Monday night began with a mild surprise — the Bulls won in Cleveland as Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler were superb. The Clippers winning on the road, without Chris Paul? If you saw that coming and used Austin Rivers, congratulations and enjoy my contribution.
Tonight is a must-win for Atlanta after dropping the opener. The Grizzlies will again try to stop Stephen Curry $10700 and until Mike Conley $5300 (face) is able to play, that seems unlikely. The MVP was sharp in Game One (22 PTS, 7 AST, 4 STL, 4 3PT) and is capable of even bigger numbers.
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Klay Thompson $7600 and Draymond Green $8300 are the other DFS producers for the Warriors. Andrew Bogut $5700 is no match for Marc Gasol $8500 but that’s really the only advantage for Memphis. Zach Randolph $7100 is playable and Tony Allen $5100 is affordable. Neither point guard is up to the task of replacing Conley. If healthy, Beno Udrih $3800 (ankle) will play more than Nick Calathes $4100. If this game gets out of hand, guys like Marreese Speights $3000 and Shaun Livingston $2300 could have value.
The Wizards were great in Game One but John Wall $9400 (wrist) and Bradley Beal $7300 (ankle) both suffered minor injuries. They’ll play; it just makes another road upset even less likely. Marcin Gortat $7000, Paul Pierce $5400 and Otto Porter $4800 are the others to consider, with Drew Gooden $3900 a possible bargain.
Paul Millsap $8600 and Al Horford $7900 lead the way for the Hawks. Both double-doubled on Sunday, while DeMarre Carroll $7200 hit five 3-pointers for a team-high 24. Jeff Teague $6900 (ankle) needs to improve; if he’s still sore Dennis Schroder $3600 could surprise. Kyle Korver $6400 missed eight of 11 attempts from deep — it happens to the best. It’s possible that Atlanta will win easily. I’m not predicting garbage time, but if it does occur, Schroder, Kent Bazemore $2000 and Pero Antic $2400 would finish up.
The challenge of constructing a playoff lineup is to find “scrubs” who will contribute at least something. Using Horford, Millsap and the Splash Brothers costs $34800, leaving an average of only $3800 to fill the other four spots. Allen or Porter at SF is the best we can afford, then it’s a real scramble at G, F and Util. With only two games and short benches, ultra-cheap players really pay off when you get them right.
Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
PG | Stephen Curry $10700 | Jeff Teague $6900 | Beno Udrih $3800 |
SG | Klay Thompson $7600 | Kyle Korver $6400 | Courtney Lee $4600 |
SF | DeMarre Carroll $7200 | Tony Allen $5100 | Otto Porter $4800 |
PF | Paul Millsap $8600 | Zach Randolph $7100 | Drew Gooden $3900 |
C | Marc Gasol $8500 | Al Horford $7900 | Pero Antic $2400 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.