Thursday night presents a five-game NBA slate to attack. Below, I dive into three of my favorite DFS options to consider for this slate.
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PG Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons vs. Indiana Pacers ($10,300)
Cunningham is the NBA’s clear front runner for Most Improved Player of the Year—he is a -125 favorite for the award on the DraftKings Sportsbook—and his tremendous season should continue in this strong spot vs. the Pacers. Indiana ranks ninth in pace and 21st in defensive efficiency, and the Pistons carry a high 115.5-point implied team total in this spot. Jaden Ivey (leg) being sidelined has been a huge part of Cunningham’s success and with Ivey remaining out tonight, Cunningham should score nothing less than 50 FPTS.
With Ivey inactive this season, Cunningham is producing 55.5 FPTS per game (ten games) with a 34% usage rate, which is a 1.7 percentage point upgrade from his average.
PG Scoot Henderson, Portland Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles Clippers ($5,800)
Henderson is an elite option at this reasonable price tag. Jerami Grant (face) is out and Deni Avdija (ankle) is doubtful. This will be the second straight game these two have missed and with them inactive Tuesday, Henderson drew the spot start vs. the Nets and did not disappoint. In a season-high 38.5 minutes, the former No.3 overall pick erupted for a career-high 59 FPTS.
That 38.5-minute total led the Blazers and his 27.5% usage rate was also a team-high. The guard is amassing 1.1 FPTS per minute with Grant and Avdija off the floor this season, and Henderson should approach 40 minutes again tonight vs. the Clippers. This isn’t an ideal spot, with Los Angeles ranking fourth in defensive efficiency, but they are playing their second game in two nights. Nonetheless, Henderson is criminally underpriced for his expected workload and while we can’t expect another outing near 60 FPTS, he should effortlessly exceed five-times value.
C Jaylin Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Cleveland Cavaliers ($3,300)
While likely to be the mega chalk of this five-game slate, Williams is unavoidable and good chalk to eat. Isaiah Hartenstien (calf) is out tonight and Chet Holmgren (hip) also remains sidelined. The Thunder have played five games without these two this season and with Williams unavailable for those contests, Oklahoma City opted to play without a big man and started Jalen Williams ($8,000) at center.
Now, with the other J. Williams in Jaylin available and a Cavaliers team that starts to two natural bigs on the other side tonight, Williams should see a minimum of 20 minutes, starter or not, as they desperately need his size in this matchup. Williams is providing 1.1 FPTS per minute this season and in the two tilts he has cracked the 20-minute mark, the 22-year-old is averaging 29.4 FPTS per game. Tonight’s marquee matchup with the Cavaliers carries the highest total of this five-game slate (233 points) and Williams is a real threat to 10x his salary.
