This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
The NBA has a relatively busy Thursday night with five games of action. The two biggest games of the night feature the Celtics and Bucks locking horns for the second time in two weeks, as well as the Clippers at the Trail Blazers. Injuries in the Hawks at Bulls and Pelicans at Kings games make them interesting as well, and of course the latter game features DeMarcus Cousins returning to his old stomping grounds, very possibly as a lone wolf if running mate Anthony Davis (knee) is unable to go. As always, let's dig down to find the value plays.
Guard (premium/affordable)
De'Aaron Fox, SAC vs NO ($5,700): There aren't any premium priced guards on Thursday night that have been consistently playing up to their price tags of late, so Fox gets the call here for his strong play to start his rookie season. He is averaging 15.3 points, 5.3 boards, 5.0 assists and 1.3 steals in his last three games.
Guard (moderate)
Buddy Hield, SAC vs NO ($5,100): This slot almost went to Yogi Ferrell, but he moved to the bench on Wednesday so that the Mavericks could get more size in their starting line-up against the same Grizzlies team they are playing on Thursday. Hield and Lou Williams are both scoring guards, same price, both with one poorer game among their other solid games so far. Hield ultimately gets this spot because he has a good matchup on paper against the team that drafted and traded him, which could give him an edge.
Guard (affordable)
Malcolm Delaney, ATL at CHI ($4,800): Delaney got the start on Monday in place of Dennis Schroder, who is out again on Thursday, and scored a modest 10 points with four boards and two steals. However, he did play 33 minutes against a solid Heat defense. On Thursday, he'll face a poor Bulls squad and, as a starting point guard at a value price, has the upside to produce solid starting caliber stats.
Forward (premium)
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL vs BOS ($12,400): Antetokounmpo's price is absurd, but looking at the available small forwards on Thursday…it still looks like value. He is averaging 63.5 fantasy points through four games, more than twice as much as Danilo Gallinari or Jaylen Brown (the next two highest-priced small forwards), but his price is less than twice theirs. Barring an in-game injury, Antetokounmpo is both mega productive and consistent enough to be worth his price tag.
Forward (moderate/premium)
Blake Griffin, LAC at POR ($9,800): Griffin is more premium than moderate priced, but again he's more deserving of his cost than his peers. Anthony Davis is questionable with a knee injury, and both Jason Tatum and Lauri Markkanen have been playing well but are priced at the high-point of their expected value on Thursday while Griffin is priced right in line with expectation.
Forward (affordable)
Evan Turner, POR vs LAC ($5,600): Turner is one of a trio of Trail Blazers that was considered for this spot, as Al-Farouq Aminu and Ed Davis have also been solid value for their price. Turner has been the most consistent of the group, though, and is coming off a performance of 13 points, seven boards, four assists, one block and one steal in an effort that shows his all-around potential nicely.
Center (premium)
DeMarcus Cousins, NO at SAC ($11,800): Cousins has been a monster all season, but a) his running mate Anthony Davis is questionable and may not play on Thursday, b) he's facing his former Kings team, in Sacramento and c) the Kings have no interior defense capable of slowing him down. Taken together, these factors suggest that Cousins could potentially live up to or even surpass his lofty price tag.
Center (moderate)
Marc Gasol, MEM vs DAL ($8,800): Gasol has been outstanding all season, and just played this same Mavericks squad on Wednesday night while producing a line of 26 points, 11 boards, four assists and two steals in a loss. The Grizzlies are at home on Thursday, looking to split the home-and-home back-to-back, and the Mavericks still don't have anyone that can contain Gasol.
Center (affordable)
Robin Lopez, CHI vs ATL ($5,800): Lopez started the season with two strong games before his last clunker against the Cavs. However, on Thursday he faces a much weaker team, at home, and if the game is competitive he has the ability to produce against a non-descript Hawks front line.
