This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
The NBA has five games going on Thursday, the second night in a row with that number of games. There are some prime matchups on tap, both for DFS and for real life, starting with the Cavaliers at the Rockets. I predicted before the season that the Rockets would dethrone the Warriors out West, and they're off to a great start, but so far the Cavaliers aren't. Either way, a James Harden vs LeBron James matchup is tantalizing and could produce huge numbers. Huge numbers will also be on display in Denver, as the high-powered Nuggets frontline faces off with the super trio of scorers for the Thunder. The 76ers are on display in Sacramento, and have become must-see TV. The Pelicans' Twin Towers take on the Raptors' All Star backcourt, and John Wall gets a do-over attempt to take down the struggling but explosive Lonzo Ball. Action all over the place, so let's dig in.
Guard (premium)
James Harden, HOU vs CLE ($11,200): Harden is the most productive superstar guard going right now, fresh off of a career-high 56-point, 13-assist effort against the Jazz. The Cavaliers have been struggling, but they're still the three-time defending Eastern Conference champions and they still star LeBron James, so Harden and the Rockets should be up for this game.
Guard (moderate)
Bradley Beal, WAS vs LAL ($8,100): Tradition would have this slot go to a point guard, so I'll give a shoutout to Kyle Lowry ($7,500) as the moderate priced point guard that intrigues me the most on Thursday. But Beal has flat out been playing better. He's coming off a relatively down game of 23 points, four boards and two assists but in the three games before that he was averaging 38 points, five boards 3.3 assists and 0.7 steals. The last time he faced the Lakers, two weeks ago, Beal popped for 28 points, six boards, two assists and four combined blocks/steals.
Guard (affordable)
De'Aaron Fox, SAC vs PHI ($5,400): Both Fox, and his counterpart for the 76ers T.J. McConnell make decent value-priced point guards on Tuesday. Fox gets the nod because he has higher upside, a great matchup against a fast-paced but relatively lax 76ers squad, and he's at home. With that said, shooting guard Jordan Clarkson ($4,400) is likely the best value guard on Thursday, but he'd have been a third shooting guard so he got bumped for positional value.
Forward (premium)
LeBron James, CLE at HOU ($11,800): This slot is an almost impossible choice between three monster forwards right now, as Anthony Davis ($11,900) and Ben Simmons ($9,900) are both sizzling right now and eminently deserving of this spot. James got the call by dint of being the only small forward of the trio, and the fact that he's in more desperation mode on a struggling team against an excellent Rockets squad that loves putting points on the board. Also he dropped 92.7 fantasy points in a game less than a week ago.
Forward (moderate)
Paul Millsap, DEN vs OKC ($7,200): Millsap has produced between 32 and 51 fantasy points in six of his last seven games, with the one exception in a blowout loss to the Warriors where his whole team's numbers were depressed. Millsap is simply too big for Carmelo Anthony to guard in the paint, and Steven Adams will have his hands full with Nikola Jokic, so Millsap should be able to do his thing on Thursday.
Forward (affordable)
Julius Randle, LAL at WAS ($4,500): Randle is playing well, and taking advantage of his extra minutes with Larry Nance Jr. out. He produced a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double in 21 minutes of action on Wednesday, and has that upside on a nightly basis at a value price slot.
Center (premium)
DeMarcus Cousins, NO at TOR ($11,700): Cousins is a permanent in this slot. Much like teammate Anthony Davis, he's a walking 60+ fantasy point contributor pretty much every night. His last game is a great example, as he scored 32 points with 13 boards, six assists and two blocks against the Pacers on Tuesday…in a game where Davis also went off for 67 fantasy points. They've learned to thrive together, at least in the boxscore.
Center (moderate/premium)
Nikola Jokic, DEN vs OKC ($10,000): I'm doubling down on the expensive monsters, just because Jokic is playing out of his mind right now. He has produced more than 51 fantasy points in three of his last four games, including a whopping 41 points, 12 boards, five assists and four combined steals/blocks for 73.9 fantasy points in his last outing.
Center (affordable)
Marcin Gortat, WAS vs LAL ($5,500): Gortat is coming off a down outing against the Mavericks in his last game, but the Lakers make opposing centers into stars. Just ask Aron Baynes, who threw in a career-best 21 points, eight boards and three assists in 23 minutes against the Lakers on Wednesday. When Gortat last faced the Lakers two weeks ago, he tossed in an 11-point, 14-rebound double-double on his way to 31.3 fantasy points.
