This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Here we go with a small but mighty four-game NBA slate on Thursday, January 10.
This Detroit-Sacramento matchup profiles as one of the best fantasy environments. The Pistons are on a back-to-back set after losing to the Lakers last night, so we'll need to take that into consideration. However, their entire rotation should see a boost while playing against a Kings team that ranks second in pace and 27th in overall defensive efficiency. The Pistons rank in the bottom ten (20th) in that category as well, so there should be plenty of scoring from both sides. You'll find numerous players from this game in the featured write-ups below.
Per usual, we have several injuries to monitor with potential for more while moving closer to tip-off. You'll want to stay in the loop with Rotowire's NBA News Feed before setting your final lineups. As of Thursday morning, these are the situations we are looking at:
Gary Harris is questionable. If he's out, Monte Morris becomes a value option to consider.
Iman Shumpert is questionable. Yogi Ferrell has been seeing minutes in the 20s with Shumpert out, but he's still a risky DFS option.
These notable players will continue to miss time: Rudy Gay, Goran Dragic, Will Barton, Aron Baynes
With that, I'll be breaking down the best fantasy choices on DraftKings for Thursday. The following write-ups contain a blend of cash game staples, bargain fillers, and tournament pivots.
GUARDS
As mentioned earlier, Monte Morris ($3,800) would be on the value radar if Garry Harris is ruled out.
De'Aaron Fox, SAC vs. DET ($7,600): Fox broke out of his mini-funk with a sweet 40.75 FP performance at Phoenix on Tuesday. I'm expecting more of the same tonight. As highlighted in the introduction, this Detroit-Sacramento tilt has one of the best fantasy atmospheres of the night. Fox has a promising opportunity to take full advantage while battling a Pistons team that ranks 26th in defensive efficiency against opposing point guards. I'll be looking towards the Kings' PG through all formats.
Bogdan Bogdanovic, SAC vs. DET ($6,200): Even though the salary is climbing, I'm still a huge believer in Bogdanovic to provide a solid return on investment. That should be the case regardless of Iman Shumpert's (questionable) status, as Bogdan's minutes were virtually unchanged with him in/out of the lineup. Bogdanovic will have a chance to leverage the aforementioned strong fantasy situation of this matchup. The fact that Detroit ranks 22nd against opposing shooting guards certainly helps.
Dion Waiters, MIA vs. BOS ($3,500): Waiters makes for an interesting buy-low commodity on tonight's slate. He saw his first action of the season with a 15 FP performance in 11 minutes at Cleveland on January 2. He then posted 25.75 FP in 25 minutes despite a tricky matchup vs. Denver on Tuesday. The wing position is pretty crowded in Miami, but Waiters minutes seem to be trending upward. Perhaps that will come at the expense of Tyler Johnson, who has seen his playing time fall in the opposite direction over the past two games. Regardless, I'm expecting Waiters to see 20-plus minutes, which should present numerous fantasy opportunities for his aggressive scorer's mentality. I'll take a chance on the cheap salary in this abbreviated slate.
Other guards to consider: Lou Williams, LAC at DEN ($6,900), Jamal Murray, DEN vs. LAC ($7,300), Bryn Forbes, SA vs. OKC ($4,300)
FORWARDS
Blake Griffin, DET at SAC ($9,200): Blake Griffin played 37 minutes last night at the Lakers. He did not grab a single rebound in that game. I wouldn't get too worked up about that, as it's definitely more of a quirk than a sign of things to come. Griffin posted eight or more boards in three of four games prior to that, and I'm expecting him to be within that range tonight. It helps that Sacramento ranks 27th in rebound rate, not to mention 22nd against power forwards and second in pace. Go ahead and bank on a bounce-back outing from Griffin this evening.
Montrezl Harrell, LAC at DEN ($6,500): Harrell is reasonably priced on DraftKings, checking in nearly $1,000 cheaper than similar forwards like Tobias Harris, LaMarcus Aldridge and others. The matchup is middling at Denver, but Harrell is an efficient fantasy producer who is playing at a high level with 35-plus FP in three of his past five. The last time he faced Denver, Harrell racked up 36 fantasy points despite just 19 minutes of playing time. A blowout curbed his minutes in that one, but tonight's draw should be much more competitive.
Daniel Theis, BOS at MIA ($3,900): Theis is a respectable bargain filler to help make the rest of your lineup work. There's not a ton of value on this four-game slate, so falling back on the Boston big man isn't a bad strategy. After all, Theis has racked up 22-plus fantasy points in each of his past four games. The salary remains below $4,000 despite that recent uptick. He only sees around 18-20 minutes per contest, but there's a chance Boston will need his size against a bigger Miami frontcourt that features Hassan Whiteside, Bam Adebayo, and Kelly Olynyk. Regardless, I'm fine with taking a chance on Theis to maintain his recent level of production with fellow big man Aron Baynes still sidelined.
Other forwards to consider: Danilo Gallinari, LAC at DEN ($7,100), Marcus Morris, BOS at MIA ($5,600)
CENTERS
Nikola Jokic, DEN vs. LAC ($10,500): Jokic is a fantastic play if you have enough salary to make him work. He finds himself in a beautiful matchup against a Clippers squad that ranks 26th in defensive efficiency vs. the center position. Jokic posted on 32 fantasy points in 21 minutes in a previous meeting with LAC, but that came in a blowout win where the Nuggets didn't need much from him. As I said earlier, it should be much more competitive this time around, as the Clips are playing some good basketball. "The Joker" is brimming with confidence after notching 50-plus FP in five straight games, and he could realistically surpass that threshold in this favorable draw.
Andre Drummond, DET at SAC ($9,100): If you don't have enough salary to make Jokic happen, then Drummond makes for a confident backup plan. He's $1,400 cheaper than the Denver center, so you could argue he's a much better "per dollar" acquisition. Both of these guys are looking at great matchups, as Drummond takes on a Sacramento team that ranks 29th vs. centers and 27th in rebound rate. Some people may be concerned about the back-to-back set, but Drummond has been pretty good in these situations this season.
Other centers to consider: Willie Cauley-Stein, SAC vs. DET ($6,600), Paul Millsap – GPP, DEN vs. LAC ($6,300)
