After yesterday's disaster, I want to point out that I will be checking my lineups tonight before roster lock. This is just the early lineup I selected last night to lock in some entries into a few events.
Here we go:
PG: Mike Conley - Grizz - $6,900: I like Conley in this spot for a few reasons. First, Westbrook is not known for his defense, so Conley should have multiple spots to score the ball tonight. Also, with all of the media grief Conley received for his high dollar contract, wouldn't you think he'd want to stick it to one of the best PG's in the NBA? Lastly, Westbrook turns the ball over, a lot and Conley is a pretty strong defender so he should be able to "steal" some extra FPPs in that category as well. He would need 35 to reach 5x and I have a hard time believing he won't reach that value.
SG: Evan Fournier - Magic - $6,000: This may change once I hear if LaVine is playing tonight or not, as I love his spot tonight. As for Fournier, he's facing a Clippers team that you can attack at the SG/SF position and Fournier has been getting plenty of run since returning from injury. He has been taking double digits in shots since returning and likes to fill all of the spots in the score sheet. If LaVine plays I may slide Evan into the SF slot instead.
SF: Robert Covington - Sixers - $6,000: I can't help but worry because, after all, it's Covington and you know that 6 pt night is somewhere in the horizon. The way he's been playing lately though, he's worth plugging in at this salary. He continues to thrive with or without Embiid in the lineup so tonight is a solid night to run him out there vs the Knicks and the mess of a franchise they are right now (did I just say the Knicks were the worst franchise in this match up? Wow). Carmelo is dealing with a shoulder injury and has never been known as a lock down defender, so I like Cov tonight.
PF: Montrezl Harrell - Rockets - $5,300: I continue to run Montrezl out there and have rarely been disappointed. He may not flash the 50 upside some may want to look for in the tournament game, but he has been extremely solid lately and continues to hit 5x or 6x each night and I will take that. Facing Minnesota worries me a bit, as Towns is a big body, but I don't think it'll slow down Harrell enough to fade.
C: Mason Plumlee - Blazers- $6,000: Plumlee had been crushing heading into last night's game and then, for some reason, his minutes were cut way down. There have been some talking heads that have suggested that he was rested last night so that he'd be at full speed for tonight's match-up vs the Cavs. Cleveland, reportedly, did not get into Portland until around 5am today so they could be moving a bit slow tonight and that just increases my love of a few Portland guys tonight, as you'll see.
G: Patrick Beverley - Rockets - $5,600: Now this is one I will certainly be keeping my eye on in terms of health tonight. Beverley has been known to get rested and this is the Rockets 3rd game in 4 nights, so he may get this one off. If not, he's in a great spot against Ricky Rubio defense, or lack there of, as well as getting the opportunity to mix in some steals and cheap rebounds vs an opposing PG that turns the ball over at a high rate. I like Beverley to at least reach value tonight, if not crush it ... assuming he plays.
F: Al-Farouq Aminu - Blazers - $5,100: Aminu has been incredible lately and has been reaching 7x or 8x on a nightly basis. Squaring off with Kevin Love tonight should not slow him down by any means. Needing someone with a cheaper price point, I am not sure there's anyone better in this range than Aminu.
UTL: Damian Lillard - Blazers - $8,500: This one may change before lock, just because I never enjoy taking 3 players from the same team. That being said, Lillard has been firing at all cylinders since returning from injury and I do not see him taking the night off against the Cavs tonight. Lillard too 21 shots in just 31 minutes last night so I'm thinking he, like Plumlee, got a few minutes off last night in preparation for tonight's game. Kyrie defense is always a spot where you want to target an opposing PG and as mentioned previously, the Cavs had a late night last night so they could be moving a bit slow today and that just increases my love for Lillard more tonight.
There may be a few changes before roster lock as I'm sure there will be some people out, some people in and something that needs adjusting.
I had been playing Marcus Smart nightly while Bradley is out, but his price has skyrocketed and now I'm not so sure there's much value left.
Take that sentence and just rinse and repeat for Ersan Ilyasova. I have been plugging him into every lineup for a while now but his price has just reached levels that I am not comfortable playing him at this point.
If LaVine is a go tonight I will likely find a way for him into several lineups and, if he's not, I will be running Wiggins out in a few.
I'm intrigued by Carmelo tonight, as he had a big game following an ejection recently and I can see that happening again tonight vs the Sixers. Also curious to see how Rose bounces back after the mess from Monday night. I guess I have to put Brandon Jennings into a few lineups tonight, just in case...
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
And this is why you must pay attention at all times - and other notes for Tuesday
If this week has taught us nothing else, it's that you have to pay attention to your roster at all times before lock. Especially with the illness that is running am-muck through the NBA.
I set my roster up tonight, locked it into the $4 Draft Kings tournament along with a few 50/50's and headed out to bowling.
About 7:45pm I decided to check out the updates and see how my teams were starting, only to see that Nikola Mirotic had been scratched.
I missed cashing by less than 10 pts.
Lesson learned. ALWAYS find a way to check your roster before the locks occur. Otherwise you lose all rights to be upset when things don't fall your way!!
Speaking of the Bulls, what exactly is going on with Doug McDermott? I understand that he doesn't exactly have the best skill set in the game, but he has always found ways to score the ball when given the chance.
Tonight, with Butler, Wade and Mirotic out, this seemed like a dream spot for McDermott and instead he finds a way to get into early foul trouble and scores single digit points ... again.
I will surely be fading him until he figures out a way to get his shot back.
Also, Rondo goes Rondo in the first half. That guy may not be a good real-world NBA player, but man does he have some great Fantasy upside!
Other disappointments on Tuesday's slate for me:
Mason Plumlee - had been crushing value of late and tonight put up a semi-dud with just 25. Facing a Lakers front court that has had a hard time stopping bigs lately, I had very high hopes for Plumlee in this spot and am stunned he put up anything short of 35.
Goran Dragic - I guess I shouldn't be too surprised when any Heat player under preforms right now, as they have the majority of their guys healthy, so there just isn't enough touches to go around. Steph Curry isn't exactly knows as a shut down defender, so I expected Dragic to thrive in this up tempo matchup. Again, 27 could've been a lot worse, but at his current price, we need more out of Goran to justify a spot in the lineup.
Reggie Jackson: He was due a bit of a struggle, I just didn't expect it to be vs the Kings on Tuesday. I can look past this one though as he has been lights out recently and we can forgive one off(ish) evening.
Overall it wasn't a great night but wasn't awful either. Again on DK I managed to have several teams between 265 and 299. I have to figure out how to get into the 320+ realm if I expect to start hitting big spots in tournaments.
More to learn, every day. It's a work in progress.
I set my roster up tonight, locked it into the $4 Draft Kings tournament along with a few 50/50's and headed out to bowling.
About 7:45pm I decided to check out the updates and see how my teams were starting, only to see that Nikola Mirotic had been scratched.
I missed cashing by less than 10 pts.
Lesson learned. ALWAYS find a way to check your roster before the locks occur. Otherwise you lose all rights to be upset when things don't fall your way!!
Speaking of the Bulls, what exactly is going on with Doug McDermott? I understand that he doesn't exactly have the best skill set in the game, but he has always found ways to score the ball when given the chance.
Tonight, with Butler, Wade and Mirotic out, this seemed like a dream spot for McDermott and instead he finds a way to get into early foul trouble and scores single digit points ... again.
I will surely be fading him until he figures out a way to get his shot back.
Also, Rondo goes Rondo in the first half. That guy may not be a good real-world NBA player, but man does he have some great Fantasy upside!
Other disappointments on Tuesday's slate for me:
Mason Plumlee - had been crushing value of late and tonight put up a semi-dud with just 25. Facing a Lakers front court that has had a hard time stopping bigs lately, I had very high hopes for Plumlee in this spot and am stunned he put up anything short of 35.
Goran Dragic - I guess I shouldn't be too surprised when any Heat player under preforms right now, as they have the majority of their guys healthy, so there just isn't enough touches to go around. Steph Curry isn't exactly knows as a shut down defender, so I expected Dragic to thrive in this up tempo matchup. Again, 27 could've been a lot worse, but at his current price, we need more out of Goran to justify a spot in the lineup.
Reggie Jackson: He was due a bit of a struggle, I just didn't expect it to be vs the Kings on Tuesday. I can look past this one though as he has been lights out recently and we can forgive one off(ish) evening.
Overall it wasn't a great night but wasn't awful either. Again on DK I managed to have several teams between 265 and 299. I have to figure out how to get into the 320+ realm if I expect to start hitting big spots in tournaments.
More to learn, every day. It's a work in progress.
Tuesday 1/10/17 early picks and venting about Monday's slate
What an absolute disaster Monday turned out to be.
Had it just been for Carmelo getting ejected, Davis getting hurt and missing the 4th (though he likely would have anyway due to a blowout), McDermott putting up a dud, Porzingis putting up a dud, Jimmy Butler saying he was ready to go and couldn't wait for his matchup vs Westbrook and then putting up a dud, Wade going out --- what else could have gone wrong in yesterday's three game slate?!
Oh, that's right, somehow Derrick Rose was not with the team, yet no beat writer or DFS strategy site could have reported that? I get if he gets hurt and is a late scratch due to that, but announcing at 7:37pm that he is out for personal reasons and is NOT WITH THE TEAM is just inexcusable. How was this not reported at any point. Seriously, I'll ask again, can someone explain how it was not noticed that he wasn't partaking in shoot around?
Anyway, onto today's slate.
I have put in my early lineups and will likely not make many changes as I will not be around my devices at roster lock.
Here are my early thoughts:
PG: Damian Lillard - $9000 - Portland: This may be a little too much to pay for Lillard, but I'm willing to take that risk tonight. Since coming back from injury he has shown no signs of rust and is chucking the ball up like the Damian we know and love. He would need to get to 45 FPP to reach cash game playable and I believe he can get there tonight vs the Lakers and their inability to cover the PG position.
SG: Marcus Smart - $5,800 - Boston: The only problem here is the fact that Smart will be super high owned. Avery Bradley has already been ruled out tonight and Smart has proven to thrive when taking Bradley's spot in the rotation. He is able to score fantasy points in multiple ways and those are the guys I love. Smart will be in every lineup I make tonight.
SF: Nikola Mirotic - $4,900 - Chicago: The Bulls will be without Wade and Butler tonight so here is where you will find the value you need in DFS. Mirotic is a fantastic shooter and will be facing a Wizards team that loves to up the tempo every chance they get. Nikola will not be the only cheap Bulls player I take tonight.
PF: James Johnson - $6,000 - Miami: Another "do it all guy", I plug Johnson into my lineup any time he's $6k or lower. He's right on the fringe of having to think about it, but until his price goes over this # I will be playing him. He is a scrappy guy that, again, can score fantasy points without having to actually put the ball in the basket. I love his matchup tonight and will be heavily exposed to JJ.
C: Montrezl Harrell - $5,800 - Houston: Bigs vs the Hornets. Need I say more? It's always a good start when you take the opposing center in this matchup, but Harrell has been exceeding value almost every night and is a hard-nosed bulldog that gets in there and fights for rebounds against a small-ish frontcourt. I have little to no doubt that he gets 5x tonight on his current salary.
G: Kemba Walker - $8,000 - Charlotte: This one I am still on the fence about. Playing a high tempo team like the Rockets should be a great spot for Kemba. Facing Patrick Beverley, on the other hand, sounds like a nightmare. At $8k I still feel he can get to 5x tonight in a game that should be very high scoring and the Hornets missing their other key scorer in Batum, but this is still a spot that I may look elsewhere before roster lock.
F: Doug McDermott - $4,400 - Chicago: I refuse to let the recency bias take me off of him tonight. I feel we should get him for free based on last night's performance however. Anyway, he's in a great spot tonight as the Bulls, as mentioned earlier, as missing their top two scorers so they will need someone to put the ball in the basket. Enter Dougie McBuckets. He should have free reign to shoot as many times as he wants tonight and I have a feeling he will be more than happy to oblige. I just have that feeling that he absolutely crushes value tonight and could put up a GPP winning type of performance.
UTL: Rudy Gay - $6,500 - Sacramento: His price just keeps on going up, but like I mentioned in a previous blog post, he'll have a spot on my roster any time he's under $7k. Gay has come back from injury and looked like the player of old as he has scored around 30 FPPs in each game and is taking double digits shots each night. The matchup tonight is a little rough vs the Pistons, but I love his potential to put up 40 or 50 on any given night and his basement seems pretty secure for my liking.
Had it just been for Carmelo getting ejected, Davis getting hurt and missing the 4th (though he likely would have anyway due to a blowout), McDermott putting up a dud, Porzingis putting up a dud, Jimmy Butler saying he was ready to go and couldn't wait for his matchup vs Westbrook and then putting up a dud, Wade going out --- what else could have gone wrong in yesterday's three game slate?!
Oh, that's right, somehow Derrick Rose was not with the team, yet no beat writer or DFS strategy site could have reported that? I get if he gets hurt and is a late scratch due to that, but announcing at 7:37pm that he is out for personal reasons and is NOT WITH THE TEAM is just inexcusable. How was this not reported at any point. Seriously, I'll ask again, can someone explain how it was not noticed that he wasn't partaking in shoot around?
Anyway, onto today's slate.
I have put in my early lineups and will likely not make many changes as I will not be around my devices at roster lock.
Here are my early thoughts:
PG: Damian Lillard - $9000 - Portland: This may be a little too much to pay for Lillard, but I'm willing to take that risk tonight. Since coming back from injury he has shown no signs of rust and is chucking the ball up like the Damian we know and love. He would need to get to 45 FPP to reach cash game playable and I believe he can get there tonight vs the Lakers and their inability to cover the PG position.
SG: Marcus Smart - $5,800 - Boston: The only problem here is the fact that Smart will be super high owned. Avery Bradley has already been ruled out tonight and Smart has proven to thrive when taking Bradley's spot in the rotation. He is able to score fantasy points in multiple ways and those are the guys I love. Smart will be in every lineup I make tonight.
SF: Nikola Mirotic - $4,900 - Chicago: The Bulls will be without Wade and Butler tonight so here is where you will find the value you need in DFS. Mirotic is a fantastic shooter and will be facing a Wizards team that loves to up the tempo every chance they get. Nikola will not be the only cheap Bulls player I take tonight.
PF: James Johnson - $6,000 - Miami: Another "do it all guy", I plug Johnson into my lineup any time he's $6k or lower. He's right on the fringe of having to think about it, but until his price goes over this # I will be playing him. He is a scrappy guy that, again, can score fantasy points without having to actually put the ball in the basket. I love his matchup tonight and will be heavily exposed to JJ.
C: Montrezl Harrell - $5,800 - Houston: Bigs vs the Hornets. Need I say more? It's always a good start when you take the opposing center in this matchup, but Harrell has been exceeding value almost every night and is a hard-nosed bulldog that gets in there and fights for rebounds against a small-ish frontcourt. I have little to no doubt that he gets 5x tonight on his current salary.
G: Kemba Walker - $8,000 - Charlotte: This one I am still on the fence about. Playing a high tempo team like the Rockets should be a great spot for Kemba. Facing Patrick Beverley, on the other hand, sounds like a nightmare. At $8k I still feel he can get to 5x tonight in a game that should be very high scoring and the Hornets missing their other key scorer in Batum, but this is still a spot that I may look elsewhere before roster lock.
F: Doug McDermott - $4,400 - Chicago: I refuse to let the recency bias take me off of him tonight. I feel we should get him for free based on last night's performance however. Anyway, he's in a great spot tonight as the Bulls, as mentioned earlier, as missing their top two scorers so they will need someone to put the ball in the basket. Enter Dougie McBuckets. He should have free reign to shoot as many times as he wants tonight and I have a feeling he will be more than happy to oblige. I just have that feeling that he absolutely crushes value tonight and could put up a GPP winning type of performance.
UTL: Rudy Gay - $6,500 - Sacramento: His price just keeps on going up, but like I mentioned in a previous blog post, he'll have a spot on my roster any time he's under $7k. Gay has come back from injury and looked like the player of old as he has scored around 30 FPPs in each game and is taking double digits shots each night. The matchup tonight is a little rough vs the Pistons, but I love his potential to put up 40 or 50 on any given night and his basement seems pretty secure for my liking.
Monday, January 9, 2017
Monday 1/9 NBA DFS Early day picks
Oh baby.... a 3 game slate always makes things interesting...
So many people with so little variance. This should be an interesting, and low volume, night for me.
Anyway, onto my picks:
PG: Russell Westbrook - $13,000 - OKC: Yup, you read that right. His salary has gotten out of control. I may end up fading him in tournaments and only playing him in cash, but right now I have him in both. The Bulls ranked near the bottom of the NBA in guarding the PG position with Rondo and that has actually somehow gotten worse since MCW took over, believe it or not. Jimmy Butler has been downgraded to questionable today, which means this game should stay close and Westbrook should get a big chunk of minutes. He's been going crazy the last few games and I intend on riding that train for another game.
SG: Dwayne Wade - $6,200 - Bulls: Again, this is an "if Butler sits" lock for me. Without Butler you have to look for Wade to take over the offense for the Bulls. They have already announced that Wade will play tonight and likely rest tomorrow, so this is a must start spot for him, in my opinion. I am a little afraid of Oladipo's defense, but I still think Wade gets his numbers tonight and is just one of three Bulls I'm using in my early day lineups.
SF: Doug McDermott - $4,200 - Bulls: With or without Butler, I'm playing Doug tonight. His minutes are solidified in the rotation and he is getting more and more comfortable with his shot. Once an offensive weapon like McDermott gets comfortable and allows the game to slow down for him a bit he has the ability to score in waves. Right now things are going well for Doug and I plan on riding this wave out.
PF: Kristaps Porzingis - $7.400 - Knicks: The over/under on this game is large and the young phenom looks to be back and at full speed again after an injury scare. With Carmelo battling a shoulder injury I look for Porzingis to take on the burden of scoring for this team. He has flashed 50-60 point upside and, when healthy, his basement is still pretty solid. I like him tonight in an up and down game vs the Pelicans.
C: Donatas Motiejunas - $3,000 - Pelicans: 100% pure tournament pick as we literally know nothing about his spot in the rotation. He played 20 minutes in his first game of the season and performed admirably, but there is no data that says he will get that much run again tonight. He will not be in my cash game lineups, but I have to take a shot in getting him into a few tournament spots.
G: Michael Carter-Williams - $4,600 - Bulls: This pick scares me. Grant's minutes have been creeping up and he actually out minute'd MCW in the last game. That being said, I am still going to run Carter-Williams out there in my tournament lineups as I feel he has the highest fantasy upside and his price is still reasonable. In an up tempo game MCW should thrive, so here's to hoping he gets 25+ minutes tonight vs OKC.
F: Dirk Nowitzki - $5,200 - Mavericks: Is he the Dirk of old? Of course not. However, Dirk has been creeping up in minutes and actually played 30 in Dallas' last game. He is taking double digit shot attempts and has scored 20+ fantasy points his last three games. Again, a tournament option only for me tonight, but well worth the risk of at least reaching value with the chance of going over a bit.
UTL: Steven Adams - $6,000 - Thunder: I am not sure there is a player on this slate more than I like Adams tonight. He has been consistently exceed value recently yet continues to go over-looked in most lineups. Tonight I expect him to be higher owned simply because the slate is so small, but I will still have him in the majority of my lineups this evening.
I also like: Tyreke Evans, Buddy Heild, JJ Barea and a few others tonight for low dollar tournament punts.
The big news will be whether or not Jimmy Butler plays, so I'll be holding my lock button until we hear that news.
So many people with so little variance. This should be an interesting, and low volume, night for me.
Anyway, onto my picks:
PG: Russell Westbrook - $13,000 - OKC: Yup, you read that right. His salary has gotten out of control. I may end up fading him in tournaments and only playing him in cash, but right now I have him in both. The Bulls ranked near the bottom of the NBA in guarding the PG position with Rondo and that has actually somehow gotten worse since MCW took over, believe it or not. Jimmy Butler has been downgraded to questionable today, which means this game should stay close and Westbrook should get a big chunk of minutes. He's been going crazy the last few games and I intend on riding that train for another game.
SG: Dwayne Wade - $6,200 - Bulls: Again, this is an "if Butler sits" lock for me. Without Butler you have to look for Wade to take over the offense for the Bulls. They have already announced that Wade will play tonight and likely rest tomorrow, so this is a must start spot for him, in my opinion. I am a little afraid of Oladipo's defense, but I still think Wade gets his numbers tonight and is just one of three Bulls I'm using in my early day lineups.
SF: Doug McDermott - $4,200 - Bulls: With or without Butler, I'm playing Doug tonight. His minutes are solidified in the rotation and he is getting more and more comfortable with his shot. Once an offensive weapon like McDermott gets comfortable and allows the game to slow down for him a bit he has the ability to score in waves. Right now things are going well for Doug and I plan on riding this wave out.
PF: Kristaps Porzingis - $7.400 - Knicks: The over/under on this game is large and the young phenom looks to be back and at full speed again after an injury scare. With Carmelo battling a shoulder injury I look for Porzingis to take on the burden of scoring for this team. He has flashed 50-60 point upside and, when healthy, his basement is still pretty solid. I like him tonight in an up and down game vs the Pelicans.
C: Donatas Motiejunas - $3,000 - Pelicans: 100% pure tournament pick as we literally know nothing about his spot in the rotation. He played 20 minutes in his first game of the season and performed admirably, but there is no data that says he will get that much run again tonight. He will not be in my cash game lineups, but I have to take a shot in getting him into a few tournament spots.
G: Michael Carter-Williams - $4,600 - Bulls: This pick scares me. Grant's minutes have been creeping up and he actually out minute'd MCW in the last game. That being said, I am still going to run Carter-Williams out there in my tournament lineups as I feel he has the highest fantasy upside and his price is still reasonable. In an up tempo game MCW should thrive, so here's to hoping he gets 25+ minutes tonight vs OKC.
F: Dirk Nowitzki - $5,200 - Mavericks: Is he the Dirk of old? Of course not. However, Dirk has been creeping up in minutes and actually played 30 in Dallas' last game. He is taking double digit shot attempts and has scored 20+ fantasy points his last three games. Again, a tournament option only for me tonight, but well worth the risk of at least reaching value with the chance of going over a bit.
UTL: Steven Adams - $6,000 - Thunder: I am not sure there is a player on this slate more than I like Adams tonight. He has been consistently exceed value recently yet continues to go over-looked in most lineups. Tonight I expect him to be higher owned simply because the slate is so small, but I will still have him in the majority of my lineups this evening.
I also like: Tyreke Evans, Buddy Heild, JJ Barea and a few others tonight for low dollar tournament punts.
The big news will be whether or not Jimmy Butler plays, so I'll be holding my lock button until we hear that news.
Heading into the Royal Rumble, is it too early to speculate on WrestleMania?
As fans, one of the most exciting things to do it a) guess who will be the surprise entrants into the Rumble each year and b) try and figure out the path to WrestleMania and who will be facing who.
Since the Rumble hasn't happened yet, that makes figuring out the matches for 'Mania a little tricky, but that never stopped anyone from trying!
Match #1: Brock Lesnar v Goldberg
After Brock's embarrassing defeat at the Survivor Series and his disappearing act since, one has to think that he will somehow cost Goldberg at the Rumble thus re-igniting that spark. I am not sure if he eliminates him clean or, the more likely candidate, Goldberg tosses Lesnar over and Brock goes crazy and hops back into the ring and tosses Goldberg out.
That is a whole other point all together. How long will the WWE go on with this craziness that allows people that have been eliminated to come back in and eliminate the remaining competitors?! What would stop Brock, under this rule, from coming back in when the match was down to say Goldberg vs Reigns and close-lining them both over the top rope at the same time. Who wins? It's just a crazy hole that makes no sense ... but I digress.
This feud has to have a blow-off match at the 'Grandest Stage of them All' but the question remains: who wins?
Goldberg has been contracted to appear in several PPVs it sounds and Lesnar is supposed to be WWE's "monster" so either of them losing wouldn't make sense. I would have to think Lesnar goes over as I can't imagine they'd have him lose 3 in a row to Goldberg and thus ruining the push that they'd been giving Lesnar for the last couple of years.
Match #2: Seth Rollins v HHH
With Rollins calling out Hunter week after week, this one seems like it is pretty much in the bag as well. Again, WWE could use the Rumble as a way to get this one started again as well by having HHH either be IN the Rumble and eliminate Rollins or come out and distract him long enough for another competitor to toss him out. Either way, I fully expect a HHH sighting soon and these two to put on a very solid match at 'Mania
Match #3: Kevin Owens vs Chris Jericho
This match makes me happy and sad all at the same time. Happy because it should be an absolutely great match with some strong tension and story telling in the ring. KO is one of the best in the business, when they let him be, on story telling and showing anger towards his opponent in the squared-circle. His "best friend turned enemy" story with Zayn in NxT was some of the best work I have seen from any superstar in recent years and I fully expect that level of awesomeness from Owens in this feud.
The sad part is, this likely means KO loses the Universal title along the way.
Unfortunately, at this point in his career, I can't imagine the WWE would put Y2J into a match for the main title for the flagship show. The only way I can see this being for a belt at all is if Jericho beats Reigns for the US belt and they end up fighting for that at WrestleMania, but I fully expect this to be a match that is purely based on the hatred they will end up having for each other.
Match #4: Bayley v Sasha Banks v Charlotte
This one comes with an * as there have been recent rumors of trading Sasha over to SmackDown, but at this time that has not happened so I will more forward with the current roster structure.
This could easily be a one on one match with Sasha being the odd lady out, but I think it would be much more entertaining as a triple threat. The problem is, it's the same triple threat as last time, only with Bayley taking Becky's spot -- so maybe they do lean more towards a 1 on 1 match instead.
Either way, this should be the crowning moment where Bayley wins the title and goes on her long reign as women's champion.
The crowd is fully behind her and it's clear they're pushing her in the same form they did Daniel Bryan, so this is the perfect spot to crown her as the face of the women's division.
Match #5: Bray Wyatt vs Randy Orton
They have already started the tension within this group so it is only a matter of time before the Viper turns on the Eater of Worlds. I would not be surprised to see, by the time 'Mania comes along, that Orton plays the heel while the Wyatt family is playing the face(s).
Orton is much better as a heel while the crowd is dying to get behind Wyatt and his brothers. It would only make sense for this break up to help lead them down this path.
On a side note, speaking of brothers, can we please get Bo Dallas into the Wyatt family? I love his in-ring work and he's being completely wasted at this point. I am sure the last thing he wants to do is to ride his brother's coat tails, but at least it would make him relevant for a while.
Ok, that's enough of the "this is what will likely happen" matches and move onto the "please let these happen" matches:
Match #6: American Alpha vs The Revival
These two teams are leaps and bounds the best "old school" tag-teams in the WWE right now. I fully believe The Revival has the ability to be what "The Club" was supposed to be. Heels that can come in and be that old-school heel that takes shortcuts to win, be smug but get the job done. Their catch phrase "No Flips, Just Fists" is incredible.
These two teams put on some spectacular matches in NxT and I think they're ready to do their dance on the big stage in front of the largest crowd the WWE sees, at WrestleMania.
Match #7: AJ Styles vs Fin Balor
I know, I know, Fin is on RAW and I said we were going with current roster structures, but this is my "please let this happen" part, so I'm hoping this make this work.
Fin, at this point, doesn't look to have a spot in the main event picture on RAW and, the be honest, if he's not feuding with KO or Rollins, I wouldn't want to waste him on that brand. The ONLY other person on the Raw roster I would like to see Fin feud with is Cesaro, but we see that they are having a hard time believing in pushing him to the top, so I want Fin to end up on Smackdown.
A dream match featuring the Demon vs the Phenomenal One would be a show stopping event. This is a match that could go down as one of the all-time great is done right and pulled off properly.
Match #8: John Cena vs Undertaker
The Undertaker will certainly have a spot on this card one way or another. One of the hot rumors is that he wins the Rumble and faces Reigns at 'Mania. That could be an absolute trainwreck.
At this point in his career, UT need someone that can carry him through a match and allow him to hit a spot or two, but more so making it a slug-fest that would be entertaining as well as someone that could carry him through a big spot or two.
Would you trust Reigns to do that?
Cena, though he never gets credit for it, is a pretty solid in-ring worker and can work up or down to his opponent. Knowing he's in the spotlight facing one of the all-time greatest in the business, I think Cena can certainly do his part to make this look like a competitive match without making UT look like a total stiff. There aren't many people in the business at this point that I would trust to work a match with UT and make it look good, Cena is on that short list.
Match #9: Sami Zayn vs Dean Ambrose
Dean is better as a heel and they need to get him back to being just that. This would be another match that would involve a trade, but they need to move Zayn at this point to help re-start his career. He is currently a punching bag for his bigger foes and it's quite frankly getting old.
Moving Zayn over to Smackdown and giving him a match with the Lunatic Fringe would be an exciting match that could give these guys a chance to steal the show with some of their high spots.
Match #10: New Day (c) vs The Club vs Enzo and Big Cass
They either need to break up the New Day and let Big E move onto the US title picture while X moves over to the 205 live brand, though that leaves Kofi fluttering in the wind. My other thought would be to turn them heel again and have them cheat to 'steal' the titles back and start completely dodging all real opponents or ducking out in matches. Maybe getting themselves DQ'd to keep the belts, getting counted out, random cheats, whatever it takes to get people to hate them again.
This would give the 3 "big" tag teams on RAW into a match and kind of hide some of the deficiencies that each of these teams have. Also, there are only so many slots on this card so we have to bundle some of these guys together.
Match #11: Cesaro vs Shemaus
If they're both still on RAW, one would think this would be the blow off match that would end their rivalry for good. Honestly, these are two guys I would put into a Money in the Bank match (with Cesaro winning) if they decide to go that route at this years' event.
Otherwise, if no MIB, I would have these two have a blow off match to end their interaction for good, never to be heard from again. It's time they go their separate ways and start Cesaro's push to the top.
Match #12: The Miz vs Bobby Roode
The Miz is easily the best worker WWE has on the mic right now. After re-capturing his title from Ambrose and then retaining it vs him several times, I can see Miz coming out week after week taunting Daniel Bryan about not having anyone on Smackdown that can beat him. Feed him guys like Tyler Breeze, Apollo Crews, Bo Dallas, Heath Slater, etc etc until finally Bryan comes out and says "well Miz, it looks like you've run over all of our Intercontinental contenders here on Smackdown ... so I had to to outside of the brand to find you a worthy competitor", and cue "Glorious" and have Roode come out to a verbal battle with the Miz. These two have very similar in-ring styles and could make for an entertaining feud both in and out of the ring.
Match #13: Rusev vs Baron Corbin
I know, we're getting to the point that there needs to be a lot of changes before this event, but so have you. Rusev is yet another guy that could use a change of scenery to help re-ignite a fire in him. Another great worker that is being wasted on silly gimmicks, moving him to Smackdown and letting him actually work would be great for his character.
Baron Corbin is being pushed as the "big dog" on Smackdown and someone eventually needs to step up and knock him down a peg. Pushing Rusev as a bit of a tweener face/heel to feud against Corbin would set up a hard hitting match between two guys who have styles that would work together quite well.
You may notice that I haven't put Reigns in any match just yet. Well, that's because I'm a dreamer. I know they can't raid the NxT brand for all of it's stars, but I think they're missing the boat by not promoting this next guy as I think he would be a global face that would absolutely be the biggest thing that's come to WWE in quite a lot time.
Match #14: Roman Reigns (c) vs Shinsuke Nakamura
What better way to get Nakamura over with the fans!? A surprise entrant into the Royal Rumble, Shinsuke works his way through the event and stands alone atop as the winner and gets his shot at the title at 'Mania.
Reigns will likely beat KO for the Universal title, so this would set up a hard hitting match between "the big dog" and the "King of strong style".
Over the next few months all we can hope for is that the WWE finally lets Roman start embracing the boos and working on a heel turn, culminating at Mania when Shinsuke beats him for the title and the crowd erupts.
This would give Roman the ability to come out the next night and give the fans a big "screw you for not supporting me" speech and going full fledged heel like everyone has been hoping for.
As for Shinsuke, this guy has it all. I am not sure I have been looking forward to a debut in the WWE as much as I have for this guy. If you don't know who he is you should google him and watch some of his NxT matches or New Japan matches on youtube. You'll see what I mean.
Man, there are a few guys and gals I left out of this, as I have no idea what they'll be doing with them. For example, Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss. Will that feud be going that long and, if not, who the heck is next in line for the Smackdown women's title? Nikki Bella again? Asuka should get her chance at some point, but again, will they be calling up all of the NxT talent with seemingly very little to replace them?
Will Samoa Joe get the call at some point? If so, where does he end up and who will he be facing?
Where does Braun Stroman fit into the plans? Would be be facing Reigns if they don't make any big call-ups for this event? I could see the WWE putting it's two big men in the ring against each other. I would not be shocked in the least if this happens.
What about Ziggler? Who will he be facing? He HAS to have a spot in the show as he's one of the best workers they have, but where does he fit?
Also, the 205 live division. I did not write about them, but could see them having a fatal 4 way or something, as there is a lot of talent in that division.
So many starts, so little time.
And no, I will not write about the Big Show v Shaq match, ever.
Since the Rumble hasn't happened yet, that makes figuring out the matches for 'Mania a little tricky, but that never stopped anyone from trying!
Match #1: Brock Lesnar v Goldberg
After Brock's embarrassing defeat at the Survivor Series and his disappearing act since, one has to think that he will somehow cost Goldberg at the Rumble thus re-igniting that spark. I am not sure if he eliminates him clean or, the more likely candidate, Goldberg tosses Lesnar over and Brock goes crazy and hops back into the ring and tosses Goldberg out.
That is a whole other point all together. How long will the WWE go on with this craziness that allows people that have been eliminated to come back in and eliminate the remaining competitors?! What would stop Brock, under this rule, from coming back in when the match was down to say Goldberg vs Reigns and close-lining them both over the top rope at the same time. Who wins? It's just a crazy hole that makes no sense ... but I digress.
This feud has to have a blow-off match at the 'Grandest Stage of them All' but the question remains: who wins?
Goldberg has been contracted to appear in several PPVs it sounds and Lesnar is supposed to be WWE's "monster" so either of them losing wouldn't make sense. I would have to think Lesnar goes over as I can't imagine they'd have him lose 3 in a row to Goldberg and thus ruining the push that they'd been giving Lesnar for the last couple of years.
Match #2: Seth Rollins v HHH
With Rollins calling out Hunter week after week, this one seems like it is pretty much in the bag as well. Again, WWE could use the Rumble as a way to get this one started again as well by having HHH either be IN the Rumble and eliminate Rollins or come out and distract him long enough for another competitor to toss him out. Either way, I fully expect a HHH sighting soon and these two to put on a very solid match at 'Mania
Match #3: Kevin Owens vs Chris Jericho
This match makes me happy and sad all at the same time. Happy because it should be an absolutely great match with some strong tension and story telling in the ring. KO is one of the best in the business, when they let him be, on story telling and showing anger towards his opponent in the squared-circle. His "best friend turned enemy" story with Zayn in NxT was some of the best work I have seen from any superstar in recent years and I fully expect that level of awesomeness from Owens in this feud.
The sad part is, this likely means KO loses the Universal title along the way.
Unfortunately, at this point in his career, I can't imagine the WWE would put Y2J into a match for the main title for the flagship show. The only way I can see this being for a belt at all is if Jericho beats Reigns for the US belt and they end up fighting for that at WrestleMania, but I fully expect this to be a match that is purely based on the hatred they will end up having for each other.
Match #4: Bayley v Sasha Banks v Charlotte
This one comes with an * as there have been recent rumors of trading Sasha over to SmackDown, but at this time that has not happened so I will more forward with the current roster structure.
This could easily be a one on one match with Sasha being the odd lady out, but I think it would be much more entertaining as a triple threat. The problem is, it's the same triple threat as last time, only with Bayley taking Becky's spot -- so maybe they do lean more towards a 1 on 1 match instead.
Either way, this should be the crowning moment where Bayley wins the title and goes on her long reign as women's champion.
The crowd is fully behind her and it's clear they're pushing her in the same form they did Daniel Bryan, so this is the perfect spot to crown her as the face of the women's division.
Match #5: Bray Wyatt vs Randy Orton
They have already started the tension within this group so it is only a matter of time before the Viper turns on the Eater of Worlds. I would not be surprised to see, by the time 'Mania comes along, that Orton plays the heel while the Wyatt family is playing the face(s).
Orton is much better as a heel while the crowd is dying to get behind Wyatt and his brothers. It would only make sense for this break up to help lead them down this path.
On a side note, speaking of brothers, can we please get Bo Dallas into the Wyatt family? I love his in-ring work and he's being completely wasted at this point. I am sure the last thing he wants to do is to ride his brother's coat tails, but at least it would make him relevant for a while.
Ok, that's enough of the "this is what will likely happen" matches and move onto the "please let these happen" matches:
Match #6: American Alpha vs The Revival
These two teams are leaps and bounds the best "old school" tag-teams in the WWE right now. I fully believe The Revival has the ability to be what "The Club" was supposed to be. Heels that can come in and be that old-school heel that takes shortcuts to win, be smug but get the job done. Their catch phrase "No Flips, Just Fists" is incredible.
These two teams put on some spectacular matches in NxT and I think they're ready to do their dance on the big stage in front of the largest crowd the WWE sees, at WrestleMania.
Match #7: AJ Styles vs Fin Balor
I know, I know, Fin is on RAW and I said we were going with current roster structures, but this is my "please let this happen" part, so I'm hoping this make this work.
Fin, at this point, doesn't look to have a spot in the main event picture on RAW and, the be honest, if he's not feuding with KO or Rollins, I wouldn't want to waste him on that brand. The ONLY other person on the Raw roster I would like to see Fin feud with is Cesaro, but we see that they are having a hard time believing in pushing him to the top, so I want Fin to end up on Smackdown.
A dream match featuring the Demon vs the Phenomenal One would be a show stopping event. This is a match that could go down as one of the all-time great is done right and pulled off properly.
Match #8: John Cena vs Undertaker
The Undertaker will certainly have a spot on this card one way or another. One of the hot rumors is that he wins the Rumble and faces Reigns at 'Mania. That could be an absolute trainwreck.
At this point in his career, UT need someone that can carry him through a match and allow him to hit a spot or two, but more so making it a slug-fest that would be entertaining as well as someone that could carry him through a big spot or two.
Would you trust Reigns to do that?
Cena, though he never gets credit for it, is a pretty solid in-ring worker and can work up or down to his opponent. Knowing he's in the spotlight facing one of the all-time greatest in the business, I think Cena can certainly do his part to make this look like a competitive match without making UT look like a total stiff. There aren't many people in the business at this point that I would trust to work a match with UT and make it look good, Cena is on that short list.
Match #9: Sami Zayn vs Dean Ambrose
Dean is better as a heel and they need to get him back to being just that. This would be another match that would involve a trade, but they need to move Zayn at this point to help re-start his career. He is currently a punching bag for his bigger foes and it's quite frankly getting old.
Moving Zayn over to Smackdown and giving him a match with the Lunatic Fringe would be an exciting match that could give these guys a chance to steal the show with some of their high spots.
Match #10: New Day (c) vs The Club vs Enzo and Big Cass
They either need to break up the New Day and let Big E move onto the US title picture while X moves over to the 205 live brand, though that leaves Kofi fluttering in the wind. My other thought would be to turn them heel again and have them cheat to 'steal' the titles back and start completely dodging all real opponents or ducking out in matches. Maybe getting themselves DQ'd to keep the belts, getting counted out, random cheats, whatever it takes to get people to hate them again.
This would give the 3 "big" tag teams on RAW into a match and kind of hide some of the deficiencies that each of these teams have. Also, there are only so many slots on this card so we have to bundle some of these guys together.
Match #11: Cesaro vs Shemaus
If they're both still on RAW, one would think this would be the blow off match that would end their rivalry for good. Honestly, these are two guys I would put into a Money in the Bank match (with Cesaro winning) if they decide to go that route at this years' event.
Otherwise, if no MIB, I would have these two have a blow off match to end their interaction for good, never to be heard from again. It's time they go their separate ways and start Cesaro's push to the top.
Match #12: The Miz vs Bobby Roode
The Miz is easily the best worker WWE has on the mic right now. After re-capturing his title from Ambrose and then retaining it vs him several times, I can see Miz coming out week after week taunting Daniel Bryan about not having anyone on Smackdown that can beat him. Feed him guys like Tyler Breeze, Apollo Crews, Bo Dallas, Heath Slater, etc etc until finally Bryan comes out and says "well Miz, it looks like you've run over all of our Intercontinental contenders here on Smackdown ... so I had to to outside of the brand to find you a worthy competitor", and cue "Glorious" and have Roode come out to a verbal battle with the Miz. These two have very similar in-ring styles and could make for an entertaining feud both in and out of the ring.
Match #13: Rusev vs Baron Corbin
I know, we're getting to the point that there needs to be a lot of changes before this event, but so have you. Rusev is yet another guy that could use a change of scenery to help re-ignite a fire in him. Another great worker that is being wasted on silly gimmicks, moving him to Smackdown and letting him actually work would be great for his character.
Baron Corbin is being pushed as the "big dog" on Smackdown and someone eventually needs to step up and knock him down a peg. Pushing Rusev as a bit of a tweener face/heel to feud against Corbin would set up a hard hitting match between two guys who have styles that would work together quite well.
You may notice that I haven't put Reigns in any match just yet. Well, that's because I'm a dreamer. I know they can't raid the NxT brand for all of it's stars, but I think they're missing the boat by not promoting this next guy as I think he would be a global face that would absolutely be the biggest thing that's come to WWE in quite a lot time.
Match #14: Roman Reigns (c) vs Shinsuke Nakamura
What better way to get Nakamura over with the fans!? A surprise entrant into the Royal Rumble, Shinsuke works his way through the event and stands alone atop as the winner and gets his shot at the title at 'Mania.
Reigns will likely beat KO for the Universal title, so this would set up a hard hitting match between "the big dog" and the "King of strong style".
Over the next few months all we can hope for is that the WWE finally lets Roman start embracing the boos and working on a heel turn, culminating at Mania when Shinsuke beats him for the title and the crowd erupts.
This would give Roman the ability to come out the next night and give the fans a big "screw you for not supporting me" speech and going full fledged heel like everyone has been hoping for.
As for Shinsuke, this guy has it all. I am not sure I have been looking forward to a debut in the WWE as much as I have for this guy. If you don't know who he is you should google him and watch some of his NxT matches or New Japan matches on youtube. You'll see what I mean.
Man, there are a few guys and gals I left out of this, as I have no idea what they'll be doing with them. For example, Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss. Will that feud be going that long and, if not, who the heck is next in line for the Smackdown women's title? Nikki Bella again? Asuka should get her chance at some point, but again, will they be calling up all of the NxT talent with seemingly very little to replace them?
Will Samoa Joe get the call at some point? If so, where does he end up and who will he be facing?
Where does Braun Stroman fit into the plans? Would be be facing Reigns if they don't make any big call-ups for this event? I could see the WWE putting it's two big men in the ring against each other. I would not be shocked in the least if this happens.
What about Ziggler? Who will he be facing? He HAS to have a spot in the show as he's one of the best workers they have, but where does he fit?
Also, the 205 live division. I did not write about them, but could see them having a fatal 4 way or something, as there is a lot of talent in that division.
So many starts, so little time.
And no, I will not write about the Big Show v Shaq match, ever.
Sunday, January 8, 2017
Sunday's are made for DFS, right?
I had not planned on playing any NBA DFS today as I thought my afternoon would be dedicated to watching the NFL playoffs and, unfortunately, I did not get in any of the big contests for that before lock as church ran over a bit this morning.
Well, as I sat there watching football I thought, "ah, I can keep an eye on the game and lock in some rosters for basketball tonight". I popped open Draft Kings and saw that the games did not start until 8pm ET this evening so I reserved spots in 10 50/50's, a couple H2H games and a few spots in the $4 $250k Four Point Play tournament.
With only four games on the slate it made things a little trickier when it came to finding value, as I (like everyone else probably) just wanted to load up on the Cavs big 3 or the Warriors big 4.
Here is the direction I ended up going on most of my teams:
PG: Eric Bledsoe - PHO - $6,900: His price was just way too cheap. Bledsoe was one of 3 players I locked into every lineup today. Facing the defense of Kyrie Irving, I felt Bledsoe's basement was a safe 25-30 and his ceiling was 55-60. For under $7k, he was clearly worth selecting to anchor my teams.
SG: Devin Booker - PHO - $6,200: This is the one of the two positions that I had the most difficulties figuring out. I wanted to potentially punt this one and take Brandon Knight at $3,900, which I did in a few lineups, but decided to go with Booker on my main tournament rosters. Another guy that flashes a high ceiling when his shot is falling and playing in what should be a pretty up and down game, I decided to roll the dice with Devin and see how the chips fell.
SF: Rudy Gay - Kings - $6,100: As I mentioned in a previous write-up, I will be locking Gay into my lineups until he's over $7,000 and then I will at least have to think about it. When healthy, he is going to put up solid numbers night after night and he appears to be in pretty good shape at this time. I have locked him into all of my lineups tonight and, hopefully, this won't backfire.
PF: Julius Randle - Lakers - $7,000: This is one I went back and forth on for quite a while. I really wanted Love in this spot, as I fully expected him to have a big game tonight, but I have to save some money every chance I get. Randle has been playing some very good basketball lately and is another guy that has a pretty safe basement of 20-25 but has flashed the ability to put up 50 on any given night. Playing an Orlando team that has seemingly picked up the pace lately, I liked Randle's spot again this evening.
C: Tyson Chandler - PHO - $4,900: Chandler has been quietly putting up some great numbers lately at a very reasonable cost. I had a hard time deciding between Tyson and the guy he was lined up against tonight, Tristan Thompson. Again, saving a little here in there became quite important, so I elected to go with Chandler tonight.
G: Kyrie Irving - Cavs - $8,200: This PG matchup was just too good to ignore. Two of the best scoring PGs in the game facing off against each other, neither of which overly caring much about defense, is a fantasy player's dream. Kyrie's price made this one a little hard to fit, but I had my mind made up that I wanted both sides of the ball on this one. The savings that I picked up in taking Randle instead of Love helped me fit Kyrie into this spot.
F: Evan Fournier - Magic - $6,300: This may just be some favoritism, but I always like playing Evan when he's going to be in an up tempo game as he tends to produce solid numbers across the board. He will find many different ways to pick up fantasy points and he fit the roster I was putting together tonight. I likely could have gone cheaper here and bolstered my UTL slot, but I wanted a piece of the Magic team in tonight's game and Evan was the person I ended up landing on.
UTL: Ty Lawson - Kings - $4,200: Since coming back from injury Lawson has been performing well. Now, that being said, had I seen he wasn't starting tonight I likely would have swayed away from this pick, but I found out that info after roster lock. Whoops. On the other hand, he has played some great ball backing up Collison at the PG slot and I needed a cheap player to fill out my team and I loved the way the rest of it came together, so he was certainly worth the gamble. I mean, you have to gamble in a few spots to take down a GPP, right?!
Well, as I sat there watching football I thought, "ah, I can keep an eye on the game and lock in some rosters for basketball tonight". I popped open Draft Kings and saw that the games did not start until 8pm ET this evening so I reserved spots in 10 50/50's, a couple H2H games and a few spots in the $4 $250k Four Point Play tournament.
With only four games on the slate it made things a little trickier when it came to finding value, as I (like everyone else probably) just wanted to load up on the Cavs big 3 or the Warriors big 4.
Here is the direction I ended up going on most of my teams:
PG: Eric Bledsoe - PHO - $6,900: His price was just way too cheap. Bledsoe was one of 3 players I locked into every lineup today. Facing the defense of Kyrie Irving, I felt Bledsoe's basement was a safe 25-30 and his ceiling was 55-60. For under $7k, he was clearly worth selecting to anchor my teams.
SG: Devin Booker - PHO - $6,200: This is the one of the two positions that I had the most difficulties figuring out. I wanted to potentially punt this one and take Brandon Knight at $3,900, which I did in a few lineups, but decided to go with Booker on my main tournament rosters. Another guy that flashes a high ceiling when his shot is falling and playing in what should be a pretty up and down game, I decided to roll the dice with Devin and see how the chips fell.
SF: Rudy Gay - Kings - $6,100: As I mentioned in a previous write-up, I will be locking Gay into my lineups until he's over $7,000 and then I will at least have to think about it. When healthy, he is going to put up solid numbers night after night and he appears to be in pretty good shape at this time. I have locked him into all of my lineups tonight and, hopefully, this won't backfire.
PF: Julius Randle - Lakers - $7,000: This is one I went back and forth on for quite a while. I really wanted Love in this spot, as I fully expected him to have a big game tonight, but I have to save some money every chance I get. Randle has been playing some very good basketball lately and is another guy that has a pretty safe basement of 20-25 but has flashed the ability to put up 50 on any given night. Playing an Orlando team that has seemingly picked up the pace lately, I liked Randle's spot again this evening.
C: Tyson Chandler - PHO - $4,900: Chandler has been quietly putting up some great numbers lately at a very reasonable cost. I had a hard time deciding between Tyson and the guy he was lined up against tonight, Tristan Thompson. Again, saving a little here in there became quite important, so I elected to go with Chandler tonight.
G: Kyrie Irving - Cavs - $8,200: This PG matchup was just too good to ignore. Two of the best scoring PGs in the game facing off against each other, neither of which overly caring much about defense, is a fantasy player's dream. Kyrie's price made this one a little hard to fit, but I had my mind made up that I wanted both sides of the ball on this one. The savings that I picked up in taking Randle instead of Love helped me fit Kyrie into this spot.
F: Evan Fournier - Magic - $6,300: This may just be some favoritism, but I always like playing Evan when he's going to be in an up tempo game as he tends to produce solid numbers across the board. He will find many different ways to pick up fantasy points and he fit the roster I was putting together tonight. I likely could have gone cheaper here and bolstered my UTL slot, but I wanted a piece of the Magic team in tonight's game and Evan was the person I ended up landing on.
UTL: Ty Lawson - Kings - $4,200: Since coming back from injury Lawson has been performing well. Now, that being said, had I seen he wasn't starting tonight I likely would have swayed away from this pick, but I found out that info after roster lock. Whoops. On the other hand, he has played some great ball backing up Collison at the PG slot and I needed a cheap player to fill out my team and I loved the way the rest of it came together, so he was certainly worth the gamble. I mean, you have to gamble in a few spots to take down a GPP, right?!
Friday, January 6, 2017
Changes ended up as another night of bubbling
So many changes as the injury reports rolled in tonight. Here is the lineup I ended up going with:
PG: Tyler Johnson - Miami - $5,800: This was the last guy in my lineup and he was plugged in because he was the best available with the cash I had left, in my mind. With everyone back for Miami this pick made me nervous, but I thought people would still be on Josh Richardson and I have liked Tyler coming off the bench and backing up Dragic. The amazing thing is, Dragic got tossed in the 3rd quarter, setting up Johnson for a massive end to the game ... only it didn't work out that way. He finished with 23.75 which was extremely disappointing.
SG: Eric Gordon - Houston - $5,800: Gordon has been playing very good basketball recently and this game had a very high o/u. I had a couple Harden-less stacks of this game and Gordon was one of the first people in my lineup each time. With the 3 point bonus on Draft Kings I will be playing Gordon until his salary gets higher. Tonight he went for 30.25 which wasn't great, but still a tad over 5x
SF: Rudy Gay - Kings - $6,000: Once I got word that he was officially starting I fired him into all of my lineups at that price. Facing a banged up Clippers team I felt this price was a steal for a very solid DFS SF. Obviously there were concerns about him coming off injury, but in GPPS, that was a risk I was willing to take. He ended up with just 28.75 points, falling just short of 5x, but I will take him every night if he stays at that price.
PF: Ersan Ilyasova - Sixers - $6,000: Like I mentioned earlier, I may ride this wave until it crashes. Ersan has been crushing value lately and, in turn, his price continues to head up. He may be reaching a level that makes it hard for me to fit him into my lineups, but for now, he's going to be in all of mine. He ended up getting 36 points tonight for an even 6x on his salary.
C: Greg Monroe - Bucks - $5,800: Basically you can read the above description and just plug in Greg's name. This game was a stud when with the Pistons and it looks like the Bucks have figured that out. I am fearful that he is going to have a 6 pt 8 minute game soon, but I will continue tossing him in my roster as long as he's in the $6k range. Tonight Greg put up 39.25 on DK giving us almost 7x on his salary tonight. Perfect!
G: Isiah Thomas - Celtics - $8,300: Facing a Sixers team that isn't exactly known for their defense and matching up with TJ McConnell, I thought Thomas was a lock for 50+ FPP tonight. Unfortunately that did not happen... not even close. It a very disappointing outing Thomas only gave us 31 tonight. Under 4x for my high dollar guy will never be acceptable.
F: James Johnson - Heat - $5,700: Man do I love this guy's game. Any time a guy can reach value without relying on scoring, he'll have a spot on my team. I thought this was a perfect spot for a massive game from JJ. If I had to do it all over again, I would start him again. I had 80% exposure to him tonight and that came back to sting me a little bit. He ended up with a decent 34.25 FPP night, which was fine for his salary, but I had such high hopes..
UTL: Mike Conley - Grizzlies - $6,600: Until his salary goes up, he's going to be a lock for me every night. One of my favorite players in the league, Conley's price is just too cheap at the moment. You always have to keep an eye out to ensure he's playing, as they like to make sure he stays healthy and give him days off, but if he's starting I will be playing him. Tonight he had a spectacular game both in DFS and real life. Making clutch plays to get the Grizz back into the game and hitting a huge shot at the end of regulation and another in OT Conley ended up giving us 54 FPPs tonight and helped get me over the cashing bubble.
I played several teams tonight and got crushed by having way too much exposure to Jae Crowder in my cash games as he only gave me 14.5 points and essentially taking me out of any chance of making money all by himself.
On the flip side, in retrospect, I had too little exposure to Willie Reed. I have played him pretty much every game since Whiteside has gone out and, other than his dud vs Cousins where I had a super low % of him, he was been great. Tonight I only had him a couple times and he crushed with 47 FPPs on a $4,200 salary. Incredible night for Willie!
I attempted to fade the high dollar guys as IT2 was my highest single player and he burned me. Overall the slate could've gone worse and I have to keep learning and figure out how to get to the next level.
Onto tomorrow.
PG: Tyler Johnson - Miami - $5,800: This was the last guy in my lineup and he was plugged in because he was the best available with the cash I had left, in my mind. With everyone back for Miami this pick made me nervous, but I thought people would still be on Josh Richardson and I have liked Tyler coming off the bench and backing up Dragic. The amazing thing is, Dragic got tossed in the 3rd quarter, setting up Johnson for a massive end to the game ... only it didn't work out that way. He finished with 23.75 which was extremely disappointing.
SG: Eric Gordon - Houston - $5,800: Gordon has been playing very good basketball recently and this game had a very high o/u. I had a couple Harden-less stacks of this game and Gordon was one of the first people in my lineup each time. With the 3 point bonus on Draft Kings I will be playing Gordon until his salary gets higher. Tonight he went for 30.25 which wasn't great, but still a tad over 5x
SF: Rudy Gay - Kings - $6,000: Once I got word that he was officially starting I fired him into all of my lineups at that price. Facing a banged up Clippers team I felt this price was a steal for a very solid DFS SF. Obviously there were concerns about him coming off injury, but in GPPS, that was a risk I was willing to take. He ended up with just 28.75 points, falling just short of 5x, but I will take him every night if he stays at that price.
PF: Ersan Ilyasova - Sixers - $6,000: Like I mentioned earlier, I may ride this wave until it crashes. Ersan has been crushing value lately and, in turn, his price continues to head up. He may be reaching a level that makes it hard for me to fit him into my lineups, but for now, he's going to be in all of mine. He ended up getting 36 points tonight for an even 6x on his salary.
C: Greg Monroe - Bucks - $5,800: Basically you can read the above description and just plug in Greg's name. This game was a stud when with the Pistons and it looks like the Bucks have figured that out. I am fearful that he is going to have a 6 pt 8 minute game soon, but I will continue tossing him in my roster as long as he's in the $6k range. Tonight Greg put up 39.25 on DK giving us almost 7x on his salary tonight. Perfect!
G: Isiah Thomas - Celtics - $8,300: Facing a Sixers team that isn't exactly known for their defense and matching up with TJ McConnell, I thought Thomas was a lock for 50+ FPP tonight. Unfortunately that did not happen... not even close. It a very disappointing outing Thomas only gave us 31 tonight. Under 4x for my high dollar guy will never be acceptable.
F: James Johnson - Heat - $5,700: Man do I love this guy's game. Any time a guy can reach value without relying on scoring, he'll have a spot on my team. I thought this was a perfect spot for a massive game from JJ. If I had to do it all over again, I would start him again. I had 80% exposure to him tonight and that came back to sting me a little bit. He ended up with a decent 34.25 FPP night, which was fine for his salary, but I had such high hopes..
UTL: Mike Conley - Grizzlies - $6,600: Until his salary goes up, he's going to be a lock for me every night. One of my favorite players in the league, Conley's price is just too cheap at the moment. You always have to keep an eye out to ensure he's playing, as they like to make sure he stays healthy and give him days off, but if he's starting I will be playing him. Tonight he had a spectacular game both in DFS and real life. Making clutch plays to get the Grizz back into the game and hitting a huge shot at the end of regulation and another in OT Conley ended up giving us 54 FPPs tonight and helped get me over the cashing bubble.
I played several teams tonight and got crushed by having way too much exposure to Jae Crowder in my cash games as he only gave me 14.5 points and essentially taking me out of any chance of making money all by himself.
On the flip side, in retrospect, I had too little exposure to Willie Reed. I have played him pretty much every game since Whiteside has gone out and, other than his dud vs Cousins where I had a super low % of him, he was been great. Tonight I only had him a couple times and he crushed with 47 FPPs on a $4,200 salary. Incredible night for Willie!
I attempted to fade the high dollar guys as IT2 was my highest single player and he burned me. Overall the slate could've gone worse and I have to keep learning and figure out how to get to the next level.
Onto tomorrow.
Friday 1/6/2016 NBA DFS Early picks
Well, another afternoon of really needing more information before giving any real selections. There are a lot of players I like tonight but so much depends on the health of the Cavs players as well as Klay Thompson, who was a lock and load guy before his questionable tag this afternoon.
Rather than giving you a lineup, since I don't have one yet, I'll just give you some guys I like tonight:
PG: Isiah Thomas - Celtics - $8,300: Thomas has been one of the highest producing fantasy sports players terms of point per dollar and I don't look for him to slow down tonight. If Embiid misses tonight there really will not be any defensive presence in the middle to slow down IT2's drives and I look for him to have a big game tonight. The only worry I have is a blowout and him not getting much run in the 4th Q
SG: Sean Kilpatrick - Nets - $5,300: There are a few factors that could change this one. Who starts for Cleveland? Will Kilpatrick start or come off the bench? If he comes off the bench, and 1 or 2 of the big three sit tonight, I love this pick. This is easily the one that could change as the night goes on and more value appears, so keep an eye on injury reports and starting lineups.
PF: Ersan Ilyasova - Sixers - $6,000: His price keeps going up but, if Embiid is out, I think Ersan is in another good position here to crush value. He has been a plug and play for a week or so now and you can fully expect somewhere in the 30 point FPP range each time he takes the court. If Embiid is out Ersan will be on every team I field tonight.
C: Jahlil Okafor - Sixers - $4,400: Again, this one is based on if Embiid plays or sits. If he is out Okafor's usage increases and makes him worth owning. He isn't flashy and you will likely have to watch the game log with your hands over your eyes as it won't be pretty but he certainly has a chance of crushing value tonight.
C: Montrezl Harrell - Rockets - $5,500: Nene played last night so this pick is simply based on the fact that Harrell's minutes should be large and secure tonight. He is a 20-25 pt guy on a normal night and I think he has a legit chance of reaching 35+ with minutes tonight vs Orlando. If he gets the minutes and can out rebound Bioymbo, look for Harrell to have a big night.
SF: James Johnson - Heat - $5,700: Another player that will be in a huge portion of my lineups tonight. Johnson was showing flashes of greatness before missing some time last week but is now back and ready to be unleashed. He only played 25 minutes in his last game and still put up 36 FPPs. Look for his minutes to increase tonight and giving him the chance for a big game.
PG: Goran Dragic - Heat - $7,400: Guards tend to dominate vs the Lakers and Dragic is in prime position to do the same tonight. The Lakers had a hard fought games against the Blazers last night and Goran could absolutely take advantage of them being a step slower. I actually love a stack in this game and will probably have a lot of players from here.
Rather than giving you a lineup, since I don't have one yet, I'll just give you some guys I like tonight:
PG: Isiah Thomas - Celtics - $8,300: Thomas has been one of the highest producing fantasy sports players terms of point per dollar and I don't look for him to slow down tonight. If Embiid misses tonight there really will not be any defensive presence in the middle to slow down IT2's drives and I look for him to have a big game tonight. The only worry I have is a blowout and him not getting much run in the 4th Q
SG: Sean Kilpatrick - Nets - $5,300: There are a few factors that could change this one. Who starts for Cleveland? Will Kilpatrick start or come off the bench? If he comes off the bench, and 1 or 2 of the big three sit tonight, I love this pick. This is easily the one that could change as the night goes on and more value appears, so keep an eye on injury reports and starting lineups.
PF: Ersan Ilyasova - Sixers - $6,000: His price keeps going up but, if Embiid is out, I think Ersan is in another good position here to crush value. He has been a plug and play for a week or so now and you can fully expect somewhere in the 30 point FPP range each time he takes the court. If Embiid is out Ersan will be on every team I field tonight.
C: Jahlil Okafor - Sixers - $4,400: Again, this one is based on if Embiid plays or sits. If he is out Okafor's usage increases and makes him worth owning. He isn't flashy and you will likely have to watch the game log with your hands over your eyes as it won't be pretty but he certainly has a chance of crushing value tonight.
C: Montrezl Harrell - Rockets - $5,500: Nene played last night so this pick is simply based on the fact that Harrell's minutes should be large and secure tonight. He is a 20-25 pt guy on a normal night and I think he has a legit chance of reaching 35+ with minutes tonight vs Orlando. If he gets the minutes and can out rebound Bioymbo, look for Harrell to have a big night.
SF: James Johnson - Heat - $5,700: Another player that will be in a huge portion of my lineups tonight. Johnson was showing flashes of greatness before missing some time last week but is now back and ready to be unleashed. He only played 25 minutes in his last game and still put up 36 FPPs. Look for his minutes to increase tonight and giving him the chance for a big game.
PG: Goran Dragic - Heat - $7,400: Guards tend to dominate vs the Lakers and Dragic is in prime position to do the same tonight. The Lakers had a hard fought games against the Blazers last night and Goran could absolutely take advantage of them being a step slower. I actually love a stack in this game and will probably have a lot of players from here.
Thursday, January 5, 2017
Thursday - January 5th - NBA DFS Early day picks
Well another day goes by and another fringe casher for my team. Nothing really exciting but at least we had some fun games to watch last night on ESPN. Hopefully there is more of the same tonight.
Here is my current 'skeleton' lineup that, as always, is subject to change depending on any late scratches and value that may open up before roster lock:
PG - D'Angelo Russell - Lakers - $6,000: The Lakers are intriguing to me tonight. The Trailblazers are on the second game of a B2B after a hard fought game against the Warriors last night. It's spots like this where I like to target athletic guys that may be able to take advantage of a team that may be just a step slower. Combining that with the fact that this game should be pretty high scoring and Russell's play has been much improved lately and I think he finds himself in a great spot tonight.
SG - Wes Matthews - Mavericks - $5.600: The Suns play at such a fast pace that the Mavericks will either have to keep up or they run the risk of getting blown out of the gym. Matthews has been quite consistent and very safe in terms of value as he makes sure he gets his shots up each game. In a pace up game where there should be plenty of opportunities to score, I like Matthews at this price to reach value and quite possibly reach 6 to 7x tonight.
SF - Tobias Harris - Pistons - $6,100: Harris has been quite a solid plug and play most of the year, but the move to the bench has done nothing but increase his value. An essential lock for 5x value, Harris is someone I love in cash games and will likely take a stab at in a few tournaments here and there.
PF - Trevor Booker - Nets - $5,600: Booker has slowly started to creep back up on the radar recently with decent play before exploding for 40+ FPP in his last game. Tonight he faces a Pacers team that likes to jack up shots but isn't the best rebounding team in the world. I like him to get the double-double bonus tonight on DK and easily reach 5x on his salary.
C - Andre Drummond - Pistons - $7,800: Another guy that I see getting to 5x pretty easily but with the update of getting 7 or 8x if things play out properly. Big men tend to dominate the Hornets front court and Drummond has been playing great lately. Factor in that Baynes is likely out again tonight, which would mean more minutes for Drummond, and he's one of my favorite plays on the slate again tonight.
G - Victor Oladipo - Thunder - $6,000: Victor's price continues to rise as he proves that he is healthy and back to the form that earned him the contract with OKC. Playing in a game tonight that will be very high scoring and Victor should have no problem reaching 5x or more tonight and, in my own perfect world, could put up his highest point total of the season.
F- Ryan Anderson - Rockets - $5,600: With an o/u of 225, this is a game that a lot of people will likely be looking to stack tonight. Ryan Anderson gives us a cheaper piece that is always in play in tournaments but, to me, is a solid cash game option tonight on DK. With the bonus you receive for 3 pointers on DK, Anderson is always in play - but when his team is projected to score 116 points in a competitive game, he will certainly be in a few of my lineups tonight.
UTL - Jrue Holiday - Pelicans - $7.200: News just coming across that Tyreke Evans is questionable tonight means I will move Holiday into my tentative lineup. I had been debating between Holiday, Gobert and Jokic, but if Evans sits that means more shots for Jrue and potential to put up another solid game. A solid double/double threat, Jrue has put up 40 in the last two games and I fully expect him to do the same again tonight.
Here is my current 'skeleton' lineup that, as always, is subject to change depending on any late scratches and value that may open up before roster lock:
PG - D'Angelo Russell - Lakers - $6,000: The Lakers are intriguing to me tonight. The Trailblazers are on the second game of a B2B after a hard fought game against the Warriors last night. It's spots like this where I like to target athletic guys that may be able to take advantage of a team that may be just a step slower. Combining that with the fact that this game should be pretty high scoring and Russell's play has been much improved lately and I think he finds himself in a great spot tonight.
SG - Wes Matthews - Mavericks - $5.600: The Suns play at such a fast pace that the Mavericks will either have to keep up or they run the risk of getting blown out of the gym. Matthews has been quite consistent and very safe in terms of value as he makes sure he gets his shots up each game. In a pace up game where there should be plenty of opportunities to score, I like Matthews at this price to reach value and quite possibly reach 6 to 7x tonight.
SF - Tobias Harris - Pistons - $6,100: Harris has been quite a solid plug and play most of the year, but the move to the bench has done nothing but increase his value. An essential lock for 5x value, Harris is someone I love in cash games and will likely take a stab at in a few tournaments here and there.
PF - Trevor Booker - Nets - $5,600: Booker has slowly started to creep back up on the radar recently with decent play before exploding for 40+ FPP in his last game. Tonight he faces a Pacers team that likes to jack up shots but isn't the best rebounding team in the world. I like him to get the double-double bonus tonight on DK and easily reach 5x on his salary.
C - Andre Drummond - Pistons - $7,800: Another guy that I see getting to 5x pretty easily but with the update of getting 7 or 8x if things play out properly. Big men tend to dominate the Hornets front court and Drummond has been playing great lately. Factor in that Baynes is likely out again tonight, which would mean more minutes for Drummond, and he's one of my favorite plays on the slate again tonight.
G - Victor Oladipo - Thunder - $6,000: Victor's price continues to rise as he proves that he is healthy and back to the form that earned him the contract with OKC. Playing in a game tonight that will be very high scoring and Victor should have no problem reaching 5x or more tonight and, in my own perfect world, could put up his highest point total of the season.
F- Ryan Anderson - Rockets - $5,600: With an o/u of 225, this is a game that a lot of people will likely be looking to stack tonight. Ryan Anderson gives us a cheaper piece that is always in play in tournaments but, to me, is a solid cash game option tonight on DK. With the bonus you receive for 3 pointers on DK, Anderson is always in play - but when his team is projected to score 116 points in a competitive game, he will certainly be in a few of my lineups tonight.
UTL - Jrue Holiday - Pelicans - $7.200: News just coming across that Tyreke Evans is questionable tonight means I will move Holiday into my tentative lineup. I had been debating between Holiday, Gobert and Jokic, but if Evans sits that means more shots for Jrue and potential to put up another solid game. A solid double/double threat, Jrue has put up 40 in the last two games and I fully expect him to do the same again tonight.
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Wednesday January 4th 2017 NBA DFS early picks
After some late changes to my rosters last night it ended up being a little bit of a profit on the evening with TJ Warren doing everything in his power to prevent it.
What a roller-coaster he has been the last several games.
Oh well, onward and upward.
Tonight's slate has some intriguing spots but, as usual, we are waiting on quite a bit of injury news before locking on a roster.
The biggest question of the night is, clearly, the Cleveland Cavaliers and their disease ridden team. With all of the Big 3 in doubt, their roster is wide open for value or could just be a flat disaster.
Either way, here is my early 'skeleton' lineup:
PG: Michael Carter-Williams - CHI - $4,500 --There are few things in play here. One, Dwayne Wade is questionable at this time and that, along with the Cavs news we are waiting on, could put MCW into a great spot. Without Wade there will be more shots to go around thus giving MCW a chance to chuck up a few more and, potentially, rebound his own bricks. If the Cavs run out a ghost squad tonight the Bulls may, in turn, rest Wade and limit Butler to get them some rest and if that ends up happening it will open a plethora of minutes and opportunity for MCW at a very reasonable price.
SG: JJ Redick - LAC - $5,000 - As Nick Young showed us last night, Memphis is not good at containing the SG position and allows a high number of open 3's. If you're going to give someone in the league the chance to hit an open 3 all night, I'm taking Redick all day long. Granted, this is a scary pick that will only be used in my GPPs tonight, but with Memphis on the second game of a B2B and the Clips with a day of rest, I like JJ to put up a high rate of shots tonight.
SF: Nicolas Batum - CHA - $8,000 - You may notice a trend of getting Batum into my lineups when CHA plays at home. This "do-it-all" SF continues to impress with his box-score filling abilities and gets a OKC team tonight that, lets face it, doesn't exactly strive on the defensive end of the ball. I like Batum tonight to get close to 50 FPPs and putting us in a nice spot in our tournaments this evening.
PF: Channing Frye - CLE - $3,600 - Need I say the obvious here? This is clearly pending the news from CLE. If LeBron and Love happen to sit and Frye gets a start, he's a must play in my opinion. When Frye gets a chance to play, he produces in the fantasy world, especially on Draft Kings where there is the 3 point bonus. If the news comes out that the big 3, or maybe even 2 of the big 3 are playing I will re-visit this pick. Keep your eyes peeled on if he is starting.
C: Greg Monroe - MIL - $4,800 - Monroe is flashing the ability that he showed once in Detroit that lead to getting himself paid! With 30 or more fantasy points on DK in 6 of his last 8 games and facing a NYK frontline of Noah - I like Monroe here to once again smash his $4,800 value. Of course, you always have to work about them playing "minute roulette" and giving Henson time tonight, but again, that's a risk I'm willing to take in GPPs.
G: Kemba Walker - CHA - $8,200 - Trend #2 ... or, I guess #1a considering it's from the same team. When Kemba is at home he is one of the first people I put in my lineup. When Kemba is at home facing a high scoring PG that doesn't pay attention to DEF half of the time because he's busy thinking about how he's going to score the next time he has the ball, I lock in Kemba. I would be stunned if Walker doesn't attempt to "guard his turf" and go into full out 'scoring competition' vs Westbrook tonight. I look for him to be one of, if not THE, highest scoring PG on the slate tonight.
F: Kevin Durant - GS - $9,600 - This one may change. Facing Portland in a high total pace up game, Durant should thrive and put up a monster. However, I thought that in Golden State's previous match-up as well but KD decided to defer to his team-mates and the score eventually got out of hand, thus reducing his numbers. I am tempted to roll the dice on him again tonight as this total is just way too high to not pay attention to. Again, monitoring other news, but he's in for now.
UTL: Josh Richardson - MIA - $6,200 - The NBA right now is a war of attrition. Miami is down quite a few bodies and Josh has been taking full advantage of that situation. There is still a chance I swap out Monroe for Willie Reed and free up more $ for my UTL slot, but for now, I'm going to lock in Josh here in hopes that the Heat guys take another night off and that Dragic used all of his energy last night in a revenge game - thus giving Josh more use.
So there we have it. My early team for tonight's games. The looks of this will likely change before lock but, barring any breaking news, this is what I'll be rolling out tonight.
Thoughts?
What a roller-coaster he has been the last several games.
Oh well, onward and upward.
Tonight's slate has some intriguing spots but, as usual, we are waiting on quite a bit of injury news before locking on a roster.
The biggest question of the night is, clearly, the Cleveland Cavaliers and their disease ridden team. With all of the Big 3 in doubt, their roster is wide open for value or could just be a flat disaster.
Either way, here is my early 'skeleton' lineup:
PG: Michael Carter-Williams - CHI - $4,500 --There are few things in play here. One, Dwayne Wade is questionable at this time and that, along with the Cavs news we are waiting on, could put MCW into a great spot. Without Wade there will be more shots to go around thus giving MCW a chance to chuck up a few more and, potentially, rebound his own bricks. If the Cavs run out a ghost squad tonight the Bulls may, in turn, rest Wade and limit Butler to get them some rest and if that ends up happening it will open a plethora of minutes and opportunity for MCW at a very reasonable price.
SG: JJ Redick - LAC - $5,000 - As Nick Young showed us last night, Memphis is not good at containing the SG position and allows a high number of open 3's. If you're going to give someone in the league the chance to hit an open 3 all night, I'm taking Redick all day long. Granted, this is a scary pick that will only be used in my GPPs tonight, but with Memphis on the second game of a B2B and the Clips with a day of rest, I like JJ to put up a high rate of shots tonight.
SF: Nicolas Batum - CHA - $8,000 - You may notice a trend of getting Batum into my lineups when CHA plays at home. This "do-it-all" SF continues to impress with his box-score filling abilities and gets a OKC team tonight that, lets face it, doesn't exactly strive on the defensive end of the ball. I like Batum tonight to get close to 50 FPPs and putting us in a nice spot in our tournaments this evening.
PF: Channing Frye - CLE - $3,600 - Need I say the obvious here? This is clearly pending the news from CLE. If LeBron and Love happen to sit and Frye gets a start, he's a must play in my opinion. When Frye gets a chance to play, he produces in the fantasy world, especially on Draft Kings where there is the 3 point bonus. If the news comes out that the big 3, or maybe even 2 of the big 3 are playing I will re-visit this pick. Keep your eyes peeled on if he is starting.
C: Greg Monroe - MIL - $4,800 - Monroe is flashing the ability that he showed once in Detroit that lead to getting himself paid! With 30 or more fantasy points on DK in 6 of his last 8 games and facing a NYK frontline of Noah - I like Monroe here to once again smash his $4,800 value. Of course, you always have to work about them playing "minute roulette" and giving Henson time tonight, but again, that's a risk I'm willing to take in GPPs.
G: Kemba Walker - CHA - $8,200 - Trend #2 ... or, I guess #1a considering it's from the same team. When Kemba is at home he is one of the first people I put in my lineup. When Kemba is at home facing a high scoring PG that doesn't pay attention to DEF half of the time because he's busy thinking about how he's going to score the next time he has the ball, I lock in Kemba. I would be stunned if Walker doesn't attempt to "guard his turf" and go into full out 'scoring competition' vs Westbrook tonight. I look for him to be one of, if not THE, highest scoring PG on the slate tonight.
F: Kevin Durant - GS - $9,600 - This one may change. Facing Portland in a high total pace up game, Durant should thrive and put up a monster. However, I thought that in Golden State's previous match-up as well but KD decided to defer to his team-mates and the score eventually got out of hand, thus reducing his numbers. I am tempted to roll the dice on him again tonight as this total is just way too high to not pay attention to. Again, monitoring other news, but he's in for now.
UTL: Josh Richardson - MIA - $6,200 - The NBA right now is a war of attrition. Miami is down quite a few bodies and Josh has been taking full advantage of that situation. There is still a chance I swap out Monroe for Willie Reed and free up more $ for my UTL slot, but for now, I'm going to lock in Josh here in hopes that the Heat guys take another night off and that Dragic used all of his energy last night in a revenge game - thus giving Josh more use.
So there we have it. My early team for tonight's games. The looks of this will likely change before lock but, barring any breaking news, this is what I'll be rolling out tonight.
Thoughts?
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Today is a new day
Well, dang it. Tyreke (along with Durant) let me down last night and the team I posted in my blog fell just short of cashing in the $4 tournament.
That being said, there's always today!
My early "skeleton" lineup looks like this:
PG: Kyle Lowry
SG: Nick Young
SF: Tobias Harris
PF: Ersan Ilyasova
C: Mark Gasol
G: Mike Conley
F: Dario Saric
UTL: Harrison Barnes
This will obviously change a bit before lock, but I am a huge Conley fan (when and if he plays) and it's hard to ignore how hot Gasol and Ersan have been.
If Okafor is out, I believe Saric is a great start. He's been trending up in minutes and has been producing when given the chance.
Kyle Lowry is facing a Spurs team that struggles to guard the PG position, but I may pivot off of him in what could be a slow paced game.
Harrison Barnes has been, and rightfully so, the focus of the Dallas offense and this game should be pretty high scoring overall.
Last but not least, Swaggy P! Nick Young vs Memphis as a little birdie told me today that the Grizz have a hard time guarding the SG slot, so I'm trusting his judgement (little birdie also told me to start Trevor Booker last night and I didn't listen).
That being said, there's always today!
My early "skeleton" lineup looks like this:
PG: Kyle Lowry
SG: Nick Young
SF: Tobias Harris
PF: Ersan Ilyasova
C: Mark Gasol
G: Mike Conley
F: Dario Saric
UTL: Harrison Barnes
This will obviously change a bit before lock, but I am a huge Conley fan (when and if he plays) and it's hard to ignore how hot Gasol and Ersan have been.
If Okafor is out, I believe Saric is a great start. He's been trending up in minutes and has been producing when given the chance.
Kyle Lowry is facing a Spurs team that struggles to guard the PG position, but I may pivot off of him in what could be a slow paced game.
Harrison Barnes has been, and rightfully so, the focus of the Dallas offense and this game should be pretty high scoring overall.
Last but not least, Swaggy P! Nick Young vs Memphis as a little birdie told me today that the Grizz have a hard time guarding the SG slot, so I'm trusting his judgement (little birdie also told me to start Trevor Booker last night and I didn't listen).
Monday, January 2, 2017
Monday Night RAW - What will it take to save the sinking ship?
Well, even though the Rose Bowl is on, I have to watch RAW to see how they build for the Royal Rumble as I am curious to see if things get any better for the flagship show.
Needless to say, there are some pretty awful spots on RAW right now and it has to have rattled some cages (no pun intended, Y2J) to see that SmackDown defeated them in the ratings this week.
Now, don't get me wrong, there are some good things going right now.
Kevin Owens and Jericho are gold together, no doubt. That being said, I can't be the only one that feels like KO should be holding the Intercontinental belt and not the Universal Championship.
Let me be clear here, Owens IS good enough to be the Universal Champ ... but the bookers sure don't seem to feel that way.
Could they possibly go out of their way to make him look weaker?
When is the last time he pinned a rival, clean 1-2-3 in the middle of the ring?
He either wins by cheating, DQ or ... more and more often, GETTING PINNED by his opponent.
Would it kill them to give him a win over Rollins or Reigns without interference?
There is seemingly no chance he retains at the Rumble with Jericho being caged up. The only way I can see him holding onto the strap would be to get himself DQ'd, counted out or someone new (Samoa Joe?) comes in and helps him win.
It's a shame that they have devalued him to the point that I do not feel like he can win without assistance.
Moving on.
Roman Reigns will likely win the title at the Rumble and, unless he cheats and turns heel, the building may riot.
I have never seen someone get such a push while the entire audience revolts against him. The guy just does not have the "it" factor to be John Cena, which they clearly want him to be.
He has some spots you can use him in and get better reactions, but certainly not the way they are doing it.
Seth Rollins is one of the best in-ring performers of our generation and, in the midst of everything else going on, he is being completely wasted.
Seriously? The best feud you can think of for Seth at WrestleMania is HHH?
How can you justify keeping this guy out of the title hunt?
Reigns needs to be pushed back down the ladder a bit, maybe even pairing him up with someone with a bit more charisma, and getting him in the mid-title levels.
I get what they're doing with Sami Zayn and Strouman ... but c'mon. Sami is awesome, yes. I loved him before NxT and everyone loved him as the "guy that wouldn't quit" during his run while in NxT, but he's not Daniel Bryan. Stop trying to turn him into that guy.
Strouman is a monster. He is your typical Vince guy, but not a Vince Champion. Braun is the prototypical big muscular heel that the face champ can beat all of the odds by pinning at some point.
Who on this roster can make the above happen without people thinking it's a sham? I'll get there in a minute.
Speaking of talent being wasted, and no offense to the tag belts, but Cesaro needs to be in the main event scene sooner rather than later. That guy has everything you could want out of a heavyweight champion.
Will they be breaking up the New Day soon? They have kind of run their course, right? Should Woods (if eligible) head to 205 live? Should Big E be moved into the mid-title singles slot? I am not sure how much longer they can come out and keep the same old act and remain in their spot.
Please, WWE, trade "The Club" to Smackdown. You've made fools of them long enough on Monday nights.
The Charolette v Bayley feud has gotten off to a very lackluster start, and that's hard for me to accept as I am a huge Bayley fan. There just seems to be a spark that is missing here that we got with Sasha in this spot. The charisma of Bayley and the attitude from Flair do not seem to be coming across as well as it did in the smaller NxT venues.
Also, speaking of the women's division, where does Sasha go now? They can't really run too long with this feud against Jax. Sasha was getting injured by the abuse from Charolette, so I can't imagine what her body will have to endure matching up with Nia!
I won't even really mention Brock or Goldberg because, lets be honest, they are on TV almost as much as I am.
So what can they do here to spice up the show? Barring a trade, there is only really one answer, and that's raid the NxT roster.
I would rather see The Revival head to Smackdown to be the heel team to challenge American Alpha for their titles, but I could see them making their way to RAW instead to help solidify the tag team division on the red brand.
To me, there's really only one person that has the "it" factor that you could bring in to be the fact of the franchise: Shinsuke Nakamura.
RAW needs someone that can come in and give them that huge fan favorite that they've been dying for, and Nakamura is that guy.
With the success that he had while in Japan and the run in NxT, he has proven to everyone that he is not afraid of the limelight and thrives in matches against multiple styles of opponents.
If RAW wants to back to the top of the "ratings war" and solidify their slot as the flagship show, the King of Strong Style is the guy that can get them there.
Needless to say, there are some pretty awful spots on RAW right now and it has to have rattled some cages (no pun intended, Y2J) to see that SmackDown defeated them in the ratings this week.
Now, don't get me wrong, there are some good things going right now.
Kevin Owens and Jericho are gold together, no doubt. That being said, I can't be the only one that feels like KO should be holding the Intercontinental belt and not the Universal Championship.
Let me be clear here, Owens IS good enough to be the Universal Champ ... but the bookers sure don't seem to feel that way.
Could they possibly go out of their way to make him look weaker?
When is the last time he pinned a rival, clean 1-2-3 in the middle of the ring?
He either wins by cheating, DQ or ... more and more often, GETTING PINNED by his opponent.
Would it kill them to give him a win over Rollins or Reigns without interference?
There is seemingly no chance he retains at the Rumble with Jericho being caged up. The only way I can see him holding onto the strap would be to get himself DQ'd, counted out or someone new (Samoa Joe?) comes in and helps him win.
It's a shame that they have devalued him to the point that I do not feel like he can win without assistance.
Moving on.
Roman Reigns will likely win the title at the Rumble and, unless he cheats and turns heel, the building may riot.
I have never seen someone get such a push while the entire audience revolts against him. The guy just does not have the "it" factor to be John Cena, which they clearly want him to be.
He has some spots you can use him in and get better reactions, but certainly not the way they are doing it.
Seth Rollins is one of the best in-ring performers of our generation and, in the midst of everything else going on, he is being completely wasted.
Seriously? The best feud you can think of for Seth at WrestleMania is HHH?
How can you justify keeping this guy out of the title hunt?
Reigns needs to be pushed back down the ladder a bit, maybe even pairing him up with someone with a bit more charisma, and getting him in the mid-title levels.
I get what they're doing with Sami Zayn and Strouman ... but c'mon. Sami is awesome, yes. I loved him before NxT and everyone loved him as the "guy that wouldn't quit" during his run while in NxT, but he's not Daniel Bryan. Stop trying to turn him into that guy.
Strouman is a monster. He is your typical Vince guy, but not a Vince Champion. Braun is the prototypical big muscular heel that the face champ can beat all of the odds by pinning at some point.
Who on this roster can make the above happen without people thinking it's a sham? I'll get there in a minute.
Speaking of talent being wasted, and no offense to the tag belts, but Cesaro needs to be in the main event scene sooner rather than later. That guy has everything you could want out of a heavyweight champion.
Will they be breaking up the New Day soon? They have kind of run their course, right? Should Woods (if eligible) head to 205 live? Should Big E be moved into the mid-title singles slot? I am not sure how much longer they can come out and keep the same old act and remain in their spot.
Please, WWE, trade "The Club" to Smackdown. You've made fools of them long enough on Monday nights.
The Charolette v Bayley feud has gotten off to a very lackluster start, and that's hard for me to accept as I am a huge Bayley fan. There just seems to be a spark that is missing here that we got with Sasha in this spot. The charisma of Bayley and the attitude from Flair do not seem to be coming across as well as it did in the smaller NxT venues.
Also, speaking of the women's division, where does Sasha go now? They can't really run too long with this feud against Jax. Sasha was getting injured by the abuse from Charolette, so I can't imagine what her body will have to endure matching up with Nia!
I won't even really mention Brock or Goldberg because, lets be honest, they are on TV almost as much as I am.
So what can they do here to spice up the show? Barring a trade, there is only really one answer, and that's raid the NxT roster.
I would rather see The Revival head to Smackdown to be the heel team to challenge American Alpha for their titles, but I could see them making their way to RAW instead to help solidify the tag team division on the red brand.
To me, there's really only one person that has the "it" factor that you could bring in to be the fact of the franchise: Shinsuke Nakamura.
RAW needs someone that can come in and give them that huge fan favorite that they've been dying for, and Nakamura is that guy.
With the success that he had while in Japan and the run in NxT, he has proven to everyone that he is not afraid of the limelight and thrives in matches against multiple styles of opponents.
If RAW wants to back to the top of the "ratings war" and solidify their slot as the flagship show, the King of Strong Style is the guy that can get them there.
Final lineup for Monday
Well, as expected, there was a flurry of moves right towards the end of lock that changed a number of things. I'm not thrilled with the way my team ended up, but here goes:
PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Tyreke Evans
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: Jabari Parker
C: Rudy Gobert
G: Michael Carter-Williams
F: Trevor Ariza
UTL: Wilson Chandler
Wish me luck -- and good luck to anyone following along!
PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Tyreke Evans
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: Jabari Parker
C: Rudy Gobert
G: Michael Carter-Williams
F: Trevor Ariza
UTL: Wilson Chandler
Wish me luck -- and good luck to anyone following along!
Monday DFS Pick #5 - Small Foward
I originally had Tyreke Evans at SF, but due to Draft King's multi-position spots, I moved him to SG so that I could select another SF.
SF: Kevin Durant - Golden State - $9,900
Do I really need to say more? Durant has been having a dominating season that is simply being over-shadowed by the video game numbers Westbrook and Harden are running out each night.
Seemingly a lock for 50+ each time he puts his shoes on, I felt the need to grab a piece or two from the game with the highest over/under on the board ... and if I'm going to buy a piece, it might as well be a big piece, right?!
Denver is actually decent at guarding the SF position, but this isn't your ordinary SF. I like to think that Durant is about as "match-up proof" as they come.
Roster so far:
PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Tyreke Evans
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: Jabari Parker
C: Rudy Gobert
SF: Kevin Durant - Golden State - $9,900
Do I really need to say more? Durant has been having a dominating season that is simply being over-shadowed by the video game numbers Westbrook and Harden are running out each night.
Seemingly a lock for 50+ each time he puts his shoes on, I felt the need to grab a piece or two from the game with the highest over/under on the board ... and if I'm going to buy a piece, it might as well be a big piece, right?!
Denver is actually decent at guarding the SF position, but this isn't your ordinary SF. I like to think that Durant is about as "match-up proof" as they come.
Roster so far:
PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Tyreke Evans
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: Jabari Parker
C: Rudy Gobert
Monday DFS Draft Kings pick #4 - Shooting Guard
Here is my first "value" guy of my team tonight, though his owner % is likely on the rise:
SG: Tyreke Evans - NO - $4,100
I know, you typically should never take a player on a minutes limit, but I am willing to take the risk here (and on another player you'll see in a later write-up tonight).
Tyreke's minutes have started to grow from 15 to 16 to 18 the last few games. During those games, minus one dud, he put up fantasy point totals of 22.75, 26.25 and 28.75.
As you can see, he's getting better.
All DFS players know how good Evans can be when he's healthy as he is a legit threat to triple double, and fill every stat line, at any given time.
Being that his salary is still a mere $4,100 - he is nearly a lock for 5x with a chance of getting up to 8x if they increase his minutes a little tonight vs the Cavs.
Combining his continued improvement with the fact that he's coming off the bench, so likely not running the risk of seeing too much of the "Big 3" from the Cavs, and I believe Ty has a legit chance of crushing his salary tonight.
SG: Tyreke Evans - NO - $4,100
I know, you typically should never take a player on a minutes limit, but I am willing to take the risk here (and on another player you'll see in a later write-up tonight).
Tyreke's minutes have started to grow from 15 to 16 to 18 the last few games. During those games, minus one dud, he put up fantasy point totals of 22.75, 26.25 and 28.75.
As you can see, he's getting better.
All DFS players know how good Evans can be when he's healthy as he is a legit threat to triple double, and fill every stat line, at any given time.
Being that his salary is still a mere $4,100 - he is nearly a lock for 5x with a chance of getting up to 8x if they increase his minutes a little tonight vs the Cavs.
Combining his continued improvement with the fact that he's coming off the bench, so likely not running the risk of seeing too much of the "Big 3" from the Cavs, and I believe Ty has a legit chance of crushing his salary tonight.
Monday DFS Draft Kings pick #3 -- Power Forward
There are several solid plays at the PF position tonight, both at the high end and mid to lower end of the spectrum.
I will give you the one I will likely be using several times tonight:
PF: Jabari Parker - MLW - $7,300
The early over/under of this game is set at 212 with the Bucks being 1 point home favorites, which means the game should stay close and give the starters more minutes in crunch time.
Parker averages a whopping 7 fantasy points per game more at home vs on the road, so playing in Milwaukee should benefit the young star.
The Thunder should push the tempo vs the Bucks and, in turn, give this game a fairly good chance of going over the projected total. OKC ranks in the middle of the pact in DEF vs the PF position at 16th and give up an average of 45.20 FFPG to this position.
Here is my other thought on the game ... many people will be jumping onto the Malcolm Brogdon train after showing major upside since being moved into the starting lineup.
I will not be one of those people tonight.
It would be a huge surprise to me if the Bucks do not put Giannis or Tony Snell on Westbrook in an attempt to slow him down, thus leaving Victor Oladipo in charge of guarding Brogdon.
Oladipo's DEF is enough to scare me off Malcolm tonight and look for other value at the guard position.
That being said, this leaves Sabonis with the unenviable task of trying to guard Jabari.
Parker has scored over 40 fantasy points in his last three home games and I don't see it being a problem at all for him to reach that number again tonight. At $7,300 he would need almost 44 to get you 6x on his salary, and I think he's got a better than average chance of achieving that number.
I will give you the one I will likely be using several times tonight:
PF: Jabari Parker - MLW - $7,300
The early over/under of this game is set at 212 with the Bucks being 1 point home favorites, which means the game should stay close and give the starters more minutes in crunch time.
Parker averages a whopping 7 fantasy points per game more at home vs on the road, so playing in Milwaukee should benefit the young star.
The Thunder should push the tempo vs the Bucks and, in turn, give this game a fairly good chance of going over the projected total. OKC ranks in the middle of the pact in DEF vs the PF position at 16th and give up an average of 45.20 FFPG to this position.
Here is my other thought on the game ... many people will be jumping onto the Malcolm Brogdon train after showing major upside since being moved into the starting lineup.
I will not be one of those people tonight.
It would be a huge surprise to me if the Bucks do not put Giannis or Tony Snell on Westbrook in an attempt to slow him down, thus leaving Victor Oladipo in charge of guarding Brogdon.
Oladipo's DEF is enough to scare me off Malcolm tonight and look for other value at the guard position.
That being said, this leaves Sabonis with the unenviable task of trying to guard Jabari.
Parker has scored over 40 fantasy points in his last three home games and I don't see it being a problem at all for him to reach that number again tonight. At $7,300 he would need almost 44 to get you 6x on his salary, and I think he's got a better than average chance of achieving that number.
Monday NBA DFS Draft Kings pick #2 - Point Guard
I wrote earlier this morning about my interest in Utah's Rudy Gobert on tonight's NBA slate, so now I will give you another player that I am interested in.
Again, let me make it clear that guys like Westbrook and Harden are obviously studs on any slate where they are playing, but I am looking at other guys at the moment that could help solidify your roster.
This pick comes with an * as I want to see if Kyrie Irving is starting tonight for the Cavs, but I like:
PG: Jrue Holiday - NO Pelicans - $6,500
Jrue sees a little bit of a price increase tonight, rising from $6,300 up to $6,500 - but I still like his spot in this match-up.
Cleveland ranks 23rd vs the PG position, giving up an average of 48.14 fantasy points per game this season.
Battling back from injury, Jrue has played over 30 minutes in 8 of his last 10 outings and has taken double digit shot attempts in 9 of those games as well.
In his last 5 games Jru has averaged a little over 37 ppg which would put him at near 6x his current salary.
The game tonight looks to be a high-paced high-scoring affair and I think Jrue, a walking double-double threat, will go under owned and give you a nice little advantage on the field.
Stay tuned for my next player, coming soon...
Again, let me make it clear that guys like Westbrook and Harden are obviously studs on any slate where they are playing, but I am looking at other guys at the moment that could help solidify your roster.
This pick comes with an * as I want to see if Kyrie Irving is starting tonight for the Cavs, but I like:
PG: Jrue Holiday - NO Pelicans - $6,500
Jrue sees a little bit of a price increase tonight, rising from $6,300 up to $6,500 - but I still like his spot in this match-up.
Cleveland ranks 23rd vs the PG position, giving up an average of 48.14 fantasy points per game this season.
Battling back from injury, Jrue has played over 30 minutes in 8 of his last 10 outings and has taken double digit shot attempts in 9 of those games as well.
In his last 5 games Jru has averaged a little over 37 ppg which would put him at near 6x his current salary.
The game tonight looks to be a high-paced high-scoring affair and I think Jrue, a walking double-double threat, will go under owned and give you a nice little advantage on the field.
Stay tuned for my next player, coming soon...
First Draft Kings NBA DFS player I am locking in for 1/2/2017
Granted, it is early. My teams will, and should, change quite a few times before roster locks as I am sure there will be players ruled -OUT- thus adding value in other spots.
If you didn't know, Draft Kings is offering a tournament tonight with a $4 entry fee and a 1st place prize of $150,000.
Now would be a good time to get over there and sign-up. If you're already playing, comment with your username and I'll following along to see how you're doing.
I figure it is never too early to start researching, so I will take a moment and share with you my first pick of the night.
C: Rudy Gobert - Utah Jazz
There are so many mega-stars playing tonight and any time Anthony Davis is on the card, he will be one of the first person people look to at the center position.
I will likely be pivoting to Gobert, who finds himself in a pretty good spot.
The Jazz will be on the road on Monday as they face the Brooklyn Nets.
George Hill will be out Monday after taking a shot to the face in Utah's previous game, thus freeing up some shots for other players on the Jazz.
Gobert has been a double-double machine in the last month and, on Draft Kings, this is important due to the 1.5 pt bonus you receive for this feat.
Brook Lopez is a very solid offensive player, but his defense leaves a lot to be desired.
The Brooklyn Nets currently rank 30th in DEF vs the Center position, allowing a league high 55.57 FFPs per game on average.
At $7,400, Rudy finds himself as a solid second tier building block on your cash teams, and a potential low-owned pivot for your tournaments who could easily get you 5x value tonight.
If you didn't know, Draft Kings is offering a tournament tonight with a $4 entry fee and a 1st place prize of $150,000.
Now would be a good time to get over there and sign-up. If you're already playing, comment with your username and I'll following along to see how you're doing.
I figure it is never too early to start researching, so I will take a moment and share with you my first pick of the night.
C: Rudy Gobert - Utah Jazz
There are so many mega-stars playing tonight and any time Anthony Davis is on the card, he will be one of the first person people look to at the center position.
I will likely be pivoting to Gobert, who finds himself in a pretty good spot.
The Jazz will be on the road on Monday as they face the Brooklyn Nets.
George Hill will be out Monday after taking a shot to the face in Utah's previous game, thus freeing up some shots for other players on the Jazz.
Gobert has been a double-double machine in the last month and, on Draft Kings, this is important due to the 1.5 pt bonus you receive for this feat.
Brook Lopez is a very solid offensive player, but his defense leaves a lot to be desired.
The Brooklyn Nets currently rank 30th in DEF vs the Center position, allowing a league high 55.57 FFPs per game on average.
At $7,400, Rudy finds himself as a solid second tier building block on your cash teams, and a potential low-owned pivot for your tournaments who could easily get you 5x value tonight.
Every day is a blessing, but sometimes it rains
Blog post from August 29th:
Life is not always sunshine and rainbows, we all know that.
Life is not always sunshine and rainbows, we all know that.
I am a firm believer that each day we wake up is a blessing. I vowed, several years ago, to never take another day for granted. There were two times in the last ten years where my DR informed me that I was mere hours from losing my life.
This last hospital stay I swore to myself I would start living life to its fullest for as long as I can.
Each day I tell myself to make the best of it. Don't let little things get me down and to try and find a way to bring a smile to someone else's face.
All of that is well and good, but there are days that it rains.
Yes, every day is a blessing. Yes, I strive to enjoy every moment of life. Some days are just harder than others.
Whether it be something as small as getting annoyed with some bad driving or as big as pains that double me over or bring tears to my eyes, those days are hard.
I try and force the smile. I don't want anyone knowing I'm suffering. I never want anyone's pity or sympathy, so I usually just keep my issues to myself.
Some days are just harder than others.
Recently I've started bowling again, and bowling a lot. My ostomy bag has allowed me to begin living life again and I thank the Lord, each day, for this opportunity. This bag has allowed me to bowl, travel, go out with friends, go to the beach. I can now do things that most people have taken for granted their whole lives, that have always been a struggle to me.
Yes, this bag has given me a lot.
There are days I still hate it. With a passion.
Last weekend I was bowling an event in which I slipped a little while shooting a spare and felt the ring around my stoma shift, cutting the bottom of my skin. I came home to a bag of blood.
This past weekend I decided to suck it up and bowl another event. This one had trouble written all over it.
15 games straight. One day event. That is too much for a 'normal' or 'healthy' person, but I am not one to let my disease beat me, so I signed up.
For 11 games, things were fine. I was in contention and making a move up the standings sheet. Game 12, I slipped a little shooting a spare ... and deja vu all over again. I spent the next 3 games trying to simply survive and find a way to make good shots, all the while feeling like someone was cutting me with a razor blade every shot.
Pride would not let me throw in the towel. I was determined to finish. After game 15 concluded, I missed 'cashing' by 1 spot, but I finished. To me, that was a small victory in itself.
Here I am now, over 24 hours later, and I still feel the pain left over from yesterday's bowling. I get frustrated that my body can't or won't do what my mind knows it needs to. It's frustrating, as an athlete, to KNOW in your mind what you need to do but your body won't cooperate.
I was blessed to wake up today, but it is raining.
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