DraftKings Advice: January 26, 2016

Hope you cashed at DraftKings last night; our top pick DeMarcus Cousins $11000 was the key to riches in DFS, with a career-high 56 points in an overtime loss. Congratulations to “rickyledo,” who also used Jrue Holiday, Trevor Ariza, Rodney Hood, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jeremy Lin, Marvin Williams and Spencer Hawes to win $100,000 for just three bucks.

After that tremendous effort, Boogie and the Kings may have trouble keeping up with Damian Lilliard $9300 and C.J. McCollum $7300 tonight. Salaries are reasonable for Mason Plumlee $5300, Al-Farouq Aminu $4900, Meyers Leonard $3900 and Noah Vonleh $3100 if you expect a Blazers romp. Rudy Gay (eye) will not play, so Omri Casspi $6000 and Willie Cauley-Stein $4800 will get more touches, but Rajon Rondo $8400 and DMC have to be tired after 40+ minutes of hard work, followed by a plane ride.

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Still smarting from a four-game playoff sweep last spring, Toronto has beaten Washington three times this year and neither team has scored 100 points. After getting thumped by 25 at home last night, the Wizards run into a rested group of Raptors on an eight-game win streak. Kyle Lowry $8500, DeMar DeRozan $8300 and Jonas Valanciunas $6300 are worth their salaries. The second unit is also hot; Terrence Ross $3800, Cory Joseph $3600, Patrick Patterson $3700 and Bismack Biyombo $3800 are all attractively priced.

What’s left of the Suns is five guys playing 35-44 minutes each, yet they somehow beat Atlanta on Saturday. Tyson Chandler $4800 grabbed 27 rebounds; Alex Len $4800 started at PF and double-doubled. P.J. Tucker $5100, Devin Booker $5400 and Archie Goodwin $4500 are all cheap until some of the injured players return. With Brandon Knight (groin) out, Ish Smith $7400 might have a big night for the Sixers. Nerlens Noel $6400 could be too athletic for Len, and streaky Robert Covington $6100 is in the groove again.

Possibly overconfident, the Thunder lost to the Nets on Sunday. Russell Westbrook $10600 and Kevin Durant $9800 should be 100% focused tonight. If Steven Adams $4400 (elbow) can’t play, Robin Lopez $5100 might take advantage, but with Carmelo Anthony $8200 (knee) less than 100%, this could be a long night for the Knicks.

Brook Lopez $7200 and Thaddeus Young $6400 led Brooklyn to that huge upset, with Bojan Bogdanovic $3500 contributing 18 points off the bench. Still at home after a day off, they catch the Heat in a road back-to-back, with injuries to several players. Dwyane Wade $6500 had 28 points to beat Chicago last night and Chris Bosh $7700 added 18, but Goran Dragic (calf) remains out and Hassan Whiteside $7500 (oblique) is doubtful.

The veteran Mavericks can afford to rest people against the Tank City Lakers. With Zaza Pachulia (Achilles) doubtful, look for rookie Salah Mejri $3500 to make his second career start after a double-double (10 PTS, 11 REB, 3 BLK) on Sunday. The 7’2″ Tunisian is a 29-year-old veteran of the Euroleague. Chandler Parsons $6300 scored 31 on Sunday and is now 31-for-51 with 12 3-pointers in his last three. Raymond Felton $3900 and J.J. Barea $3600 will benefit if Deron Williams $6200 sits out or plays limited minutes.

Today’s sample lineup aims for balance. You could also build around Westbrook and Durant — especially if you expect the Knicks to put up a good fight — but there aren’t too many ultra-cheap guys with upside.

Pos	Premium	Midrange	Bargain
PG	Russell Westbrook $10600	Damian Lilliard $9300	J.J. Barea $3600
SG	DeMar DeRozan $8300	C.J. McCollum $7300	Archie Goodwin $4500
SF	Kevin Durant $9800	Chandler Parsons $6300	Robert Covington $6100
PF	DeMarcus Cousins $11000	Thaddeus Young $6400	Patrick Patterson $3700
C	Brook Lopez $7200	Mason Plumlee $5300	Tyson Chandler $4800