This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
While there are only two games for Thursday's slate, there's still plenty of decisions to be made, including which stars are the best options for your lineups. The following list of players should give DFS owners a guideline for who to potentially build around:
Guards:
Stephen Curry, GS at HOU ($9,800): While his opposing matchup, Chris Paul, is often prided for his defense, Curry hasn't necessarily had trouble against Paul in the past, so that doesn't worry me much here. What is intriguing, however, is the fact that the Warriors and Rockets are fourth and seventh, respectively, in terms of pace of play, so DFS owners are going to want to get as much action in this game as possible. Curry should be one of the biggest beneficiaries of that and on a small slate, it's essential to snag the top few scorers.
Lou Williams, LAC vs OKC ($7,500): With Austin Rivers (Achilles) still banged up a bit, Williams has been receiving all the minutes he can handle, logging 36 and 37 minutes, respectively, over the last two games. He translated those into 39.4 and 56.4 FanDuel points, which is some solid overall production for his price. The Thunder are slated to be without their top defender, Andre Roberson, once again, so Williams should be free to do as he pleases for much of the game. For that reason, even if Rivers is cleared to return, Williams is still a strong play on such a small slate.
Terrance Ferguson, OKC at LAC ($3,500) WIth a two-game slate comes the impossible task of finding cheap value plays. However, Ferguson provides one of the more intriguing options. He picked up his first start of the season Wednesday and took advantage of it, posting a career-high 24 points, as well as one rebound, one assist and three steals across 33 minutes. That was good enough for 35.7 FanDuel points, which is the type of production that would be exceptional for the minimum price tag that Ferguson still owns. After that strong showing, it wouldn't be surprising if he got the call again with the top unit, as the Thunder are still without Andre Roberson.
Forwards:
Kevin Durant, GS at HOU ($10,500): Like mentioned with Curry, you need to find arguably the top two or three fantasy scorers in order to be successful on such a small slate. Durant is another guy, just like Curry, who will be benefiting with an extremely uptempo contest and previous history with putting up big stat lines. Durant is coming off a 58.5-FanDuel-point showing Wednesday and will have all the opportunities possible once again considering the Warriors aren't likely to rest anyone in a matchup with one of the Western Conference's best. Of all the expensive guys, Durant remains at the top of the list.
Draymond Green, GS at HOU ($7,800): Green is fairly cheap for such a small slate considering his ability to notch a triple-double on any given night. Not including Saturday's game when he was ejected, Green had posted 40 or more FanDuel points in three of his last four games, which seems very possible once again with an uptempo matchup against the Rockets. If you can't afford Griffin because you're already paying up for a guy like Durant, Green becomes a very strong fallback.
Gerald Green, HOU vs GS ($4,100): Like Ferguson, Green provides some rare value on such a small slate, though both are obviously somewhat risky. Green has only played two games since joining the Rockets, but is coming off a matchup Wednesday against the Magic where he put up 27 points, six rebounds, two assists and a block across 28 minutes, which was good enough for 36.3 FanDuel points. While I certainly don't expect him to put up 27 points again, he's still likely going to see a fairly hefty workload, which alone gives him plenty of intrigue at a near minimum price of just $4,100.
Centers:
Clint Capela, HOU vs GSW, ($7,500): Of all the teams on Thursday's slate, the Warriors have actually given up the most FanDuel points to centers on the season. That alone provides good reason to pay up for Capela. He's had 35 or more FanDuel points in three of his last four games, including a 55.3-FanDuel-point effort against the Jazz. WIth the pace of play expected to be extremely uptempo, Capela should benefit with strong numbers once again.
Steven Adams, OKC at LAC ($6,500): Adams had a couple down games over the last week or two, but bounced back on Wednesday, notching 34.2 FanDuel points against the Lakers. If you can't pay up for Capela, you can save $1,000 and drop to Adams, who also is facing a Clippers team that has given up the 12th most FanDuel points to centers on the season. That's right behind the Warriors at 11th, so easily the second best matchup on the night to target.
