |
| PF | Anthony Davis $10700 | Greg Monroe $8500 | Clint Capela $3700 |
| C | Andre Drummond $8900 | Jonas Valanciunas $6200 | Dewayne Dedmon $3000 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.