It’s Thursday. There’s a five-game NBA slate this evening on DraftKings. That’s really all you need to know.
Below, I’ve listed three players who I think deserve to be included in your DFS lineups. Let’s dive in.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $100K Fadeaway [$20K to 1st]
PG Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, $9,000
Morant has looked incredibly motivated in the past couple of weeks, a timeframe that happens to sync up with the firing of former head coach Taylor Jenkins. In the five games Morant’s started since the coaching change, the point guard has exceeded 45.0 FPTS four times. Morant is also averaging 28.4 points per contest with an eye-popping 35.3% usage rate. Maybe it’s all a coincidence, but either way, he’s showcasing a very tantalizing DFS ceiling. As a team, Memphis is operating at the league’s fifth-fastest pace in this same span of time (102.3), so all assets participating in this tits should benefit from an uptempo environment.
SG/SF Antonio Reeves, New Orleans Pelicans at Milwaukee Bucks, $4,000
File this one under the category of late-season roster shenanigans. The Pelicans have already been playing without Zion Williamson (back), CJ McCollum (foot) and Trey Murphy III (shoulder) for the past couple of weeks, but the team will take tanking to a whole new level on Thursday night in Milwaukee. Jose Alvarado (calf), Bruce Brown (calf), Yves Missi (ankle) and Kelly Olynyk (Achilles) will join their more famous teammates in street clothes this evening, leaving only eight active players on New Orleans’ roster. It also leaves only one starter from Tuesday’s loss versus Brooklyn: Antonio Reeves. The rookie guard has shown an ability to score in his four recent starts, averaging 16.8 points per game with a .618 true shooting percentage and a 20.9% usage rate. He, Karlo Matkovic ($4,600) and Elfrid Payton ($3,900) are easy value options to consider, if you need some salary relief.
PG Ty Jerome, Cleveland Cavaliers at Indiana Pacers, $4,700
Jerome has only started two prior games for the Cavaliers in 2024-25, but with Donovan Mitchell (ankle) and Darius Garland (toe) both ruled out on Thursday, I have to believe that the Virginia product gets his third opportunity. Jerome is the poster child for efficiency, equipped with a .641 true shooting percentage and producing 1.16 FPTS per minute so far this season. By the way, that last figure jumps all the way to 1.42 FPTS per minute with both Mitchell and Garland off the floor. It probably shouldn’t then come as a shock to learn that Jerome averaged 26.5 points and 4.5 assists in those two chances in the starting five earlier in the year. In an uptempo matchup with the Pacers, Jerome feels like the free space on a bingo card. Don’t overthink it. Get him in your lineups.
