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

LaMelo had another horrific shooting night last time out against the Clippers. He is an uncomfortable click best reserved for large-field tournaments until he can find more consistency with his shot making. 

Lillard has posted two floor games in a row, but he did put up 22-6-10 against the Lakers earlier this month. Los Angeles will be down LeBron James and Luka Doncic, so it is a plus matchup for Dame. 

UPDATE: Lillard has been downgraded to questionable and there are blowout concerns now with Austin Reaves getting ruled out. 

Haliburton has been finding ceiling performances with great frequency of late, but he is questionable on the injury report and his status final could shake up the slate. If he plays, I have interest against a bad Brooklyn defense. If Haliburton sits, Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin become intriguing mid-range options. 

Brooklyn is without two of their top usage guys in Cam Thomas and Cameron Johnson, which means more shots for everyone else. D-Lo ranks second on the team with a 26.3% usage rate, and the usage rate has been above 28% with Thomas and Johnson off the floor. 

The Lakers will be without Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves. All five starters are in the conversation for top value on the slate. Goodwin and Vincent should be locked in for 30+ minutes, and Knecht has a chance to join them. I like Shake Milton even if he is coming off the bench as well. 

The Lakers will be without Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves. All five starters are in the conversation for top value on the slate. Goodwin and Vincent should be locked in for 30+ minutes, and Knecht has a chance to join them. I like Shake Milton even if he is coming off the bench as well. 

Monk put up 22-6-8 last game with Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine out. LaVine is expected to return tonight, but Sabonis is out again. The Bulls have been playing better defense lately (9th in DRtg last 10 games), but they still play at one of the fastest paces in the league. 

Bridges has stepped up his play with an average of 21.8 points per game since the injury to Jalen Brunson. He gets a matchup against a bad Charlotte defense. 

Keon Johnson has posted a healthy 24.5% usage rate with Cam Thomas and Cameron Johnson off the floor this season. He has a path to play 30 minutes in an up-tempo matchup with the Pacers. 

The Lakers will be without Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves. All five starters are in the conversation for top value on the slate. Goodwin and Vincent should be locked in for 30+ minutes, and Knecht has a chance to join them. I like Shake Milton even if he is coming off the bench as well. 

Butler continues to play great basketball since joining the Warriors. Steph will be back for this one, but they get a matchup against the tanking Raptors. 

Hart is always live for 40+ minutes and a backdoor triple-double. Charlotte also ranks top 10 in both blocks and steals allowed. 

DeRozan has seen a meaningful bump in usage (+2.2%) and assist rate (+6.1%) with Domantas Sabonis off the floor. The Kings have the highest implied team total on the slate against the fast-paced Bulls. 

Anunoby has posted 40+ fantasy points in three of the last six games Jalen Brunson has missed, including one 55 FP performance against the Kings. He gets a good matchup against the Hornets. 

The Lakers will be without Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves. All five starters are in the conversation for top value on the slate. Goodwin and Vincent should be locked in for 30+ minutes, and Knecht has a chance to join them. I like Shake Milton even if he is coming off the bench as well. 

Ziaire Williams has played at least 28 minutes in six straight games, and he has a path to play even more tonight with Cameron Johnson joining Cam Thomas on the list of inactives. Ziaire has posted 0.86 FPPM this season. 

We expected the Lakers to be without Luka Doncic and LeBron James, but blowout concerns elevated when Austin Reaves was also ruled out. Damian Lillard was downgraded to questionable shortly after the Lakers ruled out Reaves, so we need to stay tuned into news for this game. 

Siakam has posted at least 40 fantasy points in four straight games and Haliburton is questionable on the injury report. Siakam has not received a meaningful boost with Haliburton off the floor this season, so I actually like Siakam more if Hali plays. 

Draymond continues to play great basketball this season and his minutes have held steady in the low 30s even with the return of Jonathan Kuminga. He gets an elite matchup with the tanking Raptors.

Kuminga is likely still on a bit of a minutes restriction, but we have seen him play as many as 27 minutes in a game since his return. He has a very attractive price tag if he plays into the upper-20s again, especially given the matchup against the tanking Raptors. 

KAT has posted a usage rate above 33% with Jalen Brunson off the floor this season. He has topped 50 fantasy points in just one of the most recent six games Brunson has missed, but I am going to keep chasing the ceiling. 

JoVal has been a FPPM beast in his career and that remains true as he has filled in for Domantas Sabonis. The minutes have been very inconsistent lately, but he has a good chance to play mid-20s tonight in a matchup with the also aging Vucevic on the other side. 

We can't expect more than 30 minutes from Vucevic these days, but I like this spot for him with Sabonis out on the other side. He should be able to exploit the matchup against Valanciunas and find some open looks on the perimeter. 

Claxton has found floor games far more often than ceiling games recently, but there are reasons for optimism tonight. Cam Thomas and Cameron Johnson are out for this up-tempo matchup with the Pacers. Indiana has allowed the 2nd-most points in the paint this season and is below average in rebounding. 

The Lakers will be without Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves. All five starters are in the conversation for top value on the slate. Goodwin and Vincent should be locked in for 30+ minutes, and Knecht has a chance to join them. I like Shake Milton even if he is coming off the bench as well. 

The Lakers will be without Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves. All five starters are in the conversation for top value on the slate. Goodwin and Vincent should be locked in for 30+ minutes, and Knecht has a chance to join them. I like Shake Milton even if he is coming off the bench as well.