This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Thursday's two-game slate poses an interesting challenge to daily games players. There are some huge-name guys that you need in your lineups in order to compete, but which combination of big-salary guys are you going to roll with? With very little variability between FanDuel lineups due to the top-heavy but shallow player pool Thursday, it's vital to make the right selections with the lower-salary players. The point guard position features three of the marquee floor generals in Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, and Kyrie Irving, while other positions like center and shooting guard have some bargain bin options.
Thursday's Value Plays
Point Guard
Russell Westbrook, OKC, $11,000 The Holy Roman Empire was neither holy nor Roman nor an empire and Russell Westbrook isn't a "value play" per se. That said, Westbrook is playing at an unbelievable level, especially now that he doesn't need to share the ball with Kevin Durant. He's nearly averaging a triple-double this month with 29.5 points, 10.1 assists, and 8.2 rebounds through 10 February contests. He's at must-play level despite the price tag, especially on a night with such a light slate.
Kyrie Irving, CLE, $8,400 While it's entirely possible to construct a viable lineup by spending on Westbrook and Curry, it's also true that you're spending 35% of your salary on two players. If you substitute one of those two for Irving, you're still rolling out a great point guard combination and saving yourself at least $1,900 on the salary cap. Irving hasn't had a 40-point night on FanDuel since Feb. 8, but his production since then has still been solid (29.4 FD points in six outings). You can't go wrong with any of these top-3 options Thursday, but using Irving will give you some flexibility to spend elsewhere.
Shooting Guard
J.R. Smith, CLE, $5,300 Shooting guard is bereft of options for the most part on Thursday, but Smith is one of the few viable options out there for under $7K. Smith is coming off a clunker against Detroit where he managed just 15.4 FD points. Outside of that game, Smith has had well over 20 FD points in six of his last seven games. Although Iman Shumpert is starting to carve out a bigger role with the Cavaliers, Smith is still a solid play at shooting guard on Thursday.
Anthony Morrow, OKC, $3,700 Morrow is by no means a lock to put up even 20 FD points Thursday, but he is trending upward since the All-Star break. In four games since the break, Morrow has had 20.4, 9.2, 20.4, and 19.5 FD point outings and has averaged 22.3 minutes per game in that span. He's a good candidate to give a nice return for a near-minimum price. Morrow has produced nearly identical FD points to teammate Dion Waiters since the break, averaging 17.4 compared to Waiters' 17.0. At $800 cheaper than Waiters, Morrow could be a steal Thursday that allows you to beef up elsewhere if you're looking to save at shooting guard.
Small Forward
P.J Tucker, PHO, $4,900 I wrote about Tucker in this space earlier this week and mentioned how his recent production has been a pleasant surprise. He is averaging 30.75 FD points since the All-Star break and is coming off a 12-point, eight-rebound, five-steal outing Wednesday. While Tucker is far from a focal point in Phoenix's offense, his contributions in other counting stats have been very good for a player at his price and position. He's pulled down at least six rebounds in his last seven contests and has scored in double figures in all but one of those games.
Power Forward
Mitch McGary, OKC, $4,000 McGary has been on a hot streak since getting back onto the floor, posting 20+ FD points in three straight games and five of his last seven. His minutes are a bit of a concern, as he rarely gets more than 20 minutes of playing time, but he is efficient when he's on the floor in respect to stuffing the stat sheet. McGary has a good chance to match his rebounding numbers from the last three games (8,7,10) against a mediocre Phoenix frontcourt. Once you roster one of the top three power forwards, McGary is a good secondary option for just $4,000.
Center
Enes Kanter, OKC, $5,800 With the four viable options at center for Thursday all carrying price tags between $5,000 and $5,800, Kanter has the biggest upside. Kanter has fit in well with his new team, averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds in three games with the Thunder. While that is a small sample size, it's worth noting how well Kanter was playing prior to being traded. Kanter scored in double figures in four of his last six games as a member of the Jazz and also had double-digit rebounds in four of those contests. It's a bit of a toss-up at center for Thursday's slate, but Kanter should provide a solid return for under $6K.
