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Thursday’s NBA DFS slate is a case of quality over quantity. With only five games in the slate, it is difficult to find more than two or three quality options at each position. Fortunately, there are a decent number of cheap options. Unfortunately, most of those cheap options are guards. I would start with the guard positions first and then fill in elsewhere.
Point Guard
Raymond Felton is averaging 12.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists with Chris Paul out this season. Austin Rivers has a higher ceiling, but Felton is cheaper and has a high floor. Felton is a solid cash game play while Rivers is worth a shot in a GPP.
Eric Bledsoe and Kyrie Irving are averaging nearly the exact same number of fantasy points on the season, and Bledsoe has been much better than Irving since the calendar flipped. If I could afford to pay up for Kyrie Irving I would because the Suns are awful defensively, but Bledsoe is likely the better value of the two.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | ACEPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $FA |
| Raymond Felton | LAC | H | MIN | 41 | 21.3 | 77% | 0.7 | 7.2 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 45% | 16.79% | 15.1 | 16.1 | 15.2 | 15.4 | $5,500 | $4,800 | $3,800 |
| Austin Rivers | LAC | H | MIN | 41 | 26.3 | 72% | 1.4 | 11 | 2 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 44% | 19.33% | 17.7 | 19.1 | 17.8 | 18.4 | $5,600 | $5,200 | $4,250 |
| Kyrie Irving | CLE | H | PHX | 35 | 34.8 | 90% | 2.3 | 23.6 | 3.5 | 5.6 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 2.7 | 46% | 29.52% | 36 | 38.7 | 36.2 | 37.2 | $8,400 | $8,600 | $5,900 |
| Eric Bledsoe | PHX | A | CLE | 41 | 32.8 | 83% | 1.4 | 20.3 | 5.1 | 6 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 3.1 | 45% | 27.54% | 36.1 | 38.7 | 36.4 | 36.9 | $8,000 | $7,700 | $5,700 |
Shooting Guard
Will Barton had 26 points, four rebounds and eight assists in 35 minutes with Gary Harris out Tuesday. Both Harris and Wilson Chandler have been ruled out Thursday, which should make Barton a safe play as well as a good value.
Jamal Crawford is averaging 16.7 points and 4.7 assists per game with Chris Paul out this season despite scoring five and zero points in back-to-back games to end the year. Crawford usually doesn’t provide much outside of scoring, but the increased assists with Paul out are pretty encouraging.
Among the teams playing Thursday, only the Nuggets have allowed more fantasy points to shooting guards than the Cavaliers. Devin Booker has scored at least 22 points in six consecutive games, and I like his chances of making it seven straight.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | ACEPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $FA |
| Will Barton | DEN | A | SAS | 28 | 28.7 | 75% | 1.5 | 13.8 | 4.5 | 2.8 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 45% | 20.45% | 24.4 | 26.1 | 24.6 | 25.1 | $5,300 | $6,100 | $4,400 |
| Jamal Crawford | LAC | H | MIN | 43 | 26.3 | 88% | 1.2 | 11.6 | 1.5 | 2.7 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 39% | 22.83% | 17.4 | 18.9 | 17.4 | 17.9 | $3,500 | $4,200 | $3,700 |
| Devin Booker | PHX | A | CLE | 40 | 34.1 | 83% | 1.8 | 20.4 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 1 | 0.2 | 2.8 | 42% | 27.73% | 27.8 | 30.3 | 28 | 28.7 | $6,400 | $6,200 | $5,200 |
Small Forward
Only the Nets have allowed more points than the Suns this season. With Kevin Love dealing with a balky back, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving are the only players you can count on to take advantage. LeBron is the most expensive player on the slate, but with the cheaper options elsewhere, he is pretty affordable.
Mindaugas Kuzminskas is averaging 14.8 points and 4.3 rebounds in 30.0 minutes over his last four games. Kuzminskas had 17 points and six rebounds in 29 minutes Wednesday with Kristaps Porzingis and Joakim Noah out, and he is a nice value if he starts again Thursday.
Wilson Chandler has missed three games this season, and Danilo Gallinari has scored 21 points with at least six rebounds in two of them. Gallinari could pick up even more of the scoring slack with Gary Harris out as well.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | ACEPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $FA |
| Danilo Gallinari | DEN | A | SAS | 37 | 34.3 | 88% | 1.9 | 16.9 | 5 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 43% | 19.18% | 26.8 | 28.7 | 27 | 27.7 | $5,900 | $5,400 | $4,850 |
| Mindaugas Kuzminskas | NYK | H | WAS | 36 | 13.5 | 83% | 0.9 | 6.1 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 46% | 18.96% | 10.3 | 11.2 | 10.4 | 10.8 | $3,900 | $4,500 | $3,300 |
| LeBron James | CLE | H | PHX | 37 | 37 | 70% | 1.8 | 25.6 | 7.8 | 8.1 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 4.1 | 51% | 30.22% | 47 | 50.3 | 47.3 | 47.8 | $10,500 | $10,800 | $7,500 |
Power Forward
James Johnson is averaging 15.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists in January, including three straight games with at least six assists. Johnson is probably the safest power forward in Thursday’s slate, which may be damning with faint praise.
Markieff Morris is putting up great numbers lately, and he is catching the Knicks at the right time. Morris has double-doubles in each of his last two games.
Only the Suns and Nets have allowed more points than the Nuggets this season, which bodes well for LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge has been pretty inconsistent this season, but I would rather play him in a good matchup than mess around with guys like Nikola Jokic and Kevin Love who are dealing with injuries.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | ACEPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $FA |
| James Johnson | MIA | H | DAL | 37 | 25.5 | 70% | 1.3 | 11.8 | 5 | 3 | 0.8 | 1 | 2.1 | 49% | 21.17% | 23.7 | 25.7 | 23.9 | 24.3 | $6,300 | $5,900 | $4,700 |
| Markieff Morris | WAS | A | NYK | 40 | 31.4 | 81% | 0.7 | 13.5 | 6.4 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 44% | 20.70% | 25.5 | 27.1 | 25.8 | 25.8 | $6,100 | $6,100 | $4,400 |
| LaMarcus Aldridge | SAS | H | DEN | 37 | 32.3 | 83% | 0.4 | 17.8 | 7 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 1 | 1.4 | 51% | 24.07% | 31.2 | 32.5 | 31.6 | 31.4 | $7,800 | $6,700 | $5,500 |
Center
Robin Lopez had a season-high 21 points against the Mavericks Tuesday. The Mavs are vulnerable in the paint with Andrew Bogut out, and at the very least Hassan Whiteside should have a good chance at his fourth double-double in five games.
I don’t happen to believe Kyle O’Quinn, Willy Nernangomez and Marshall Plumlee can keep Marcin Gortat out of the paint and off of the boards. Gortat is always a double-double threat, and he is a fine alternative if you cannot afford Whiteside.
I’m probably not going cheap at center Thursday, but if you want to, Tristan Thompson is a decent option. Thompson had eight points and 10 rebounds against the Suns 11 days ago, and he would be well worth the price if he can get a double-double.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | ACEPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $FA |
| Hassan Whiteside | MIA | H | DAL | 38 | 33.8 | 56% | 0 | 17.4 | 14.3 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 56% | 22.98% | 39.5 | 41.2 | 40.2 | 39.5 | $8,700 | $8,100 | $6,500 |
| Marcin Gortat | WAS | A | NYK | 41 | 35.4 | 62% | 0 | 11.2 | 11.6 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 1 | 1.7 | 58% | 14% | 28.9 | 30.4 | 29.5 | 28.9 | $5,800 | $5,800 | $4,950 |
| Tristan Thompson | CLE | H | PHX | 40 | 29 | 51% | 0 | 7.3 | 9.7 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 59% | 10.64% | 22.8 | 23.7 | 23.3 | 22.8 | $4,900 | $4,100 | $4,300 |