This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
There are only three games on tap for Thursday, really limiting the pool of available players. But among this few games is a very high concentration of the highest scoring players in DFS. Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Kevin Durant and LeBron James are all going on Thursday night. This looks like a good day for a "stars and scrubs" strategy. The Rockets/Lakers game is particularly exciting, because it matches up two of the worst defenses in the league in one game.
Point Guard
D'Angelo Russell, $5700 vs HOU: The Number 2 overall pick in the 2015 draft is finally starting to put it together, with two 39+ FPts games in his last three outings. Over his last four games he is averaging 19.5 points and 5.0 assists, becoming a leader in truth for the Lakers' offense. On Thursday he faces a Houston Rockets defense that is 28th in the NBA in defending opposing point guards.
Shooting Guard
James Harden, $10,800 at LAL: It is always an easy sell to have the most productive shooting guard in the NBA on your team, but it can be difficult to justify/find the money. But on Thursday there are enough low-priced options at other positions that it's justifiable to have Harden and still another max player or two (see below). Meanwhile, Harden takes his 47.3 FPts/G average up against a Lakers defense that gives up a lot of production to opposing lead guards.
Kobe Bryant, $6800 vs HOU: Bryant has put together a stretch of good play, seeming to have settled down a bit after his retirement announcement and letting the game come to him more. Over his last two games he has averaged 23.5 points, 6.0 assists, 5.0 boards and 1.5 steals for about 40 FPts/G. On Thursday he faces a Rockets defense that is last in the NBA at production allowed to opposing small forwards.
Small Forward
LeBron James, $10,300 vs Kevin Durant, $10,300: LeBron and Durant are facing each other in prime time, re-kindling one of the biggest rivalries of this generation. Both average in the mid-to-upper 40s of FPts/G, and both will have the additional motivation of trying to one-up one of their few peers. And there's really not a lot else at the small forward position, with both Nicolas Batum and DeMarre Carroll battling injury. On Thursday, one or both of the elite small forwards should be worth the money.
Power Forward
Cody Zeller, $3900 and Frank Kaminsky, $3800, vs TOR: Zeller and Kaminsky are both low-priced big man options for the Hornets that have quietly been productive with Al Jefferson injured. Zeller is averaging 22.4 FPts/G over his last six outings, including a 22.4 FPts performance on Wednesday against the Magic, while Kaminsky is averaging 20.3. Both are outperforming their near-minimum price tag.
Luis Scola, $4500 vs CHA: Scola had a quiet night in his last outing against the Pacers, but in his three previous games he had averaged 16.7 points and 7.0 boards which translated to 27.2 FPts/G. On Thursday he faces a Hornets frontline that is 29th in the NBA in production allowed to opposing power forwards.
Center
Timofey Mozgov, $3800 vs OKC: Mozgov got off to a slow start after returning from his shoulder injury, but over the last couple of outings he seems to have found his game. Over his last two he has averaged 13 points, 7 boards and 1.5 blocks per game with 21.3 FPts and 27 FPts in those two outings. Again, scoring in the 20s of FPts for under $4000 would be very good value.
