This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
There are four games on tap for Thursday, really limiting the pool of available players. On top of that, there aren't very many impact starters to go around so this is a day to take some chances on low-priced guys with a good chance to produce. There are some of those sprinkled throughout that should be able to give you starter production for reserve pricing.
Point Guard
Value options - Darren Collison, $5000 vs NY and/or Shane Larkin, $4400, vs PHI: Collison and Larkin go together here because both are very similar prospects. Both are back-ups on their teams that have played very well of late, but are coming off of a down game. Collison had scored between 20.7 FPts and 30.2 FPts in five straight games before a clunker against the Jazz, a stretch in which he averaged 25.2 FPts/game. Similarly, Larkin had averaged 28.7 FPts/game over his previous three games before a clunker against the Rockets. Collison catches the Knicks at home on the second night of a West Coast back-to-back, while Larkin faces a 76ers team that is just terrible defending point guards. Either or both could make interesting speculation/value picks.
Shooting Guard
Jimmy Butler, $8200 vs LAC: The shooting guard position has Butler, and really nothing else on Thursday. The expected difference between Butler and every other shooting guard on Thursday is huge, and Butler is not that expensive so he is likely to be almost universally owned and put up the most points at the position. Joe Johnson, Arron Afflalo and Jamal Crawford are the most likely to pull a decent game after Butler, but all are inconsistent and not really strong enough prospects to really endorse.
Small Forward
Omri Casspi, $4600 vs NY: Casspi moved into the starting line-up for the Kings when Willie Cauley-Stein went down, and even before that he was playing consistently solid basketball. Casspi has produced more than 20 FPts in six of his last seven games to average 25.0 FPts, and is coming off of a 37 FPts effort in his last outing against the Jazz.
Bojan Bogdanovic, $3900 vs PHI: Bogdanovic has moved back into the starting line-up with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson out for the next few months, and in his first start he responded with 19 points, five boards, two steals and an assist in 38 minutes of action. He may not repeat that line, but he looks in line for major minutes.
Power Forward
Thaddeus Young, $7000 vs PHI: Young has been playing great (averaging 41.4 FPts over last two games), the 76ers are next-to-last in the NBA in limiting production from opposing power forwards, and Young could be extra motivated to produce against his former team.
Center
DeAndre Jordan, $7500 at CHI: If you have the money, and you very well might on this light night, DeMarcus Cousins against a tired and overmatched Knicks front line on the second night of a West Coast back-to-back is the best prospect on the board. However, Jordan also has an excellent match-up against a Bulls defense that absolutely can't defend opposing centers (DFL in the NBA in production allowed to opposing centers). Jordan is just the kind of physical monster that the Bulls are least equipped to handle.
