This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Here we go with a brief two-game slate on Thursday, March 7.
Per usual, we have some injuries to monitor with potential for more while moving closer to tip-off. You'll want to stay in the loop with Rotowire's NBA News Feed before setting your final lineups. As of Thursday morning, these are the situations we are looking at:
- Evan Turner is out. Moe Harkless held some nice DFS value with Turner out in five recent games, and he'll look to get back to that.
- These notable players will continue to miss time: Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis
With that, I'll be breaking down the best fantasy choices on DraftKings for Thursday. The following write-ups contain a blend of cash game staples, bargain fillers, and tournament pivots.
GUARDS
Damian Lillard – POR vs. OKC ($8,100): Russell Westbrook is probably too expensive on this slate, unless more value opportunities are presented. That has me looking towards Lillard with a $3,000 discount on DraftKings. This is a competitive home draw for Portland with a strong 233 over/under. Lillard has been somewhat mediocre in back-to-back games, but this seems like a breakout spot in his first night home following a grueling seven-game road trip. The last time these two teams met, Lillard posted 54 fantasy points. I wouldn't be surprised if he posts a similar total this evening.
C.J. McCollum – POR vs. OKC ($6,100): McCollum checks in as a fine mid-range pick in the best fantasy environment of the night. His production has been all over the place lately, ranging from 19-51 fantasy points over the last five games. However, this is only a two-game slate, so we'll need to embrace some risk while building a viable lineup. McCollum posted 26 fantasy points through 37 minutes in his last meeting with the Thunder, but he was only 5-20 from the field that night. He should see plenty of shots and minutes to post respectable fantasy production in this rematch.
Other guards to consider: Russell Westbrook - OKC at POR ($11,100), Eric Bledsoe – MIL vs. IND ($6,400), Wesley Matthews - IND at MIL ($4,300)
FORWARDS
Paul George – OKC at POR ($9,700): George checks in as a much better "per dollar" value than Giannis Antetokounmpo at small forward. A $1,500 discount certainly helps that notion. George returned from a three-game absence on Tuesday, and it's nice to see he logged 38 minutes in that contest. His efficiency could've used some improvement, but I'm expecting George to get back on track while facing a Portland team that ranks 29th in defensive efficiency to small forwards. Needless to say, he's a building block for my DraftKings' lineups through all formats.
Bojan Bogdanovic – IND at MIL ($6,000): Bogdanovic will continue to step up with Sabonis sidelined and Oladipo out for the season. The Indiana forward has thrived in that role with a strong 44 fantasy point average over his last three games. The matchup looks reasonably good on paper as well, given that Milwaukee ranks 21st in defensive efficiency to opposing small forwards. Bogdanovic makes for a smooth mid-range lift through all formats tonight.
Maurice Harkless – POR vs. OKC ($4,200): As mentioned earlier, Turner will not play for Portland tonight. That frees Harkless to secure minutes in a strong matchup against Oklahoma City, who ranks 26th in defensive efficiency to small forwards. Harkless has looked good over his past six games with a consistent 31 FPPG average. It's worth noting that Turner missed five of those contests, and his absence should help Harkless find solid production yet again.
Other forwards to consider: Thaddeus Young – IND at MIL ($5,700), Al-Farouq Aminu – POR vs OKC ($3,900)
CENTERS
Myles Turner – IND at MIL ($6,200): The center position is full of mid-range players who look good but not necessarily great in their respective matchups. Turner has been somewhat inconsistent lately, but he stands out as someone to take a chance on within that group. The draw is pretty good while playing up in pace against a Milwaukee team that ranks 29th in rebound rate. Racking up 17 blocks over the past three games doesn't hurt his fantasy production either.
Brook Lopez – MIL vs. IND ($5,300): Lopez is a little bit cheaper than Turner if you need the savings. It's encouraging to see that Lopez logged 35 minutes on February 13th when these two teams last met. They'll probably need his size to counter Turner in the middle, which should present Lopez with numerous opportunities to post some numbers. Most of Lopez's fantasy viability is tied to hitting jumpers, so that's the risk/reward scenario we are looking at.
Other centers to consider: Jusuf Nurkic – POR vs. OKC ($6,700), Enes Kanter – POR vs. OKC ($4,000)
