This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
With a five-game slate featured Thursday, there are less options to sort through all over the price scale. However, that doesn't mean there's a lack of potential value plays, so the following list of players should be considered when building your DFS lineups:
GUARDS:
Tyreke Evans, MEM at PHO ($7,800): Evans will be facing off against a team that's ranked third in pace and doesn't play very good defense, which is always a fantastic combination for fantasy purposes. He continues to hold down the fort at point guard with Mike Conley (Achilles) still out, so he'll get plenty of opportunities to take the game over with the ball in his hands. He's averaged 34.2 FanDuel points over the last five games and has surpassed the 50-FanDuel-point mark twice this season, so he's got plenty of upside when he's on.
Rodney Hood, UTA vs SAS ($5,600): The Jazz are dealing with a few injuries currently, which includes rookie shooting guard, Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell sat out the team's last contest, allowing Hood to pick up the start in his place. Hood put up 17 points in that contest, though he didn't contribute much of anything elsewhere, which resulted in just 16.0 FanDuel points. However, he posted 41.6 FanDuel points in the previous contest, which shows his upside. With Mitchell potentially sidelined again, Mitchell should be in line for another 30-plus-minute workload.
T.J. McConnell, PHI vs TOR ($4,400): The Sixers are set to be without starting shooting guard J.J. Redick (hamstring) on Thursday, so there's going to be some extra minutes available in the backcourt. That playing time will likely be sparsed between guys like Jerryd Bayless and McConnell, with McConnell being the player with more upside. He's shown his potential in the past when he sees big minutes, logging 53.9 FanDuel points against the Magic when he saw 37 minutes. While he likely won't have that sort of output, McConnell will still have every opportunity to surpass the 30-FanDuel-point mark, which is great value for a price of just $4,400
FORWARDS:
LeBron James, CLE vs CHI ($12,300): James has the highest salary for Thursday's slate, but despite the hefty price tag, he'll be worth a play considering his recent hot streak. Over the last eight games, he's scored at least 53 FanDuel points, which includes four outings where he surpassed 60. Not to mention he'll be matched up with a Bulls defense that isn't necessarily daunting, which should give James every opportunity to continue his recent surge. Of course, there's always the worry whether a blowout will result in James getting rested late in this game. That'll certainly be something to consider, though the Cavaliers don't play again until Monday, which should give James plenty of time off.
Serge Ibaka, TOR at PHI ($6,400): While obviously not as dominant as James has been, Ibaka himself is having a strong stretch of games after a relatively slow start to the season. Ibaka has posted at least 30.0 FanDuel points in four straight games, a span where he's averaged 36.1 FanDuel points. He's also facing a 76ers squad that has given up the fourth most points to power forwards on the season and second most over the last five games, so it should be a favorable matchup overall.
Derrick Favors, UTA vs SAS ($5,500): Favors is a little more risky in terms of his value overall. He's going up against a Spurs team that likes to slow it down a bit and Favors is only in his second game back following a multi-game absence with a concussion. That said, after playing just 23 minutes Wednesday, the Jazz will likely increase his minutes a bit considering there were no complications in his return. Favors will once again act as the team's starting center, a role he flourished in earlier this season when Rudy Gobert was out with a bone bruise. Gobert is once again sidelined and as long as Favors sees a full complement of minutes, he'll be an intriguing lower cost option Thursday.
CENTERS:
Marc Gasol, MEM at PHO ($8,300): Gasol has arguably the best matchup on the night in terms of centers for Thursday's slate. He'll be facing a Suns defense that gives up the fourth most FanDuel points to centers on the season. While it's unclear if he'll be facing off against Tyson Chandler, Greg Monroe or Alex Len, considering the Suns constant carousel at the position, Gasol should still have the upper-hand no matter who takes the floor. Gasol has posted 42.3 and 50.0 FanDuel points, respectively, over his last two games, a stretch where he averaged 25.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals across 34.5 minutes.
Robin Lopez, CHI at CLE ($5,200): If you can't afford to pay up at center, Lopez becomes an intriguing low-cost center option. He's only $5,200 and has had at least 25.0 FanDuel points in three of his last four games. Of course, you'd like better results than that from the center spot, but if you're in need of a bit of a salary break, Lopez could be your guy. However, if Joel Embiid (back) is out for the Sixers, Richaun Holmes ($5,900) is another option that fits this spot.
