This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
While there are only four games on Thursday's slate, there's still some decisions to be made, including whether or not to pay up for stars like LeBron James, Karl-Anthony Towns and Joel Embiid. The following list of players should give DFS owners a guideline for who to potentially build around:
GUARDS:
Damian Lillard, POR vs MIN ($9,700): With a lack of star power on Thursday's slate, Lillard presents as one of the more intriguing top-tier plays. Over his last two games, Lillard has averaged 33.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 1.5 steals, which was good enough for 52.9 FanDuel points. He's also shot extremely well of late, shooting 52.2 percent from the field during that stretch. With the Timberwolves set to be without defensive stopper Jimmy Butler (knee) for the foreseeable future, their performance on that side of the ball is certainly projected to decline, so Lillard has the chance to take advantage of that and continue his latest surge.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, LAL at MIA ($6,600): Like Lillard, Caldwell-Pope has been firing on all cylinders of late, posting 33 or more FanDuel points in four straight games. His price certainly reflects that increased productivity and I'd like him a lot more if he was in the mid-to-upper 5000s instead. That said, the absence of Josh Hart, who recently was diagnosed with a fractured hand, should mean huge minutes once again for Caldwell-Pope. For that reason, I'm not as concerned about his price as I normally would be and I think he should still have the chance to get up a ton of shots.
Dwyane Wade, MIA vs LAL ($4,600): The Heat are dealing with a handful of injuries on the wing, as both Wayne Ellington (quad) and Tyler Johnson (quad) have been ruled out with their respective injuries. While there will likely be a handful of players that help cover those minutes, Wade still should see a slight uptick in his workload and it wouldn't be surprising if he pushed for minutes in the upper 20s. He's coming of a strong outing where he had 27 points, one rebound, one assist, three steals and a block, which netted him 39.7 FanDuel points. While I don't necessarily expect him to hit nearly 40 FanDuel points again, I think it's very realistic for Wade to hit 30, which would be just fine for a price of $4,600.
FORWARDS:
LeBron James, CLE vs PHI ($12,200): James is the top-priced player on Thursday's slate and certainly soaks up a ton of salary. However, there's just not a lot of star power on the slate and leaving James off your roster really puts owners in a hole considering his expected output. James has scored over 50 FanDuel points in eight straight games and he's also dominated the Sixers in two prior contests this season, posting 68.1 and 52.8 FanDuel points, so I'm not worried about the matchup at all. With a few cheaper guys I've listed elsewhere, it should be manageable to get James in lineups.
Josh Richardson, MIA vs LAL ($6,100): Richardson's outlook is similar to Wade's, as he'll likely see a hefty workload once again with both Ellington and Johnson sidelined. With the Lakers playing at the highest pace of play in the entire league, that should mean more stats to go around and Richardson's likely 35-to-40 minute workload could really pay dividends. Richardson has 40-FanDuel-point potential on any given night, so that provides some decent upside at a price of $6,100.
Kelly Olynyk, MIA vs LAL ($4,500): While the Heat haven't released a starting lineup for Thursday's slate, there seems to be a decent shot they go big, with Olynyk being inserted into the top unit. Olynyk played 25 minutes in his return from a six-game absence earlier this week, so there doesn't appear to be any lingering issues there. With a starter's workload potentially on tap and Olynyk's ability to score and rebound at a fairly high rate, he presents as one of my favorite big men value plays on the night.
CENTERS:
Willie Cauley-Stein, SAC vs BKN ($7,500): Cauley-Stein's inclusion is largely due to his matchup with the Nets, as Brooklyn enters Thursday giving up the most FanDuel points to centers on the season. If you're looking to get both James and Lillard in your lineup, you'll likely have to fade both Karl-Anthony Towns and Joel Embiid, which makes Cauley-Stein the most intriguing mid-tier option to take advantage of instead. Cauley-Stein has averaged 34.2 FanDuel points across his last five games and a favorable matchup with the Nets should mean some increases in production.
Jarrett Allen, BKN at SAC, ($5,500): Allen is cheap and can help you fit in some higher priced players, but I'd still do everything I can to get Cauley-Stein in my lineup instead. The Nets are expected to continue to give Allen as many minutes as possible as they develop the youngster, so his minutes aren't in any sort of danger. He's been a little bit more consistent of late, averaging 30.6 FanDuel points over his last three games. I'd much rather see him priced in the mid-to-upper 4000s, but again, if you need a price break, Allen is still a viable option.
