Last night Klay Thompson (39 points, 10 threes) kept the Warriors unbeaten but suffered an ankle injury late. If he can’t play on Friday in Boston, a 24th straight win will be difficult. What happened in Memphis? Kevin Durant took over and the Grizzlies didn’t show up. It’s ancient history in daily fantasy, where a new season begins and ends tonight.
Our focus is the full 10-game NBA slate at 7:00 EST. DraftKings also offers Turbo contests that close at 8:00 and span just two games: the Clippers in Milwaukee and Lakers at Minnesota. Late competition at 9:00 features players from the final three games.
James Harden $10600 had an off-night as Brooklyn surprised the Rockets. Trevor Ariza $5500 (back) had to leave early; Marcus Thornton $3800 and Corey Brewer $3500 got hot in the second half. Now they must play in Washington, where John Wall $8700 should have his way. Bradley Beal $7200 and Otto Porter $5800 are also strong plays. Dwight Howard $7000 is cleared to play in this back-to-back and Marcin Gortat $5800 (personal) is expected to return.
Plays of the Day
The $300K Sharpshooter costs only $3 per team (one entry is FREE with your first deposit at DK) and pays the top 23,535 finishers from up to 115,000 teams. First place wins $20,000. The deadline is 7:00; enter before it fills and make lineup changes until each player’s game begins.
Orlando won last night in Denver with Nikola Vucevic $7000 leading the way — 18 PTS, 13 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK in 34 minutes. If he isn’t too tired, he can post a similar line against Alex Len $4600. The Suns are back from a long road trip; Brandon Knight $7500 and Mirza Teletovic $4100 led Monday’s comeback in Chicago. Eric Bledsoe $8100 and Jon Leuer $4800 are solid value; the mystery man is Devin Booker $3200, who scored 14 points in a season-high 33 minutes.
Injuries are decimating the Raptors. Kyle Lowry $8900 will keep them competitive, but DeMarre Carroll (knee) is out indefinitely and though Terrence Ross $3500 lit up the Lakers (22 points in 39 minutes) he’s inconsistent. With Jonas Valanciunas (hand) weeks away, Bismack Biyombo $5000 is the best big man. Backup Lucas Noguiera $3100 (ankle) is questionable, just as he’d become a DFS bargain. This makes LaMarcus Aldridge $7000 hard to resist. Especially if Kawhi Leonard $8600 (flu) misses another game, Manu Ginobili $4300 should stay hot.
The farewell tour of Kobe Bryant $6000 continues. The Timberwolves have lost four straight to much better teams than the Lakers and should take out their frustrations. Ricky Rubio $6700 and Zach LaVine $5200 can both pay their way; Andrew Wiggins $6900 is due to heat up and Karl-Anthony Towns $6800 should not be bothered by a tired Roy Hibbert $4500. Very solidly in the rotation, Gorgui Dieng $4900 is playing more alongside KAT.
After blowing a 16-point home lead, the Bulls will try to regroup in Boston. Pau Gasol $7700 is their most reliable performer with Jimmy Butler $7700 battling foot soreness. Derrick Rose $6500 might have trouble with Isaiah Thomas $8000. While the Celtics can win, it’s not easy to predict who else will have the hot hand. Jared Sullinger $6300 and Jae Crowder $5700 are affordable, while Kelly Olynyk $4200 has two 21-point efforts in his last three.
It’s another night when there aren’t many ultra-cheap standouts. My sample lineup features five second choices from the Short List, leaving enough cap room that the three fill-in picks are fairly safe. Raymond Felton $4500 has been starting for Dallas with Chandler Parsons $4100 on a minutes limit off the bench, and the Mavs are winning. Amir Johnson $4700, Leuer and Cody Zeller $4600 all fit the F position; Zeller more than held his own against Andre Drummond $9400 on Monday.
| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | Kyle Lowry $8900 | John Wall $8700 | Raymond Felton $4500 |
| SG | James Harden $10600 | Bradley Beal $7200 | Manu Ginobili $4300 |
| SF | Gordon Hayward $7000 | Otto Porter $5800 | Mirza Teletovic $4100 |
| PF | Blake Griffin $9300 | LaMarcus Aldridge $7000 | Cody Zeller $4600 |
| C | Andre Drummond $9400 | Pau Gasol $7700 | Gorgui Dieng $4900 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.