This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We have a bigger slate than usual for a Thursday, as there are seven games on tap. That's actually an ideal size for the tastes of many DFS players, as the player pool offers more than enough flexibility and paths to differentiation in tournaments without becoming too overwhelming.
Slate Overview
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We have a fairly even split of games with larger and narrower spreads Thursday, as there are four games with lines of six points or higher and the other three feature spreads of three points or fewer. Projected totals are fairly encouraging in their own right, as there five sitting at 228.5 points or higher on FanDuel Sportsbook as of early Thursday morning.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Bam Adebayo, MIA (hip): GTD
If Adebayo misses a sixth straight game, Orlando Robinson, Kevin Love and Thomas Bryant could all benefit to varying degree.
Anthony Edwards, MIN (hip): QUESTIONABLE
If Edwards logs what would essentially be his fifth absence in the last six games – he played just three minutes against the Grizzlies on Friday – Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Troy Brown could benefit, while Karl-Anthony Towns and Mike Conley could see especially elevated usage.
Paul George, LAC (groin): QUESTIONABLE
If George sits out, Norman Powell could enter the starting five and Kawhi Leonard and James Harden would both be due to big boosts in usage.
Kyrie Irving, DAL (heel): QUESTIONABLE
If Irving misses a third straight game, Dante Exum will likely remain in the starting five, while Luka Doncic would likely see even more usage than usual.
Other notable injuries:
Evan Mobley, CLE (knee injury management): OUT
Tyler Herro, MIA (ankle): OUT
Ben Simmons, BKN (back): OUT
Malcolm Brogdon, POR (knee): GTD
Deandre Ayton, POR (knee): GTD
Jerami Grant, POR (concussion): GTD
John Collins, UTA (illness): GTD
Jamal Murray, DEN (ankle): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have three players with five-figure salaries on Thursday's slate – Luka Doncic ($12,600), Nikola Jokic ($12,400) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($11,400).
Doncic could be taking the floor without Kyrie Irving again Thursday and comes in having scored 62.6 to 86 FD points in five of his last six contests.
Jokic was ejected after just 16 minutes in Tuesday's game against the Hawks but still scored 23.8 FD points, and he'd posted 52.7 to 81.6 FD points in his previous nine games.
SGA's season average is up to 55.2 FD points per game, and he's recorded 50.1 or FD points in eight consecutive contests overall. He also put up 58.9 FD points across 37 minutes in his one previous game against the Kings.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
De'Aaron Fox, SAC ($9,900)
Fox's upside and the fact he's already demonstrated a ceiling of 60-plus FD points on multiple occasions this season should keep him very popular at his salary.
Jayson Tatum, BOS ($9,800)
Tatum has put up 42.7 to 56.4 FD points in the last three games, including 46.5 on Tuesday against the same Cavaliers squad he'll face Thursday.
Donovan Mitchell, CLE ($9,700)
Mitchell has scored over 40 FD points in four straight, and he also has a trio of tallies of 51.7 FD points or more in the last seven contests overall.
Domantas Sabonis ($9,600)
Sabonis' average of 45.5 FD points per game and the fact he scored 56.1 FD points against the Thunder in the first meeting this season should keep the big man in plenty of lineups Thursday.
Kawhi Leonard, LAC ($9,000)
Leonard could take the floor without Paul George and already checks in with a pair of 55 FD-point tallies in his last three games, so he should remain very popular at his salary.
Key Values
Dante Exum, DAL vs. MIN ($7,000)
Kyrie Irving is officially a game-time decision as of this writing due to his heel injury, but there have been no concrete indications he'll be available Thursday. Another absence would keep Exum in the starting five and give him a great opportunity to build on the 28.7 to 40.3 FD points he's scored in the last four games. Exum is shooting an elite 55.6 percent, including 55.0 percent from three-point range, during that span, and although Minnesota has been one of the league's best defensive teams overall, the veteran's recent performances and expected starting role keep him firmly in play at his salary.
Duncan Robinson, MIA vs. CHI ($5,700)
Robinson put up another noteworthy performance Wednesday, as he recorded 31.9 FD points against the Hornets. That came on the heels of 41.7 and 44.4 FD points in two of the previous three games, as the talented wing continues to help make up for the ongoing absences of Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo. Herro will remain out Thursday while Adebayo could well log another absence, and Robinson could therefore deliver another strong return on investment against a Bulls team allowing the second-most made threes per game to shooting guards (4.06), along with 41.9 percent shooting from behind the arc to the position.
Collin Sexton, UTA at POR ($5,400)
Sexton turned in a stellar effort with the starting five on Wednesday, posting 39.8 FD points across 30 minutes versus the Knicks. The 2018 first-round pick of the Cavs also totaled 33.8 FD points off the bench against the Thunder on Monday, and he's scored at least 28 FD points in four of the last 13 contests overall. That's a nice ceiling at his salary, and with Jordan Clarkson now set to miss at least two weeks with his hamstring injury, Sexton will be on the first unit again Thursday against a Blazers team allowing 49.3 FD points to point guards in the last 15 contests.
ALSO CONSIDER: Norman Powell, LAC vs. GSW ($5,200); Julian Strawther, DEN vs. BKN ($4,400)
