This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
There are four games on tap for Thursday, about average for this night of the week. Few enough options that there will be lots of overlap, but enough that three will be multiple avenues to success. Especially on this Thursday, as there are a LOT of bad defenses and thus good match-ups on tap…which could lead to some big point totals.
Point Guard
Jeff Teague, ATL at PHI ($6200): Teague is coming off of back-to-back poor games against the Knicks in which he averaged only 12.5 points and 1.5 assists, well below his season averages. He is due for a good game to regress to his mean value, and he is facing a poor 76ers defense.
Darren Collison (if Rondo doesn't play), SAC vs LAL ($5600): The Kings point guard has the best match-up for the position, against a Lakers defense that ranks 29th in the NBA in production allowed to opposing point guards. If Rondo plays he would still be a good pick here, but Collison would be excellent value if Rondo doesn't play because he'd have big potential at a more modest price tag.
Bonus: Jordan Clarkson, LAL at SAC ($6100), Ishmael Smith, PHI vs ATL ($6100), Trey Burke, UTA at HOU (4900): Here are three more point guards with reasonable price tags, impact potential, and a good match-up on Thursday night. All are solid plays on the night.
Shooting Guard
Rodney Hood, UTA at HOU ($5600): Hood laid an absolute egg on Wednesday, scoring only nine points with one rebound, one assist and four turnovers for a total of 7.7 fantasy points in 21 minutes of a blowout loss to the Spurs. In a related note, the Spurs are the number one defense in the NBA against opposing shooting guards. The Rockets, conversely, are 20th in production allowed to opposing shooting guards which should give Hood the chance to make a big bounce-back to the level of the 39.2 FPts/G that he had averaged in the three games leading up to Wednesday.
Louis Williams, LAL at SAC ($5500): Exact same story. Williams is coming off of a 13.9 FPts clunker in his last outing, a blowout loss to the Warriors. Meanwhile, he had averaged 36.8 FPts in the three games leading up to that stinker and he has an excellent match-up on Thursday against the Kings defense that is dead last in the NBA in production allowed to opposing shooting guards.
Bonus: Kent Bazemore, ATL at PHI ($5700), Marco Belinelli, SAC vs LAL ($4300): Here are two more value-priced shooting guards with impact potential and great match-ups on Thursday.
Small Forward
Jae Crowder, BOS at CHI ($6200):Gordon Hayward and Rudy Gay must be acknowledge as impact starters that are facing the 30th and 27th rated defense against opposing small forwards, respectively. Thus, either/both would make excellent starters on Thursday. Crowder also has a solid match-ups against an average Bulls small forward defense, and has scored at least 16 points in five straight games and eight of his last nine to add good scoring to his already insane defensive numbers.
Power Forward
Pau Gasol ($8900), Taj Gibson ($5400), Bobby Portis ($3900), CHI vs BOS: The Celtics have an excellent defensive backcourt, but they are small, unathletic and poor defenders at the big positions with rankings of 25th and 30th against opposing power forwards and centers, respectively. As such, all three of the Bulls' big men are great value on Thursday night.
Center
DeMarcus Cousins, SAC vs LAL ($10,400): Cousins is the most expensive player in the game on Thursday, but based on his match-up (Lakers rank 29th in production allowed to opposing centers) and the way that he's playing (Cousins has scored more than 60 fantasy points in two straight games) it appear that, on paper at least, he's worth the price tag.
