FanDuel NBA: Thursday Value Plays

Written by

Jeff Edgerton

Published on January 13, 2022

Thursday's five-game slate tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET. Let's begin with the Vegas odds and totals.

SLATE OVERVIEW

MIL (-2.5) vs. GSW O/U: 222.5

MEM (-5) vs. MIN O/U: 230

NOR (-2.5) vs. LAC 215.5

BKN (-9.5) vs. OKC O/U: 215.5

DEN (-9) vs. POR O/U: 215.5

MIL Jrue Holiday (ankle) - OUT

MIL George Hill (COVID-19 Protocols) - Questionable

Wesley Matthews ($4,000) and Grayson Allen ($4,000) will be the top two pivots off of Holiday tonight.

GSW Draymond Green (calf) - OUT

In Green's absence, Juan Toscano-Anderson ($3,800) and Otto Porter ($5,100) will be in line for a production boost.

MEM Dillon Brooks (ankle) - OUT

MEM Steven Adams (COVID-19 Protocols) - Questionable

Brandon Clarke ($5,700) and Xavier Tillman ($4,100) will be decent pivots if Adams remains sidelined.

LAC Paul George (elbow) - OUT

LAC Luke Kennard (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT

Amir Coffey ($5,600) and Nicolas Batum ($4,700) are the best low-cost options in this injury scenario.

BKN LaMarcus Aldridge (foot) - OUT

BKN Nicolas Claxton (hamstring) - OUT

BKN Kevin Durant (rest) - OUT

BKN Patty Mills (rest) - OUT

Day'Ron Sharpe ($4,500) will see more time if both big men remain out.

POR Damian Lillard (abdomen) - OUT

POR CJ McCollum (chest) - OUT

POR Anfernee Simons (personal) - OUT

POR Norman Powell (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT

POR Larry Nance (knee) - OUT

Dennis Smith ($4,400), Ben McLemore ($4,100) and Robert Covington ($5,600) are your best bets amidst the slew of absences for Portland.

ELITE PLAYERS

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,300) is my favorite 10k-plus play in the marquee matchup of the night. I also don't mind James Harden ($10,000) as seemingly the only healthy star available for the Nets in a good matchup against OKC.

Although he's a tad expensive, Ja Morant ($9,000) is coming off a substantial 51-FP performance against Golden State as the red-hot Grizzlies continue to win. Anthony Edwards ($8,300) is also a green light on the other end of that matchup.

Also consider: Brandon Ingram, NOP ($8,100) vs. LAC, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC ($8,000) @ BKN

EXPECTED CHALK AND VALUE PLAYS

Jusuf Nurkic, POR ($7,500) @ POR

The Trail Blazers were blown out the last time they took on the Nuggets, but that was over a month ago and Nurkic only saw 21 minutes in the contest. The litany of injuries has driven Nurkic's numbers up, and he's regularly seeing over 30 minutes now. Although Nikola Jokic held Nurkic to four points and six rebounds in the blowout loss, his increased minutes should generate a better result.

Josh Giddey, OKC ($6,800) @ BKN

Giddey is on an excellent production run, averaging 14 points, 9.2 rebounds and 8.0 assists since returning from a three-game absence. His rebound and assist numbers are outstanding, and they go a long way toward fixing a stat line when Giddey's shots don't find the bottom of the basket. Stacking Giddey and SGA isn't advisable, but both have value against the Nets' below-average defense.

Bobby Portis, MIL ($6,200) vs. GSW

Portis has posted double-doubles in two of his last three games and averages an impressive 12 rebounds per game over the three-game span. Portis is in a similar situation to Giddey in that I wouldn't recommend stacking Giannis and Portis together, but he would work fine if you're opting for a different elite.

Also consider: Nassir Little, POR ($5,300) @ DEN, Eric Bledsoe, LAC ($4,800) @ NOP

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire.