In the second half of a national TV doubleheader, the Pelicans (losers of four straight) are at home to Cleveland. The Cavs are a solid 13-5 despite shooting just 33.7% in Tuesday’s home loss to the Wizards.
LeBron James $10000 vs. Anthony Davis $10700 is a marquee matchup and Kevin Love $8600 should bounce back from one off-night. Tyreke Evans $6800 is still getting up to full speed; he played over 30 minutes in a back-to-back and this will be his third game in four nights. Ryan Anderson $6300 is the main bench threat, though Norris Cole $3200 has also returned from injury. As the best PF on the board by a wide margin, Davis is well worth the investment in daily fantasy.
Another superstar to consider is James Harden $10500, as the Rockets visit Dallas. Dwight Howard $7000 should be able to slow down Zaza Pachulia $6300, who is averaging a double-double at age 31. Houston has a problem at PG, where Patrick Beverley $4400 is s defensive specialist and Ty Lawson $3900 is relegated to the bench. At PF, Clint Capela $5800 has been starting but Terrence Jones $4900 responded positively to the demotion last game. For the Mavericks, Deron Williams $6600 has stayed healthy, Dirk Nowitzki $6900 is keeping Father Time at bay and Wesley Matthews $4600 seems fully recovered from that Achilles injury.
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At best, the Wizards are hard to predict. How can a team look so good winning in Cleveland, then lose to the Lakers? Tonight they are slight underdogs at home to Phoenix, and Marcin Gortat (personal) is in Poland. However, Tyson Chandler (hamstring) and Markieff Morris (knee) are questionable, leaving both teams full of backup big men who are DFS bargains.
Former Maryland star Alex Len $3800 got in foul trouble against Andre Drummond $9000 on Tuesday but was hugely profitable the night before; Jon Leuer $4100 and Mirza Teletovich $3600 took advantage of extra run. Nene Hilario (calf) and Drew Gooden $3000 (calf) are both out, so Kris Humphries $3800 and the surprising Jared Dudley $3800 will get all the minutes they can handle. All four starting guards are terrific but John Wall $8300 is the best play.
Atlanta blew a 17-point lead at home on Tuesday and may take out their frustrations on L.A., who got a vintage 31-point from Kobe Bryant $5900 on Wednesday for a rare win on the road. Jordan Clarkson $5800 and Julius Randle $6200 are other possibilities, but I prefer Jeff Teague $6700 and Paul Millsap $8300.
Both Drummond and Greg Monroe $6900 double-doubled in the former teammates’ first meeting ten days ago in Milwaukee. Khris Middleton $5700 and Giannis Antetokounmpo $6700 also played well that night, but Reggie Jackson $7500 and former Ersan Ilyasova $4300 are sure to be better at home.
In the Battle of New York, rookie sensation Kristaps Porzingis $8100 now costs more than Carmelo Anthony $8000. If Melo is fully recovered from an illness, he could score 30. Jose Calderon $4100 is one possibility if you need a cheap G, but Shane Larkin $3700 had a huge game off the bench on Tuesday —11 PTS, 8 AST, 5 REB, 2 STL, 1 BLK in 30 minutes — and the former Knick will get similar run if the Nets go small.
To afford the #1 player at three positions in today’s Short List and sample lineup, I’m punting SF and C by using all three inexpensive Suns. That leaves $9000 for G and Util; Calderon and Jones are placeholders. I’ll consider many other combinations (Matthews and Ilyasova, Larkin and J.R. Smith $5300…) between now and the deadline. Good luck!
| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | John Wall $8300 | Jeff Teague $6700 | Jose Calderon $4100 |
| SG | James Harden $10500 | Tyreke Evans $6800 | Wesley Matthews $4600 |
| SF | LeBron James $10000 | Carmelo Anthony $8000 | Mirza Teletovich $3600 |
| PF | Anthony Davis $10700 | Terrence Jones $4900 | Jon Leuer $4100 |
| C | Andre Drummond $9000 | Greg Monroe $6900 | Alex Len $3800 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.