Here are some plays that jump out on DraftKings at each position for Thursday’s main NBA slate, along with some strategy unique to this slate.
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Point Guard
Worth Paying Up For: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers vs. Sacramento Kings ($10,700)
There are strong plays in the $8,000 range, but with all the guys sitting in the last game before the All-Star break, the slate is loaded with value. There should be no problem paying up for 2-3 studs, and Lillard’s in a solid spot. He hit the clutch shot to bury the Warriors on Wednesday, but didn’t have a great fantasy outing. The matchup against the Kings leaves a lot of upside, averaging over 52 DKFP against them in a pair of games this season. Both teams have been very high scoring in the first half of the season.
Best Bang For Your Buck: Brad Wanamaker, Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns ($3,000)
After dropping last night’s game in Portland, the Warriors are basically punting this game heading into the break. Without the top two ball handlers in Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, Wanamaker should get a ton of run at PG. Tough to imagine he wont see the minutes to reach value, and he’s also safe to stay on the floor in a potential blowout.
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Shooting Guard
Worth Paying Up For: Norman Powell, Toronto Raptors at Boston Celtics ($7,000)
The Raptors are operating with about half their roster right now, and it led to an ugly home loss to the Pistons on Wednesday. That didn’t stop Powell from filling it up, though, dropping 36 points and 46.25 DKFP. Look for more of the same from Norm.
Best Bang For Your Buck: Wayne Ellington, Detroit Pistons at New York Knicks ($3,400)
Jerami Grant’s ($7,400) status is still up in the air, which will be key. But with Grant out of the rotation on Wednesday, Ellington took over as the go-to scorer, dropping 25 en route to 36.75 DKFP. If Grant is out, look for plenty of popular values to stand out on Detroit. Ellington is the cheapest of the bunch.
Small Forward
Worth Paying Up For: Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers at Washington Wizards ($9,100)
Kawhi was a late scratch on Tuesday, which probably has some DFS players holding a grudge tonight. If he does wind up returning for the final game before the break, he has a ton of upside against this awful Washington defense. The Wizards rank 26th in DKFP allowed to SF, and Kawhi hit the Wiz with 50 DKFP in their last matchup.
Best Bang For Your Buck: Kent Bazemore, Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns ($3,500)
More shorthanded Warriors, who will be hurting for some scoring in this one. Bazemore got the start on Wednesday, finishing with 26 DKFP in 31 minutes, and that was with Steph and Dray’s usage on the floor. Baze should be one of the top scoring options in this offense.
Power Forward
Worth Paying Up For: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks at Memphis Grizzlies ($11,000)
Giannis has held strong in this spot on the Cheat Sheet for a while now. The Bucks got beat good by the Nuggets on Tuesday, but that ended a five-game streak of 60-DKFP for Giannis, who also topped 60-DKFP in eight of his previous nine. Good spot for him to continue his dominance and bounce back from a loss heading into the break. The boost in minutes this season has made all the difference in his consistency.
Best Bang For Your Buck: Yuta Watanabe, Toronto Raptors at Boston Celtics ($3,200)
A punt play from the shorthanded Raptors’ side of things, although Watanabe scored just 5.0 DKFP in 11 minutes on Wednesday. He did start that game, though, so if the lineup remains the same, there’s upside here. His poor performance a night earlier should keep his ownership low.
Center
Worth Paying Up For: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets at Indiana Pacers ($10,900)
Joker has been dominating this current road trip, averaging over 75 DKFP in his last two. He has two triple-doubles in the last three games, and missed it on Monday by one assist. The Pacers are really struggling heading into the break, and are banged up in the frontcourt. They should have a tough time handling a red-hot Jokic.
Best Bang For Your Buck: Eric Paschall, Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns ($3,700)
Paschall will be in the Draymond role for this one, coming off an awful night against Portland. The good news is that after playing just 12 minutes, he’s fresh for plenty of run when the Warriors need him on Thursday. Paschall went for 26.5 DKFP in 22 minutes in mop up duty against the Lakers, and should see meaningful minutes, as well as blowout minutes if this one gets there.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $500K Shootaround [$100K to 1st]
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