This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
Thursday's modest NBA slate features just four games, but it has the potential to be very fruitful, with four of the league's six worst defensive teams in action. The Kings and Lakers each have an opportunity to take advantage of each other's mediocrity, while the Hawks and Jazz should have no problems scoring in their road matchups in Philadelphia and Houston, respectively. With the night's fourth game featuring two top-10 offenses in Chicago and Boston, there is no shortage of approaches to take when setting your lineup despite the light schedule.
GUARD
Jimmy Butler, CHI vs. BOS ($39) - Butler has been on a scoring binge of late, averaging 31.3 points per game over his last four. The shooting guard probably won't maintain that pace for much longer, but the rest of his game should allow him to continue to outperform his $39 valuation. He has also averaged 6.3 assists per game in that span, including a season-high 10 in Derrick Rose's return Tuesday against the Bucks. Butler's firing on all cylinders right now, and he's got the ball in his hands enough to keep doing so even with Rose back in the fold.
Jordan Clarkson, LAL at SAC ($23) - With both Kobe Bryant (shoulder) and D'Angelo Russell (illness) listed as game-time decisions, Clarkson could be in line for a massive offensive workload. Even if one or both play, there's a lot to like about the second-year guard against the NBA's worst defense. Clarkson has averaged a well-rounded line of 17.2 points, 4.2 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 0.8 3-pointers per game over his last five, and he scored 29.8 fantasy points in his only other meeting with the Kings this season.
Guard to Avoid:
Derrick Rose, Chi at BOS ($23) - Rose played 35 minutes Tuesday against the Bucks in his return from a hamstring injury, but be scored only 21.2 fantasy points. The oft-injured point guard simply underperforms his salary much too often to be trusted. With better bang-for-the-buck alternatives available on his own roster, and so many other players in action facing less proficient defenses, it's tough to justify placing the 2011 MVP in your lineup.
Others to Avoid: Isaiah Thomas ($40), Lou Williams ($20), Marcus Smart ($14)
FORWARD
Evan Turner, BOS at CHI ($21) - With Avery Bradley (hip) unlikely to play Thursday, Turner should once again start at shooting guard for the Celtics. Turner averages four assists and almost five rebounds in 27 minutes per game this season, but he has been asked to play north of 35 minutes with Bradley sidelined over the past few games. He had already been heating up with 27.6 fantasy points per game in his last three appearances before the shooting guard went down, so Turner's combination of recent production, heavy minutes and ability to gather secondary stats makes him an excellent high-floor play.
Taj Gibson, CHI vs. BOS ($18) - The going rate for Gibson is still just $18, even though the big man has dominated since Joakim Noah (shoulder) got hurt on Dec. 21. In eight appearances since that date, Gibson has averaged 9.0 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks while playing over 33 minutes per game. As long as Noah is out, Gibson is capable of putting up a double-double nearly every night.
Forward to Avoid:
Julius Randle, LAL at SAC ($23) - Randle makes for a tempting play against Sacramento's porous defense until you realize that he is worth $23 despite having scored exactly two points in both of his last two games. The young forward is locked into a reserve role behind Larry Nance at the moment, and he is playing fewer than 20 minutes per game so far in January. Until he regains his starting spot, Randle is an underwhelming fantasy option.
Others to Avoid: Kobe Bryant ($29), Clint Capela ($20), Robert Covington ($19), Jerami Grant ($16)
CENTER
Jeff Withey, UTA at HOU ($12) - It's easy to know what to expect from Withey after he and the Jazz just played Houston on Monday. The seven-footer flirted with a double-double while recording 32.2 fantasy points, and even a major decline in production in their rematch three days later would make him an excellent value play at just $12. With Derrick Favors (back) out for the foreseeable future and Rudy Gobert (knee) looking like he's not quite ready to jump back into the lineup, Withey should continue to see north of 30 minutes per game due to the lack of viable replacements on the roster. Even against Dwight Howard, it's tough not to grab a few rebounds at his size with so much playing time.
Center to Avoid:
Jahlil Okafor, PHI vs. ATL ($26) - Okafor squandered his start Monday against the Timberwolves by scoring just 10 points with three rebounds. The rookie has seen his playing time slashed to just 20 minutes per game since returning from injury, and it's difficult to pick up enough stats in that little time to return value at $26.
Others to Avoid: Kelly Olynyk ($16), Bobby Portis ($12)
