NBA DFS Picks, Projections, Lineups, Injuries & More Today: Thursday Playbook

Harden has posted a double-double in four straight games, and three of those came with Kawhi Leonard active. Norman Powell was a late add to the injury report, and Harden may need to take on a bigger scoring role if Norm is inactive. 

Really tough matchup for Trae and the Hawks, as the Magic rank 29th in pace and 3rd in DRtg. They also allow the fewest made threes in the league. Trae has posted a usage rate of at least 32.5% in each of his last 7 games, so there is plenty of ceiling here despite the matchup. 

Brunson gets a dream matchup against the Bulls, who have looked completely uninterested since trading Zach LaVine. The Bulls have lost their last four games by an average of 24.5 points, so there is definitely blowout risk. The risk is worth it though, as they also play at the 3rd-fastest pace in the league and rank 27th in DRtg. 

Wemby leaves behind a 30.4% usage rate, and Fox is a prime candidate to absorb a great deal of it. Fox has posted a 24.5% usage rate in five games with the Spurs, and we can expect that to move closer to 30% with the unfortunate Wemby news. 

We were raving about the total in this game last night on the Preview show, and it has increased three points to 251 now. Memphis plays at the fastest pace in the league, and Indiana plays at the 6th-fastest. We should have a track meet on our hands. Ja sat the second leg of the back-to-back before the break but he averaged 34.5 minutes in the two games prior. Ceiling games have been inconsistent for him this season, but this is a prime spot. 

The price tag is very intriguing in the best game environment on the slate. Haliburton has disappointed in some great spots over the last year+, but the spot is too good to ignore. 

Chris Paul has seen a 5.3% usage bump this season with Wemby off the floor, largest on the team. Obviously, De'Aaron Fox wasn't a member of the team for the vast majority of that time, but Paul is still too cheap for his role. 

The Spurs defense took a massive hit with the unfortunate Wemby news. Booker and Durant have traded ceiling performances over the Suns last three games, and it would not surprise anyone to see one of them go off again tonight. Both of them are excellent tournament plays. 

We were raving about the total in this game last night on the Preview show, and it has increased three points to 251 now. Memphis plays at the fastest pace in the league, and Indiana plays at the 6th-fastest. We should have a track meet on our hands. Bane has been incredibly consistent of late, playing at least 35 minutes and scoring at least 37 FP in each of his last five games. 

Portland has lengthiest injury report on the slate, with Deandre Ayton already ruled out and three other rotation pieces listed questionable. The Lakers are on a back-to-back after an embarrassing loss to the Hornets last night. If a another impactful player like Grant or Henderson is also ruled out, Simons upside goes through the roof. 

Coby White has been awful in his last two games, but he should theoretically have an improved role with Zach LaVine shipped out of town. The Bulls need him to be an impactful scorer if they hope to keep this game close. 

Vassell leads the Spurs with a 26.5% usage rate with Wemby off the floor this season. The addition of De'Aaron Fox obviously impacts that, but Vassell should be the second option in the offense now. The matchup is a good one against the Suns, who have really struggled defensively this season. 

Tatum went nuts on this Philly team earlier this month, posting a 35-7-11 in 44 minutes. Embiid did not play in that game, but I still like the upside for Tatum tonight. We often see stars get extended minutes in rivalry games, and that was evident the last time these two teams met. 

Franz is putting together a breakout season and gets a phenomenal matchup against the Hawks tonight. Atlanta plays at the 2nd-fastest pace in the league, and their defense has been trending in the wrong direction with Jalen Johnson out and De'Andre Hunter traded. 

Kawhi played at least 31 minutes in three straight games before resting the game before the break. He has incredible upside at his price tag in the low-$7k range. 

MPJ scored at least 30 points in three straight games before going down with a hamstring injury. The Nuggets are back to full health now, so he may not have the same upside. But it could be worth a shot in GPPs if he comes out launching again. 

Josh Hart is out, OG Anunoby is questionable, and the Knicks have an elite matchup with the Bulls. Bridges has really been struggling lately, but this is a great “get-right” spot. 

Barnes should come with much lower ownership than some of his teammates and he has flashed real ceiling at times this season. For example, he had a three game stretch at the end of January where he put up 35+ fantasy points in each game. The matchup is good against Phoenix, who ranks 25th in DRtg. 

A calf injury has caused Giannis to miss the last six games and he gets a tough matchup with the Clippers, so there is plenty of risk here. However, you can rarely get one of the best fantasy producers in the league at sub-5% ownership, and that figures to be the case tonight. I have tournament interest unless there is a significant minutes restriction announced. 

LeBron was excellent last night against the Hornets, but the Lakers still managed to lose the game. Luka still hasn't quite found the groove with his new team as he knocks off the injury rust, so LeBron is the one I am trusting for ceiling. The back-to-back is not ideal for the 40-year old, but he has shown no signs of that being an issue this season. 

The Spurs defense took a massive hit with the unfortunate Wemby news. Booker and Durant have traded ceiling performances over the Suns last three games, and it would not surprise anyone to see one of them go off again tonight. Both of them are excellent tournament plays. 

Paolo has picked it up lately and now gets a great matchup against the Hawks, who play at the 2nd-fastest pace in the league. Franz Wagner has generated ceiling performance more frequently than Paolo this season, but there is still massive upside in the former number one overall pick. 

Siakam is in the best game environment of the night and has been more aggressive lately. He has posted a usage rate of 25.9% over his last nine games, which gives him a great ceiling with the pace of this game. 

Sochan is likely to step into some Center minutes with Wemby now out for the season. Zach Collins was traded and Charles Bassey is out, so the Spurs are extremely thin in the front court. Sochan hasn't played 30 minutes since the calendar flipped to 2025, but he has a chance to tonight. 

Achiuwa has played great while OG Anunoby has been out. Anunoby has a chance to return tonight, but now Josh Hart is out. Achiuwa should remain in the starting lineup and has a chance to play 30+ minutes for the sixth consecutive game. 

Bol saw his role increase in a big way after the trade deadline, and he has ran with the opportunity. Bradley Beal is expected to return tonight, so there is some risk Bol loses time. I still think he has a significant role off the bench, as he has surpassed Mason Plumlee and Ryan Dunn in the rotation with his recent performance. 

Jon made a great point on the Preview show last night. Grizzlies Center Zach Edey is really going to struggle to defend the athletic Myles Turner out on the perimeter, where he is capable of doing significant damage. This could lead to a significant minutes bump for Santi Aldama. We are speculating a bit, so proceed with caution, but Aldama should at least be locked in for his typical low-20s minutes role. 

Jokic is in an elite spot tonight against the Hornets and yet he still not projected to be all that popular. Mark Williams has been ruled out which significantly impacts the Hornets defense, and they were already not good to begin with. The Nuggets are healthy again and Joker is nearly $13k, but he still has the highest ceiling on the slate. 

Embiid played 38 minutes in his final game before the break. He is underpriced for his production if he is going to see that level of playing time. It is a tough matchup against the defending champs, but Embiid can crush in any matchup. 

Towns is in an elite spot against the Bulls, a team he has destroyed twice already this season. He has scored 44 and 46 actual points in their two meetings this season. He is one of the top plays on the entire slate. 

Vuc has looked pretty uninterested in playing for this team of late. He did have a good performance last time out against the Pistons, but he was dreadful the two games prior. There is significant risk, but also upside on a team that lacks a top scorer. 

Mark Williams is out, so Nurkic is expected to draw the Jokic assignment tonight. The Hornets do still have Diabate lurking, and will likely use a hot hand approach to determine the minutes distribution. Nurkic has a ton of upside if he is able to play well and stay out of foul trouble. 

Deandre Ayton is out and Robert Williams is questionable. Clingan might have to play a ton of minutes tonight if Williams is also ruled out. The risk is the Lakers just might go small and run Clingan off the court. If he is able to keep up, the rookie has legitimate upside for 20 rebounds.