Last night with zero warning, Greg Monroe $7200 was a very late scratch. I wasn’t the only daily fantasy player wiped out. Whether it’s Jason Kidd or someone else responsible, the Bucks are worse than secretive. I’ll even call BS on the excuse that Monroe bruised his knee in shootaround; they were saving him for the Clippers game tonight and deserve to lose again.
Congratulations to “Jstrodt12” who won $50,000 cash last night for just $3 with Zach LaVine $5500, Kobe Bryant, Rudy Gay, Kevin Love, Karl-Anthony Towns $7200, Michael Carter-Williams $5900, Omri Casspi and Darren Collison. Tonight you can win twice as much — a cool $100K for the high score in the $500K Super Sharpshooter.
That means a guaranteed $400,000 in consolation prizes will be paid out to more than 40,000 other winners. The $3 entry fee is waived if you make an initial deposit of at least $5. Multiple entries are not only permitted, they’re encouraged; you never know which lineup will perform best, so that strategy improves your odds of a big score. Sometimes every lineup cashes.
Plays of the Day
The $500K Super Sharpshooter is a mere $3 buy-in (FREE with your first deposit) where the top 40,870 finishers (from up to 191,666 teams) win cash. First place is worth $100,000. It closes at 7:00 EST; enter before it fills and make lineup changes until each player’s game begins.
On a 12-game NBA slate, there are literally millions of possible 8-man combinations. Our Short List (below) attempts to narrow the options down to 15 players — three at each position, in various salary brackets. If there’s a key game, it’s Phoenix visiting the Warriors. The O/U is almost 220 and the champs should snap a rare one-game losing “streak.”
Let’s try to break it down by position. Stephen Curry $10700 or Russell Westbrook $10400 are the expensive PG options, with Reggie Jackson $7500 and Chris Paul $7900 in the middle. Jrue Holiday $4700 and Jeremy Lin $4200 are both good value in the bargain bin. LaVine is another to consider, as coach Sam Mitchell promises changes to his rotation.
Eric Bledsoe $8400 and Jimmy Butler $7500 top the SG list, closely followed by Tyreke Evans $7300. There are numerous possibilities in the lower salary bracket, including Raymond Felton $5200, J.J. Redick $4500, Gary Neal $4200, and two from the Jazz — Alec Burks $5000 and Rodney Hood $4300 take turns getting hot.
Kevin Durant $10200 gets the premium SF call over Paul George $9700, who missed yesterday’s practice with a mild illness after playing 24 quiet minutes against the Raptors on Monday. The midrange is very strong with Carmelo Anthony $8000, Kawhi Leonard $8600 and Nicolas Batum $7600. Again, there’s upside among the lower salaries: Matt Barnes $5100, Jeff Green $4900, Luol Deng $4500 and Chandler Parsons $4300 are all playable.
As always, Anthony Davis $10600 is the standout PF, though Blake Griffin $9000 has a great matchup and Draymond Green $8500 has had three much-needed rest days after the long road trip. Chris Bosh $7200 could be the best value;it’s a top-heavy position but Jordan Hill $4800 is coming off a double-double (20 & 13) and could stay hot.
At C, Andre Drummond $9100 is too good for any of Boston’s big men. The Gasol brothers meet for the first time this season; Pau Gasol $7800 is at home but Marc Gasol $7400 is a bit cheaper and five years younger. Amid trade rumors and coming off the bench, Joakim Noah $5100 is playing very well. Ultra-cheap Frank Kaminsky $3600 is getting better and Lavoy Allen $3400 outplayed starter Ian Mahinmi $4800 (foul trouble) on Monday.
Today’s sample lineup (above left) is one of many I’ve entered in the $500K tournament. All are subject to change, with the same general makeup — pay retail for PG, PF and C, surround them with affordable wings. I’m not using anyone under $4500 in this balanced version, which means I can’t afford even one 5-digit superstar. See you on the leaderboard.
| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | Stephen Curry $10700 | Reggie Jackson $7500 | Jrue Holiday $4700 |
| SG | Eric Bledsoe $8400 | Tyreke Evans $7300 | J.J. Redick $4500 |
| SF | Kevin Durant $10200 | Carmelo Anthony $8000 | Luol Deng $4500 |
| PF | Anthony Davis $10600 | Blake Griffin $9000 | Jordan Hill $4800 |
| C | Andre Drummond $9100 | Marc Gasol $7400 | Lavoy Allen $3400 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.