This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Despite there being only five games on the schedule for Thursday's slate, there's still plenty of options to sort through at all levels of the price scale. The following list should provide a handful of players to consider building your lineup around:
GUARDS:
Russell Westbrook, OKC vs PHO ($12,000): Admittedly, I prefer to avoid the highest priced player on most slates, especially if they're sitting $12,000 or above. However, with a somewhat smaller number of games and Westbrook's opponent, it's almost impossible not to play him. There's a handful of cheaper forward options that I've listed below, which should allow DFS owners to make room for Westbrook in the lineup. In regards to his opponent, the Suns have given up the third most FanDuel points to point guards on the season, including the most in the league over the last five games. When you add that to the fact that Westbrook averaged 33.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 block over the last four games, he's playing well and should have no problem tearing the Suns' defense apart.
Devin Booker, PHO at OKC ($8,200): The top player on the other side of the ball is Booker and I'm comfortable firing him up as well if the roster space is there. Booker torched the Thunder for 39 points, six rebounds, eight assists and one block on Friday, which was good enough for 56.2 FanDuel points. With this game once again marking the highest over/under on the night at 229.5, I'm going to get as much action as possible, especially from the stars like Booker and Westbrook. Booker's price is fairly reasonable as well for the smaller slate at $8,200 considering he was all the way up at $8,800 a few games back.
Dejounte Murray, SAS at GS ($6,500): Murray logged just 18 minutes in Monday's game against the Grizzlies, as coach Gregg Popovich rode the hot hand with veteran Tony Parker playing well. However, the Spurs have committed to Murray as their starter and there's no danger of him potentially being replaced. With his price dropping over $1,000 due to the poor performance and the fact that Murray should reclaim the bulk of the point guard minutes, I think he can be one of the better mid-tier guard options on the slate. Prior to Monday's dud, Murray averaged a whopping 40.5 FanDuel points over the last three games.
FORWARDS:
LaMarcus Aldridge, SAS at GS ($8,200): A somewhat familiar theme, Aldridge's inclusion here is due to his solid price break. He struggled mightily over the last two games and logged less than 23 FanDuel points in both of those contests, which has dropped his price from $8,9000 down to $8,200. Prior to those two poor performances, Aldridge posted three 50-plus FanDuel point showings over five games with an average of 46.9 points during that stretch. That's the sort of output I'm looking for Thursday, even against a Warriors team that sits second in the West. The Spurs are without Pau Gasol (shoulder), so a bump in usage for Aldridge is also going to help boost his numbers.
Nemanja Bjelica, MIN vs BOS ($5,300): Bjelica has been a solid replacement to Jimmy Butler (knee), starting the last four games for the Timberwolves and averaging 10.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals over 36.5 minutes. He's getting huge minutes like the typical Tom Thibodeau starter and that in itself intrigues me for a $5,300 priced player. Bjelica has 35-to-40 point potential on FanDuel, which would be more than enough to hit value at his price. With a slate void of elite value plays, Bjelica could help you save some money and afford a guy like Russell Westbrook.
Davis Bertans, SAS at GS ($4,400): Bertans is the other cheap forward option that piques my interest. The Spurs are without Gasol, so that likely means LaMarcus Aldridge shifts to center, while Bertans enters the starting lineup at power forward. Of course, Joffrey Lauvergne could get the call too, though I still fully expect it to be Bertans. Admittedly, Bertans has burned me in the past, so I do have some reservations here. That said, he's surpassed 25 FanDuel points seven times previously this season and has the potential to surpass value at a meager $4,400 price if he's given the minutes.
CENTERS:
Dwight Howard, CHA vs BKN ($8,400): Paying up for Westbrook is going to make it hard to afford guys like Karl-Anthony Towns and Joel Embiid, which makes Howard a very strong fall-back option. He's facing off against a Nets defense that has given up the most FanDuel points to centers on the season and he's also coming off a 46.2-point performance against the 76ers on Tuesday. Howard seems like a safe bet to add to his double-double totals, making him easily my favorite play at center on the slate.
Steven Adams, OKC vs PHO ($7,100): If you have to pay down even further, it's always reasonable to look to whoever is playing against the Suns. Like the Nets, the Suns aren't great at defending any position, but specifically have given up the fourth most FanDuel points to centers on the season. While Adams will likely have to surpass 35 FanDuel points to hit value at his current price, that seems doable against the Suns, especially considering the uptempo pace that should help everyone involved boost their overall numbers.
