Thursday presents a six-game NBA DFS slate on DraftKings. Below, I dive into three of my favorite targets for this slate.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $100K Fadeaway [$20K to 1st]
PG, De’Aaron Fox, San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Clippers, $6,600
Victor Wembanyama (rest) will be inactive tonight and Fox is way too cheap for this situation. The guard has made 15 starts without Wembanyama this season and Fox is leading the Spurs with 42.9 FPTS per game on those occasions. With Wembanyama off the court, Fox’s usage rises 3.8 percentage points to 29% and he generates 1.3 FPTS per minute.
Essentially, Fox reverts back to the role and production we saw from him during his days with the Kings when Wembanyama is out. The Clippers rank 19th in defensive rating this season and Fox is the top value on the slate in this spot.
PF, Tobias Harris, Detroit Pistons vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, $5,900
Harris was just faced the Timberwolves on Saturday and posted 37 FPTS in a 22-point win for the Pistons. Tonight’s rematch will be in Detroit and Cade Cunningham (lung) remains out. With the superstar inactive this season, Harris has been rock solid, averaging 31.3 FPTS in 29.5 minutes per game.
With Cunningham off the floor, Harris’ usage and assist rates increase 1.1 and 3.8 percentage points, respectively, and he scores 1.0 FPTS per minute. The Timberwolves rank fifth in defensive rating this season, but as we just saw Saturday, Harris is more than capable to perform well in this matchup and he is a strong value at this sub $6,000 salary.
SF/PF, Deni Avidja, Portland Trail Blazers vs. New Orleans Pelicans, $8,900
The Trail Blazers are only a half game back of the Clippers for the No.8 seed in the Western Conference, so getting a win tonight vs. the Pelicans is important for Portland with only five games remaining in the regular season. Speaking of the Clippers, Avdija just scored 54.75 FPTS vs. the club Tuesday, which is the fifth time in his last eight that the forward has scored at least 43 FPTS.
Avdija was just priced up to $9,400 in his second-to-last start and he is a tough fade at this $8,900 salary. Avdija is leading the Trail Blazers with 1.4 FPTS per minute and a 29% usage rate this season. The Pelicans rank 22nd in defensive rating and Avdija exploded for 65.25 FPTS when he last faced New Orleans in January.
