This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Thursday night is usually a light schedule as far as games played, but this week there are five games instead of the usual two or three. So, there are slightly more options than we normally expect, which allows for a bit more line-up variability. And there are some good value plays on Thursday, which should give you the chance to make an overall productive line-up.
Point Guard
Ricky Rubio, $7700, vs MIA. If you sort by FPts/G, there is a clear line separating the three elite scoring options from everyone else at the point guard position. Russell Westbrook is on an island by himself at 51.3 FPts/G, then Rubio (41.2 FPts/G) and Damian Lillard (40.6 FPts/G) have a big lead over Kemba Walker (30.4 FPts/G). Yet Rubio's price tag is much lower than either Westbrook's ($10,800) or Lillard's ($8900), actually closer to Walker's $7200. Thus, with Rubio you get elite production at a more reasonable price tag.
Damian Lillard, $8900, vs MEM. Lillard isn't the obvious price bargain that Rubio is, but he's reasonably priced for a player averaging more than 40 FPts/G. Plus, he has been trending up of late with two straight games of more than 34 actual points scored that have translated to averages of 45.6 FPts in his last two outings against two solid defenses (the Jazz and the Timberwolves). I like the higher, more consistent expected value of Lillard than the lower priced options.
Shooting Guard
C.J. McCollum, $6400, vs MEM. Similar to the point guard position, there is a clear line between the scoring averages of the top-3 shooting guard options and the rest. And again, one of those three scoring options has a price point much lower than the others. McCollum's 33.1 FPts/G at $6400 is a much better value vs cost than either Jimmy Buttler (37 FPts/G, $8000) or Dwyane Wade (31.9 FPts/G, $7100) which makes him stand out as a value play.
Rodney Hood, $4500, at DEN. Hood and Jeremy Lamb are the two best value plays in the next tier down from the best shooting guards, both averaging about 23 FPt/G for similar price tags. But Lamb's production and minutes played are more volatile than Hood's. Lamb has only played more than 20 minutes in a game once this season, which led to his highest scoring game, but it happened in a blowout and thus might not be repeatable. Hood, on the other hand, has a consistent role with between 23 and 29 minutes played in each game that gives us a better idea of what to expect from him.
Small Forward
Al-Farouq Aminu, $5700, vs MEM. Aminu is the third Trail Blazer on this list, because he is another whose value (27 FPts/G) has outstripped his price tag. Much of the production on the Trail Blazers has been concentrated on these three players, with Aminu more than carrying his weight of late. In his last four outings he is averaging almost a double-double on great consistency, with between 13 and 17 points and between seven and 10 rebounds in all four games.
Nicolas Batum, $6600, at DAL. Batum had a light first game of the season, but in the three games since he is averaging 16 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.0 steals, and .7 blocks per game. His consistent all-around play makes him one of the surer things for production at the small forward slot on a light Thursday, in which the only actual "sure thing" is a Kevin Durant who's price point of $10,000 is significantly more than everyone else's.
Power Forward
Marvin Williams, $4800, at DAL. Williams doesn't have a bit name in fantasy sports, but this season he's been starting for the Hornets and he just quietly goes out and is a double-double threat every game. Out of four games this year, he has three with double-digit scoring, three with double-digit rebounds, and three with three assists. Any time that you can get nearly 30 FPts on average from a player that costs less than $5000, you are getting great value.
Center
Karl-Anthony Towns, $6600, vs MIA. Towns has a challenging match-up against Hassan Whiteside, but the rookie again stands out if you look at his average FPts/G vs. his peers'. Towns is one of three centers averaging at least 30 FPts/G, but he's the only one of those centers with a price point under $8000. Towns "struggled" a bit in his last game because foul trouble kept him on the bench, an dhe still managed a reasonably productive outing. If he can stay on the court, he projects to produce beyond his price tag on Thursday.
