We’ve got a short slate on Thursday night with four games, the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons off the main docket in a rare afternoon matchup. There are a few big names on the injury report we’ll need to monitor, including Jaylen Brown and Rudy Gobert. Let’s take a look at the slate a bit and find some value.
In NBA DFS, you can find quality value plays $5K or under that can give you a quick 10 points off the bench, grab some rebounds, or stuff the stat sheet. It does not matter if you are playing a 50/50 or Double-Up contest, we are going to provide you with three players that you need to put in your lineup.
Josh Hart, POR vs. PHI, $4,900
The Sixers-Trail Blazers game projects to be the most competitive matchup on the slate Thursday night. If that’s the case, we should see tighter rotations from each side. Hart should see around 30 minutes and can be very streaky scoring the rock. What he does do well is grab rebounds and assists at a decent mark for a guard. For under $5K, Hart has a chance to be a decent GPP value.
Kevon Looney, GSW vs. BOS, $4,500
The Warriors and Celtics face off in a rematch of the 2022 NBA Finals. This game has the highest point total on the short slate with 240. With that amount of scoring, we can look for some value. The Celtics are favored by 6.5 points, so the game could go either way. Regardless, Looney should see around 20-25 minutes and there will be plenty of possessions, which means more boards. Earlier in the season, Looney had 15 rebounds against Boston for over 30 fantasy points.
Timberwolves bigs vs. TOR
There’s a chance the T-Wolves are without Rudy Gobert on the second night of a back-to-back. Gobert was out Wednesday and is questionable to play. If that happens, we can load up Jaden McDaniels ($4,800) and Naz Reid ($4,600) again. Both will have value and both figure to be popular on a short slate as values. Taurean Prince ($3,600) is the cheaper option and could see lower ownership. All three should see minutes regardless of game outcome.