Fantasy Spin December 10, 2015

Tonight’s four NBA games aren’t all equal. In real life, the Hawks at Oklahoma City and the Clippers in Chicago are far more significant. In daily fantasy, less-meaningful matchups like the Knicks at Sacramento and the Nets hosting the Sixers can be profitable. DraftKings contests close at 7:30 EST; there are also Late offerings at 8:00 that exclude the game in Brooklyn.

Kevin Durant $10100 was fantastic in the Thunder’s romp over Memphis on Tuesday; Russell Westbrook $10400 was content to dish out 16 assists in only 25 minutes so he’ll be well-rested. It’s a difficult road back-to-back for Atlanta after a hard-fought win in Dallas last night. Paul Millsap $8300 was outstanding (again) — he was the difference in a 106-100 home victory when these teams met on November 30. Al Horford $6900 is a nice price and Kent Bazemore $4900 may have more fantasy value as a sixth man than he did as a starter.

Plays of the Day

The $275K Sharpshooter costs only $3 per team (one entry is FREE with your first deposit at DK) and pays the top 21,185 finishers from up to 105,417 teams. First place wins $20,000. The deadline is 7:30; enter before it fills and make lineup changes until each player’s game begins.

The Bulls came up short in Boston last night despite a season-high 36 from Jimmy Butler $7700 and a typical Pau Gasol $7700 double-double. Taj Gibson $4000 started with Nikola Mirotic $5200 getting 22 minutes off the bench. Joakim Noah $4500 might be needed more tonight. Bargain hunters note that Doug McDermott went 3-for-4 from deep in 26 minutes.

Meanwhile, J.J. Redick $4000 poured in 31 (six 3PTM) as L.A. won by 24 in Milwaukee. Blake Griffin $9200 and Chris Paul $8400 each double-doubled as DeAndre Jordan $7100 grabbed 19 boards and swatted three shots. Though it should be a great game to watch, I’m reluctant to pay for any of the stars.

The schedule-maker has done the Knicks no favors. Down 29-11 after a quarter, Derek Fisher emptied his bench last night in Utah. Rookie sensation Kristaps Porzingis $7800 was yanked after just 13 minutes. Tonight is their third game in four nights, against a Sacramento team that had six players reach double figures on Tuesday in beating the Jazz.

DeMarcus Cousins $10200 found the range, Rudy Gay $7000 added 23 points and Omri Casspi $5300 had a dub-dub (19 & 10) in 41 minutes as a starter. Rajon Rondo $8500 continues to impress (17 PTS, 13 AST, 7 REB, 2 STL) as George Karl has shortened his rotation. A Sacramento stack is tempting — any of Darren Collison $4800, Ben McLemore $3700 and Marco Belinelli $4000 can get hot.

If the Nets play with the same intensity that beat Houston on Tuesday, they will win easily. Thaddeus Young $7400 and Brook Lopez $7700 are usually solid plays, but Joe Johnson $5500 and Bojan Bogdanovic $4200 really woke up. Jarrett Jack $6200 is better than any of Philly’s revolving door of point guards.

The Sixers are coming off a humiliating 51-point defeat against the Spurs, who were missing three regulars. It will take a long time for Jerry Colangelo to improve the product on the floor. Jahlil Okafor $6400 has recently dealt with off-court issues, a two-game suspension and an illness; he and Nerlens Noel $5800 remain their best players. Nik Stauskas $3400 might be the best value. He got 28 minutes in a close loss to Denver and at least competed on Monday.

Many people will key on Westbrook, Durant, or both. In the sample lineup, I’m taking a chance with Cousins and Rondo as the two biggest expenditures. Casspi instead of Gay allows me to afford Lopez and Young. Then it’s best-available at SG, G and Util. As always, breaking news can affect multiple players and we try to take advantage.

Pos	Premium	Midrange	Bargain
PG	Russell Westbrook $10400	Rajon Rondo $8500	Jose Calderon $4500
SG	Jimmy Butler $7500	J.J. Redick $4000	Nik Stauskas $3400
SF	Kevin Durant $10100	Omri Casspi $5300	Doug McDermott $3400
PF	DeMarcus Cousins $10200	Thaddeus Young $7400	Taj Gibson $4000
C	Brook Lopez $7700	Al Horford $6900	Joakim Noah $4500