The NBA season is in full swing, and DraftKings has released a new fantasy format—Snake drafts! Below, we break down some of the best targets for Thursday’s NBA Snake slate.

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Favorable Early Round Targets

Joel Embiid, C, Philadelphia 76ers
NBA Snake Rank: 4th

Embiid is one of the most unstoppable offensive forces in the game right now. He can punish defenders down low on the blocks with his 7’0” and 280-pound frame, shimmy shake like Hakeem to make lead-footed big men quiver, pop or roll off the pick, and make it rain from beyond the arc. Oh, he’s also a beast on the boards, averaging 11.1 rebounds a game, and even matches his stat line with 1.3 steals, 1.3 blocks, and 1.3 three-pointers.

On the season, he’s averaging 1.6 DKFP per minute and 31.8 minutes per game. Over the last six games, he’s scored 57.75, 59.25, 43.5, 58.5, 58.25, and 63 DKFP. He has a low of 17.75 DKFP against the Heat but outside of that game, he’s scored at least 50 DKFP in nine games with a high of 82.5.

The matchup against the Trail Blazers is a good one, as they boost the fantasy points per minute to centers by 4.92% above league average.

Now, this game is the second leg of a back-to-back, so there is the possibility that Embiid rests. With that said, there have been four back-to-back scenarios for the 76ers this season and Embiid has sat only one, which was in the first one of the year.

Stephen Curry, G, Golden State Warriors
NBA Snake Rank: 6th

DraftKings Sportsbook has Dallas favored by 3 points with the O/U at 228.5, so this game should be competitive. If that’s the case, then Curry will likely be a big reason why, as he garners a 32% usage rate for the Warriors, hoists up 19.9 shots per game, and dishes out 6.1 assists. On the season, he’s averaging 1.41 DKFP and 33.8 minutes per game.

The matchup against the Mavericks is a good one as they boost the fantasy points per minute to point guards by 5.69% above the league average. In particular, the increase for three-pointers is 8.84%, which is a staple on the Chef Curry menu.

The floor for Curry could be lower than some of the other superstars, as he’s scored fewer than 40 DKFP seven times, but he’s gone over 50 DKFP seven times with a high of 75.75.

Anthony Davis, PF, Los Angeles Lakers
NBA Snake Rank: 7th

Davis hasn’t been great this season, as he’s only had one ceiling game (62.25 DKFP) while scoring fewer than 40 DKFP in seven games. He’s averaging 1.34 DKFP per minute, which isn’t bad, but it’s below LeBron James’ 1.44 DKFP per minute and the 1.43 mark he posted last season. Why do I like him so much then?

The matchup is a good one for Davis. While the Nuggets play at a slow pace, they are 21st in defensive efficiency. Against power forwards in particular, they boost the fantasy points per minute by 4.03% above the league average. Since Davis has been a Laker, he’s gone up against the Nuggets four times. He’s scored 27, 33, 32, and 25 points while securing double-digit rebounds in three of four games and stuffing the stat sheet with some assists, steals, and blocks.

Ben Simmons, PG, Philadelphia 76ers
NBA Snake Rank: 11th

Simmons is averaging 1.19 DKFP per minute and 32.8 minutes per game. This is a juicy matchup for Simmons, as the Trail Blazers are 29th in defensive efficiency and boost the fantasy points per minute by 18.25% above the league average, the most generous in the Association. Simmons can disappear at times, as he’s scored fewer than 30 DKFP in three games, but he does have two 50-burgers on the resume for this season.

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Early Round Players to Avoid

Trae Young, PG, Atlanta Hawks
NBA Snake Rank: 8th

As with Lillard above, the game environment and matchup are not ideal for Young. Utah is 25th in pace and 4th in defensive efficiency. Against point guards, they negate fantasy points per minute by 10.77% below league average, good for third-best in the NBA. For three-pointers? 17.14% below league average. Assists? 15.66% below league average. These two teams played back on January 15th. Young shot 1-for-11 from the field and ended up with 22.5 DKFP.

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Later Round Fliers

It should be noted that these players are ranked below the threshold of players that would be drafted. This section simply tries to exploit players who are in favorable matchups and are down the rank list.

Juan Toscano-Anderson, PF, Golden State Warriors
NBA Snake Rank: 84th

After Kevon Looney left Tuesday’s game with an injury, Toscano-Anderson came in and played 27 minutes. He contributed 16 points, two rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block. Prior to that game, he had played in only one of the last 14 contests. With Looney and James Wiseman out, Draymond Green will likely start at center with Toscano-Anderson likely starting at power forward. Eric Paschall could also start, but regardless, Toscano-Anderson should see significant playing time. In 125 minutes played this season, he’s averaging 0.82 DKFP per minute.

Maxi Kleber, PF, Dallas Mavericks
NBA Snake Rank: 79th

Kleber had missed 11 games due to COVID-19 protocols. In his return on Monday, he played 18 minutes. Then on Tuesday, Kleber received a full allotment of playing time with 32 minutes. He’s not a high usage player but will contribute a little something in every category. In 268 minutes played this season, Kleber is averaging 0.77 DKFP per minute. He’s likely to start and play over 30 minutes tonight.

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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is sontzu) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.

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