This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
After a thin, two-game schedule to begin the second half of the season, Thursday's FanDuel slate offers up a whopping 11 games. The site also has a late-slate offering, and there's typically a lot of overlay in those contests. If you're around for lock and plan on late sapping throughout the evening, I'd recommend looking to those contests.
SLATE OVERVIEW
DET @ CHA (-5) O/U: 221.5
BOS @ BKN (-3) O/U: 234.5
ATL @ TOR (+2) O/U: 227.5
NYK @ MIL (-11) O/U: 222
MIN @ NOR (-8) O/U: 239
PHI @ CHI (-3.5) O/U: 229.5
ORL @ MIA (-6.5) O/U: 214
DAL @ OKC (+6.5) O/U: 218.5
GSW @ MIL (-7.5) O/U: 231.5
HOU @ SAC (-4.5) O/U: 227.5
PHO @ POR (+4) O/U: 226.5
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
Games/Teams to Target in BOLD
Games /Teams to Fade in ITALICS
INJURIES
DET Delon Wright (groin) - QUESTIONABLEDET
Wright may return to the lineup today, but Dennis Smith ($5,500) and Wayne Ellington ($4,000) would be the top two candidates for output if he stays out.
BKN Kevin Durant (hamstring) - OUT
BKN Blake Griffin (injury management) - OUT
BKN Jeff Green (shoulder) - QUESTIONABLE
BKN Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (knee) - QUESTIONABLE
Brooklyn enters the second half with largely the same injury scenario from a week ago. We'll talk about the elites in a moment, but Bruce Brown ($5,300) will continue to be a safe value call, and you can still justify some run for Joe Harris ($4,700).
TOR Fred VanVleet (COVID-19 protocols) - OUT
TOR Pascal Siakam (COVID- 19 protocols) - OUT
TOR OG Anunoby (COVID -19 protocols) - OUT
TOR Terence Davis (ankle) - QUESTIONABLE
The Raptors are snakebit with health and safety protocols, giving us multiple value options for Thursday's slate. Norman Powell ($7,500) and Stanley Johnson ($3,500) are the top value spots here. We can also work with Kyle Lowry ($8,500) and Chris Boucher ($6,500) against the Hawks.
ORL Aaron Gordon (ankle) - QUESTIONABLE
ORL Evan Fournier (groin) - OUT
Gordon's return would blow up current projections for the Magic, so a wait-and-see approach is likely the best course of action. Michael Carter-Williams ($4,900) should be safe regardless, and Fournier's absence will continue to be beneficial for Terrence Ross ($5,700).
MIA Bam Adebayo (knee) - OUT
Bam continues to sit out, which spells an increased run for Kelly Olynyk ($4,500) once again.
NYK Derrick Rose (COVID -19 protocols) - OUT
NYK Taj Gibson (ankle) - QUESTIONABLE - QUESTIONABLE
Elfrid Payton's ($4,900) return is still the big story here, and he's at a great price with Rose out.
MIN Malik Beasley (suspension) - OUT
MIN D'Angelo Russell (knee) - OUT
MIN Jordan McLaughlin (COVID-19) - OUT
I like Ricky Rubio ($4,700) and Anthony Edwards ($6,500) as the top pivots in this injury scenario.
PHI Joel Embiid (COVID-19 protocols) - OUT
PHI Ben Simmons (COVID-19 protocols) - OUT
Philly is another team with lots of value due to the absence of their two best players. Dwight Howard ($3,800) is an obvious add for Embiid, and Shake Milton ($4,200) figures to be the best fit to replace Simmons, although we will probably see plenty of Seth Curry ($4,200) as well.
HOU Christian Wood (ankle) - OUT
HOU Eric Gordon (knee) - QUESTIONABLE
HOU Danuel House (knee) - OUT
HOU David Nwaba (wrist) - OUT
The Rockets are in a great spot against the Kings, and I'll outline some favorite plays later in the article.
ELITE PLAYERS
We have four players above the 10k threshold today, and at the moment, I like James Harden ($11,500) above the rest of the front-runners. He's playing massive minutes for the Nets and is clearly the top option without Durant. While Kyrie Irving ($9,000) is still a great way to get some of this team at a bit of a discount, Harden's significant multi-category contributions are totally worth the elevated salary.
Luka Doncic ($10,400) has a great matchup against the Thunder, although he is on a back-to-back tonight. If the Mavs decide to rest Kristaps Porzingis, I'd be a bigger fan of Luka. Due to the Knicks' slow pace, Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,300) isn't among my favorite plays tonight, and I feel similarly about Damian Lillard ($10,000), who didn't do enough against the Suns in their last matchup.
As we move into the 9k range, I move past Vucevic and Curry to Karl-Anthony Towns ($9,500). The aforementioned players are in either tough matchups or slow-paced affairs that make me a bit wary. Towns sets up well against Steven Adams and the Pelicans, who continue to struggle. Jimmy Butler ($9,600) isn't in the best-paced matchup, but I will definitely have some exposure to him with Adebayo out. You could do a lot worse than Zach LaVine ($9,400) in a relatively fast-paced game, and I'll round out this price range with Kawhi Leonard ($9,300), who should be able to put up an excellent number against the Warriors.
EXPECTED CHALK
Trae Young, ATL ($8,800) @ TOR
Next to Harden, Young is probably my second-favorite guard on the slate. It's hard to pass up this salary point, as you'll often see Young historically above 9k. Some mediocre totals have caused the salary slide, but we all know that Young has boom potential whenever he takes the floor.
John Wall ($8,200) and Victor Oladipo ($7,700), HOU @ SAC
I like both of these players against the Kings. The majority of Houston's offense will flow through this duo today, and I have no problem locking in both of them as a Houston stack. The majority of my lineups will have one of these players, and I will also stack them.
Brandon Ingram, NO ($7,700) vs. MIN
There's nothing wrong with Zion Williamson at $9,000, but I think Ingram's production will outperform the $1,300 differential if we calculate our FP-per-dollar projections correctly. New Orleans has the potential to be a great filler for many lineups today, as they are in a fast-paced game and have firepower at almost every position.
Tobias Harris, PHI ($6,900) @ CHI
With both Embiid and Simmons out, Harris is in a great spot in a potentially speedy affair. I wouldn't be surprised to see Harris' usage go through the roof in this game, and he will probably out-rebound Howard as well. He's an excellent anchor for both cash and tournament builds.
Also consider: Paul George, LAC ($7,800) vs. GSW
VALUE PLAYS
The slate's best values are in our injury section, but here are a few more options to consider below FanDuel's minimum price.
Al Horford, OKC ($5,900) @ DAL
Marcus Smart, BOS ($5,900) @ BKN
Eric Bledsoe, NOR ($5,400) vs. MIN
Wendell Carter, CHI ($5,300) vs. PHI
There isn't much of a reason to dip too heavily below 5k in this slate unless you are really loading up with 9-10k options. A decent dose of Tobias Harris, John Wall, and Victor Oladipo should give you enough cash to build a winning lineup with room for one elite play.
