This article is part of our DFS Basketball 101 series.
I'm always looking for new daily fantasy opportunities, and FantasyScore.com -- one of the industry's more aesthetically pleasing websites -- has a special holiday promotion running for NBA contests on Christmas Day.
For starters, there's a $750 'Holiday Jam Freeroll', which awards $5 to each of the top 150 places, with only 300 entrants allowed. That gives you at least a 50 percent chance to get five bucks for free, and you'll also have a shot at FantasyScore's $250 account bonus, awarded to the highest-scoring salary-cap lineup in any contest on Christmas Day.
Additionally, the site is offering a $5 entry Holiday Jam tournament, with a guaranteed $900 prize pool and maximum of 200 entrants. The winner takes $250, and the top-40 places will be paid out.
Salary-cap NBA games on FantasyScore utilize eight roster spots, with $50,000 allotted to chose three guards, three forwards, a center and a flex (any position). The settings allow for no shortage of options, and it's quite possible to roster three or four All-Stars, as player salaries for the Holiday Jam range from $2200 to $9300. You'll of course need to find some discount players if you want a team with LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, but that combo of superstars isn't out of the question.
In addition to the excellent interface, arguably the best thing about FantasyScore is the variety of gaming choices available. Salary-cap contests will always be my favorite, but it's awesome to have the option of daily snake drafts, especially when you want to challenge friends.
The site has contests with drafts that begin at a set time, but also "Draft & Go" contests that start drafting five minutes after they are filled. Thanks to a nicely designed 'create contest' page, it's incredibly easy to challenge your friends, foes, or random people. All of the contest options are available with a single click, so it only takes about 15 seconds to set up a game of your choice. The options: sport, public/private, size, entry fee, payout structure, and real-life games to include. You can also invite specific people, choosing from "friends", "foes" and "win leaders".
Other Cool Features on FantasyScore
- There's an immediate 50 percent deposit bonus. Rather than dripping into the account slowly, it will all be available to play with from the get-go.
- As previously mentioned, the site has some pretty awesome freerolls to help build up that bankroll.
- Late swaps are allowed. If the contest starts at 7 pm, you can still switch players in a 10 PM game up until the real-life game is about to begin.
- Player salaries and information can be exported to Microsoft Excel with a single click, allowing you to easily use solver or other means to produce an optimal/preferred lineup.
- The 'global replace' feature allows you to switch out any one player for another in all of your contests. This, along with late swap, makes it much easier to handle those obnoxious late scratches.
- There are pages for 'My Leagues' and 'My Lineups' that show all of your leagues or lineups in one place. Again, this makes it much easier to deal with any late changes, and it's helpful when trying to keep an eye on all of your action.
- Lastly, the website looks fantastic. It's powered By RealTime Fantasy Sports in association with USA Today. It's easily one of the cleanest-looking sites in the industry, and I really can't stress that enough. From the homepage, to the lineups page, to the page where you actually set your teams (including player cards)—everything looks pretty similar and it all looks good.
Anyway, let's get on to the Holiday Jam basketball contests, which provide a nice starting point for new players, thanks to the freeroll and $250 bonus prize.
Scoring/Rosters
3 Guards, 3 Forwards, 1 Center, 1 Flex (G/F/C)
+2 points per 2-point field goal
+3 points per 3-point field goal
+1 point per free throw made
+1.5 points per assist
+1.25 points per rebound
+2 points per steal
+2 points per block
-0.5 points per turnover
Nothing out of the ordinary here, and it should look pretty familiar to experienced daily gamers. You're looking to pile up counting stats, without any concern for missed shots, and minimal concern regarding turnovers.
Player Recommendations For Dec. 25 Holiday Jam
Guard: John Wall, , WAS (at NYK), $8200 – Wall is only the seventh-most expensive player in a star-studded slate, and he'll be facing a team that ranks 27th in defensive efficiency. The Knicks have really struggled to contain stud guards over the last week, getting burnt by Kyle Lowry, Eric Bledsoe and Jimmy Butler over the past three games. Wall may be coming off a disappointing showing against the Suns, but he's still one of the most reliable players at any position, thanks to his contributions in a slew of categories.
Guard: Tim Hardaway, NYK (vs. WAS), $2900 – If you want to roster a bunch of superstars like Wall, you'll need to save dollars on guys like Hardaway. The former Michigan Wolverine has taken on a starting/starring role in the absence of J.R. Smith (heel) and Iman Shumpert (shoulder), leading to 21+ points on FantasyScore in seven consecutive games. Even in a tough matchup, Hardaway should see enough of the court to provide an excellent return on his bargain-bin price.
Guard: Danny Green, SAN (vs. OKC), $4200 – While not quite as good of a value as Hardaway, Green still makes for a strong play at this price. He's averaging 25.39 points on FantasyScore, which works out to six points per $1000 of salary. For a point of comparison, star players along the lines of Wall or Russell Westbrook typically average about five points per $1000 of salary, while most mid-range guys are around 5-5.5.
Forward: Amar'e Stoudemire, NYK (vs. WAS), $4400 – Stoudemire is also averaging about six points per $1000 on his Thursday salary, but that includes a relatively slow start to the season, as he's topped 30 points in five of his last seven appearances. After sitting out to rest Saturday and Sunday, Amar'e is expected back for a nationally televised Christmas showdown.
Forward: Draymond Green, GSW (at LAC), $5300 – Green has pretty much been a stud on every daily fantasy site this season, and FantasyScore is no different. There's no need to worry about the fact that Green logged just 26 minutes in David Lee's long-awaited return Monday night, as none of Golden State's starters hit the 30-minute threshold. Lee will presumably have his minutes limited for at least the next few games, and Green has clearly usurped the veteran as the Warriors' top power forward. Prior to Monday, Green had 35+ points on FantasyScore in four consecutive games.
Forward: Jimmy Butler CHI (vs. LAL), $6500 – Butler falls in Green's boat, as both are breakout stars who have consistently exceeded value on nearly every daily fantasy site. Butler's price seems to have caught up a bit more than Green's, but a matchup with the Lakers makes Jimmy Buckets a strong play. How did this guy get so good so fast?
Center: Steven Adams OKC (at SAN), $3400 – The Christmas slate has as much star power as ever, but it just so happens to be focused at the forward and guard spots. With that in mind, I prefer to save money at center, rather than heading to the upper-middle class for a guy like DeAndre Jordan, Marcin Gorat or Joakim Noah. Adams' recent spike in production is somewhat flukish, but he's still a candidate to log 25+ minutes, and he's averaging a respectable 20.3 points per contest on FantasyScore.
Note: If you want to challenge me or check my team out after the contests, my FantasyScore username is JD0505.
