Kind of mad at myself this morning — for not winning enough. LeBron James, Gordon Hayward and Pau Gasol combined for 161.25 fantasy points, but the cheaper pieces they were surrounded with all disappointed.
Dismissing Kawhi Leonard was costly, as he (finally) looked like the Finals MVP. Turns out it was possible to use LBJ and Anthony Davis with the right bargains and score well over 300, prompting this brief bout of “woulda, coulda, shoulda” today.
My lineups (270+) did cash in six contests for a 100% profit, so it was hardly a disaster. Just a missed opportunity to have finished much higher and won bigger. These things happen in the daily grind. Time to shake this old grey head like an Etch-A-Sketch and move on to Tuesday’s action.
Plays of the Day
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Winless on the road, the Hornets aren’t recommended in Portland. A few Blazers are reasonably priced: Damian Lillard $7600 is heating up, Robin Lopez $6000 and Wesley Matthews $6100 are consistent and Chris Kaman $3500 just had his best game of the season.
In Memphis, we need to guess the score. If the visiting Lakers run and the Grizzlies relax just a bit on D, I’m bullish on Marc Gasol $7500, Zach Randolph $7100, Mike Conley $6900 and Courtney Lee $4100, with sixth man Tony Allen $4400 also playable.
The Warriors are for real and with Klay Thompson $6500 less than 100% (hand) expect Stephen Curry $10200 to shoot early, often and well. Draymond Green $6200 fills the box score with fantasy goodness (BLK, STL, REB) and Andrew Bogut $5800 looks healthy. Reasons not to like the Spurs include a tough game 24 hours ago, a late plane ride and the coach’s annoying tendency to rest his big guns when least expected. Kawhi Leonard $5900 is excellent value if he comes close to repeating last night’s career-high 26 points.
In the last Thunder game, I took a successful position on Jeremy Lamb $3900 and Reggie Jackson $6500, who should continue to be worth those salaries on an injury-ravaged team that has not stopped competing hard.
What will DeMarcus Cousins $9900 do against Tyson Chandler $5900? That’s an important prediction to get right (or close) as the mercurial DMC just followed a 25/18 line with a 16/7. There is risk and sometimes huge reward for his DFS owners. Gotta like the Mavericks at home as Dirk Nowitzki $7300 keeps holding Father Time at bay.
The 6-1 Raptors make a rare appearance on US national TV. Kyle Lowry $8200 is on a mission to join DeMar DeRozan $8100 on the all-star team; they combined for 47 points in Orlando Nov. 1 against the inexperienced Magic backcourt. Terrence Ross $5000 starts at SF, but James Johnson $3700 might be needed to handle Tobias Harris $6900. If it’s not close, Lou Williams $3000 could get extra run.
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season.
Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.