This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
The NBA has an eight-game schedule tonight, an unusually large number for a Thursday. This means that there are a lot more options than usual available on Thursday, opening up the potential play list. The main event game of the night is the Thunder at the Rockets, matching the two biggest scoring threats in fantasy head-to-head in a battle of former teammates Russell Westbrook and James Harden. Another game of interest is the Lakers at the Trail Blazers, as it pits two offensive-minded, backcourt-driven offenses against each other in a game where there could be lots of value for relatively affordable players.
Russell Westbrook (12,400) & James Harden ($12,000), OKC at HOU: Westbrook and Harden are always the obvious candidates to lead all guards (and players) in fantasy scoring in a given night, but on Thursday they stand out further because of lack of elite competition. Damian Lillard is still battling a sprained ankle, and both Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan have to face the elite Jazz defense on Thursday. Meanwhile, Westbrook and Harden are former teammates that will be facing off against each other as the likely 1-2 in most MVP ballots at this point in the season. The stage would seem to be set for fireworks.
C.J. McCollum, POR vs LAL ($8,000): McCollum is the only other guard outside of the Hulk and the Beard with a recent expected value over 40 fantasy points. McCollum has been scoring more heavily in his point guard role in Damian Lillard's absence, and over his last three games is averaging 35.7 points, 5.3 boards, 3.0 assists and 2.3 combined blocks and steals. On Thursday, he is on the second half of a B2B but is facing a porous Lakers D that ranks 22nd against opposing point guards over the past 10 games.
Tony Parker, SA ad DEN ($4,600): This rec comes with an asterisk, as Greg Popovich could happen at any time and sit Parker for rest without warning. With that said, he's been in the midst of a throwback stretch where he's averaged 17.6 points, 5.8 assists, 2.2 boards and only 1.6 assists in 26.6 minutes per over his last five to out-produce his price tag. Plus, his Thursday opponent, the Nuggets, rank 24th in the NBA in production allowed to opposing point guards over the past 10 games.
Anthony Davis, NO vs ATL ($11,100): Davis is the only forward on Thursday with a reasonable expected value in the range of Westbrook or Harden. Davis' numbers are actually "down" of late, as he is only averaging 21 points, 13.3 boards, 2.0 steals, 1.7 blocks and 1.7 assists over his last three games as part of what I've seen described as a mini-slump. However, the four games before his slump are more representative of his usual healthy expectation, when he averaged 30.3 points, 17 boards, 2.5 blocks and 2.3 assists. On Thursday, he faces a Hawks defense that has either the size (Dwight Howard) or the versatility (Paul Millsap) to match up with Davis, but not both in one defender. Thus, Davis has a good chance to break out of his "slump".
Paul George, IND vs BKN ($7,900): For the record, the forward with the best value in this price range is Nikola Jokic at $7,100. But the article format dictates a small forward in this slot, and George is also solid value with his 40+ fantasy points potential and a Thursday opponent in the Nets that rank 25th in the NBA in production allowed to opposing small forwards over the past 10 games.
Derrick Favors, UTA at TOR ($4,500): Favors has been on my watch list for the last couple of weeks, and he continues to ramp up both time played and production. Favors started, played 29 minutes, and produced 12 points with seven assists and six boards in his last outing. He is starting to approach his normal level of minutes, and his normal level of production is clearly above his current price tag.
Andre Drummond, DET vs CHA ($7,900): Drummond's production can be streaky for an elite prospect, but in the last couple of games he's seemed to be in the midst of a hot streak. He has averaged 22.5 points, 16 boards and 2.0 blocks over his last two games. And on Thursday, he faces a Hornets defense that ranks 25th in the NBA in production allowed to opposing centers.
Steven Adams, OKC at HOU ($5,600): Adams has shaped up into an impact player this season. Over his last six outings he is averaging 15.3 points, 8.8 boards, 2.1 combined steals/blocks and 1.8 assists as his offensive synergy with Russell Westbrook just continues to grow.
Jusuf Nurkic, DEN vs SA ($4,100): Nurkic started off the season playing extremely well, but he fell out of the rotation as his game didn't seem compatible with that of Nikola Jokic. In his last couple of games, though, he has earned more minutes off the bench and has made the most of them. In his last two outings, Nurkic is averaging 15.5 points, 6.0 boards, 4.0 assists, a block and a steal in 19.5 minutes per game. He may not be able to maintain that pace without more minutes, but he has scored in double figures in 13 of the 15 games in which he has played at least 20 minutes, so if he has some track record of efficient production when given the chance.
