Congratulations to “supermanb8” who won $50,000 for three bucks last night at DraftKings with DeMarcus Cousins $10000, Rajon Rondo $8400, Zach Randolph and the amazing Draymond Green $10100 leading the way to 356.5 fantasy points. His four bargain picks paid off — Al Farouq Aminu double-doubled, Jeff Withey and Cameron Payne provided great return on small salaries and Anthony Morrow scored 20, only 3.3% owned in a spot start for Kevin Durant (toe.)
Green triple-doubled for the third straight game and surprise starter Stephen Curry $10600 (shin) scored 30 points without getting kicked. Klay Thompson $7900 added 30 more as the Splash Brothers shot a combined 11-for-21 from the deep end. Harrison Barnes $5600 looked good in 20 minutes off the bench and an energized Marreese Speights $3100 (15 points in 17 minutes) might be the best value of all tonight.
How much the Warriors superstars have to play depends entirely on the Lakers. Lou Williams $5700 is the primary option, assuming Kobe Bryant $6300 (shoulder) misses another game. D’Angelo Russell $4800 (illness) is questionable, so Jordan Clarkson $5400 will also be prominent. Larry Nance Jr. $4400 keeps getting better and Julius Randle $5500 did not play well on Sunday. If Randle is in the Byron Scott doghouse, Brandon Bass $3800 might surprise.
Plays of the Day
The $300K Sharpshooter is only a $3 buy-in (FREE with your initial deposit at DK) where the top 23,535 finishers (from up to 115,000 teams) win cash. First place is worth $20,000. Enter before it fills; you can make unlimited lineup changes (even after the 8:00 EST deadline) until each player’s game begins.
It’s hard to believe the Kings beat the Thunder but Cousins (33 PTS, 19 REB) and Rondo (13 PTS, 19 AST, 5 STL) were superb. Marco Belinelli $3900 has been on fire for three games, Darren Collison $5300 sees action at both guard spots and Kosta Koufos $3800 was a big factor in 29 minutes off the bench (8 PTS, 8 REB, 4 BLK.) There’s no love lost between Rondo and the Mavericks, who want to avenge a November 30 loss in Sacramento.
Deron Williams $6100 (hamstring) may have returned too soon, and interim starter J.J. Barea $5700 is a bit overpriced, so Raymond Felton $4600 might be the play among Dallas guards. Dirk Nowitzki $6200 and Zaza Pachulia $5900 are affordable in a wide-open affair; Wesley Matthews $5000 and Chandler Parsons $5600 are both capable of getting hot.
By comparison to those two matchups, the Eastern Conference games are defensive struggles. Arron Afflalo $4900 scored 38 points in 29 minutes on Sunday in New York and Robin Lopez $4600 outplayed Al Horford $6600. Both of those things are unlikely to happen again in this rematch, and Carmelo Anthony $8200 might assert himself more.
Paul Millsap $8100 was Atlanta’s best player in the loss (19 PTS, 9 REB, 6 AST, 5 STL) and Kent Bazemore $5800 paid his way, but the point guard situation is puzzling. With Dennis Schroder $5000 out of the rotation for two games and Jeff Teague $6500 ineffective, Shelvin Mack $3100 got 27 minutes and played well enough to earn another opportunity. Perhaps Kyle Korver $4300 has found the range after a horrendous slump.
After losing by 25 at home, the Bucks must visit Chicago for their third game in four nights. It should be no contest. Jimmy Butler $8000 broke a Michael Jordan record with 40 points in the second half on Sunday. Pau Gasol $7800 averages a double-double with remarkable consistency. Derrick Rose $5900 (knee, hamstring) is questionable, making Kirk Hinrich $3400 and Aaron Brooks $4400 potential bargains. Rookie sensation Bobby Portis $4500 took a step backward as Nikola Mirotic $5100 looked sharp.
The concern is Milwaukee not mounting enough of a challenge and the Bulls emptying their bench. Portis and Brooks might thrive in that scenario. In the sample lineup and Short List, I’m punting C with Speights and going for balance elsewhere.
| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | Stephen Curry $10600 | Rajon Rondo $8400 | Shelvin Mack $3100 |
| SG | Jimmy Butler $8000 | Lou Williams $5700 | Marco Belinelli $3900 |
| SF | Carmelo Anthony $8200 | Rudy Gay $6800 | Kent Bazemore $5800 |
| PF | DeMarcus Cousins $10000 | Paul Millsap $8100 | Larry Nance Jr. $4400 |
| C | Pau Gasol $7800 | Zaza Pachulia $5900 | Marreese Speights $3100 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.