This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
While there are only five games on the main slate for Thursday, there's still plenty of things to keep in mind, including which stars should be utilized. The following list of players should give DFS owners a guideline for who to potentially build around:
GUARDS:
Russell Westbrook, OKC at DEN ($12,300): While Westbrook has one of the highest salaries on Thursday's slate, he also has one of the more favorable matchups, as the Nuggets have given up the most FanDuel points to point guards on the season. If you can find enough cheaper options to fit Westbrook at the top, go ahead and do so considering his upside in this matchup. Westbrook has logged 60-plus FanDuel points in three of the last four games and four of the last six, so he's firing on all cylinders.
Malcolm Brogdon, MIL at MIN ($5,400): The Bucks have officially ruled out Eric Bledsoe (ankle) for Wednesday's contest, which means Brogdon should get even more opportunities to play on the ball. Whether he remains at shooting guard or shifts over to point guard, a potential increase in usage and minutes gives me enough confidence to use Brogdon at a price of just $5,400. In an extended 35 minutes last Monday, Brogdon showed his upside with 32 points, four rebounds, two assists and three steals, which was good enough for 46.8 FanDuel points
Wayne Selden, MEM at DET ($3,600): The Grizzlies are without a handful of players in the backcourt, including Mike Conley (heel), Tyreke Evans (coach's decision) and Mario Chalmers (hamstring). That should allow Selden to pick up another start and see a hefty workload once again. In his last two contests, Selden has posted 36.8 and 26.4 FanDuel points, respectively, which easily surpasses value at a $3,600 price. For that reason, Selden becomes one of the more intriguing cheap options Thursday.
FORWARDS:
Jimmy Butler, MIN vs MIL ($8,900): Butler had a solid, but not spectacular, showing against the Bucks in their first meeting this season, posting 38.5 FanDuel points in that contest. However, he's been playing fairly well of late, averaging 24.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 block across 38.0 minutes during his last five games, so I'm rolling with the hot hand here. Coach Tom Thibodeau loves to run his starters into the ground, so Butler is going to get as many minutes he can handle. The Bucks are also set to be without Eric Bledsoe (ankle), so they'll be short-handed.
Otto Porter, WAS vs TOR ($7,100): Porter will once again be tasked with stepping up offensively following the loss of John Wall (knee), who's expected to miss the next 6-to-8 weeks. In two games with Wall sidelined, Porter has posted impressive averages of 21.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists 2.0 steals and 1.0 block across 32.5 minutes, so he's clearly doing everything he can to fill in with added play making. For that reason, fantasy owners can fire him up in lineups with confidence at a respectable upper mid-tier price.
Reggie Bullock, DET vs MEM ($4,700): Bullock will continue to work with the starters following the trade for Blake Griffin, which also sent both Avery Bradley and Tobias Harris to Los Angeles. Bullock has logged 30 or more minutes in three straight games and Griffin's arrival Thursday shouldn't directly impact that. Bullock has averaged 28.5 FanDuel points during that stretch, which is more than enough to hit value on a $4,700 price. If you need a salary break to fit in Westbrook up top, Bullock could be one of those players that helps you do so.
CENTERS:
Nikola Jokic, DEN vs OKC ($9,500): There aren't many cheaper centers that are worthy of usage for Thursday's slate, so you're likely going to be stuck paying up. Jokic is one of the top candidates despite his hefty price tag considering his ability to rack up multi-category production. Jokic has had at least 40 FanDuel points in four of the last five games, which gives him a fairly safe floor. However, his triple-double potential on any given night always gives him a high upside as well, so consider rolling him out if you can afford him.
Steven Adams, OKC at DEN ($7,000): Adams is about as low as I'd go in terms of price at the center position, as it's pretty barren below him. He has a floor of about 30 FanDuel points, but has a fairly decent matchup against the Nuggets, who are about middle of the pack when it comes to FanDuel points given up to the center position. This contest is also surprisingly the highest over/under on the night, which is always something to key in on when looking at DFS slates.
