In daily fantasy, everyone gets a chance to own the same players and an opportunity to profit. In traditional leagues, it would be foolish to drop an injured Cody Zeller (shoulder) for Spencer Hawes $3100, but the Hornets’ many injuries have created several DFS bargains.
Both Hawes and Frank Kaminsky $4800 are certain to get extra minutes. Jeremy Lin $5100 will start, because Nicolas Batum (toe) is out and Jeremy Lamb $4500 (toe) is questionable. Kemba Walker $8100 is reasonably priced against Elfrid Payton $6200 but the Magic should win, with Nikola Vucevic $7500 and Tobias Harris $6300 the safest plays and the improving Aaron Gordon $4400 a possibility.
Stephen Curry $10400 and the Warriors can trounce the Pacers. While the score will probably be high, it could be lopsided. George Hill (personal) is expected back tomorrow and Ian Mahinmi (ankle) is questionable, so rookies Joseph Young $3500 and Myles Turner $3900 should be prominent again — especially if there’s garbage time.
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Carmelo Anthony $8300 leads the Knicks against the tired Clippers, who lost in Cleveland last night. Josh Smith has been traded to Houston and Blake Griffin (quad) isn’t quite ready, so Melo and Kristaps Porzingis $7300 are both solid plays. On a roll, Robin Lopez $5300 might surprise if DeAndre Jordan $7500 is fatigued.
The Rockets will be without Dwight Howard (ankle) while Patrick Beverley $4200 (ankle) and Jason Terry $3200 are banged up. Ty Lawson $4200, Clint Capela $5600 and Terrence Jones $4700 are all excellent value; James Harden $10000 is a definite triple-double candidate, worth the big price tag.
All-Star Kyle Lowry $8600 has an easy assignment tonight. Goran Dragic (calf) and Dwyane Wade $6800 are out, backups Beno Udrih $4000 (neck) and Gerald Green $4700 (knee) are questionable, so Tyler Johnson $5600 is the #1 guard and Josh Richardson $3300 will play over 30 minutes again. Even worse, Hassan Whiteside (oblique) is out. Chris Bosh $7600 and Justice Winslow $4000 will try to keep the Heat in the game. Lowry may focus heavily on helping DeMar DeRozan $8000 with his All-Star bid. Terrence Ross $3700 would shake off my “inconsistent” tag with a third straight good effort.
It’s deja vu all over again for the Spurs, who used all 13 players last night with Tony Parker $5600 (hip) and Tim Duncan $5500 (rest) in street clothes. Boban Marjanovic $3200 thrilled his owners with 17 points and 13 boards in less than 22 minutes, but won’t play quite as much if Duncan returns. The likelihood of garbage time is extremely high.
Oklahoma City at Dallas could be a great real-life game, with Russell Westbrook $10600 and Kevin Durant $9700 both deserving of their salaries and several Mavericks gaining value if Dirk Nowitzki $6700 (knee) misses another game. However, my commitment in the sample lineup is to Harden. That selection leads to making bargain picks at the other two guard spots. Pau Gasol $8400 also warrants his price, though you can “punt” C with Turner, Hawes or Marjanovic and have more cap room elsewhere.
| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | Stephen Curry $10400 | Jeremy Lin $5100 | Ty Lawson $4200 |
| SG | James Harden $10000 | DeMar DeRozan $8000 | Terrence Ross $3700 |
| SF | Carmelo Anthony $8300 | Tobias Harris $6300 | Aaron Gordon $4400 |
| PF | Chris Bosh $7600 | Kristaps Porzingis $7300 | Terrence Jones $4700 |
| C | Pau Gasol $8400 | Nikola Vucevic $7500 | Myles Turner $3900 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.