This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
After a wall-to-wall night of hardwood action Wednesday in the form of 13 games, we're down to a four-game slate Thursday. The breather gives us a much more manageable player pool to work with, but one that's still populated enough to allow us to differentiate in tournaments.
Slate Overview
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We have three spreads of between 7.5 and 8.5 points on FanDuel Sportsbook as of early Thursday, which aren't ideal for DFS purposes. There's also a pair of sub-220-point projected totals, implying we may have a bit of a challenging time finding true tournament-winning scores from players in those games.
However, as Wednesday demonstrated, there are plenty of unexpected results almost every single night of the season, and with a couple of big names potentially sitting out and one already confirmed unavailable, the chances for unpredictability rise.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Devin Booker, PHO (foot/ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Booker has been upgraded to questionable, but if he's sidelined another game, Grayson Allen should remain in the starting line up at two-guard.
Brandon Ingram, NOP (knee): GTD
If Ingram remains out Thursday, Jordan Hawks and Dyson Daniels should be the primary beneficiaries, while the rest of the starting five should see elevated usage.
Bradley Beal, PHO (back): OUT
In Beal's ongoing absence, Eric Gordon and Jordan Goodwin should continue to be primary beneficiaries.
Jalen Duren, DET (ankle): GTD
If Duren sits out another contest, Marvin Bagley could draw another start at center.
Other notable injuries:
Alec Burks, DET (forearm): GTD
Precious Achiuwa, TOR (groin): GTD
Elite Players
We have two players with five-figure salaries on Thursday's slate – Joel Embiid ($12,000) and Kevin Durant ($10,800).
Embiid has been in early-season MVP form the last two games while posting 64.8 and 84.5 FD points, and given we now know he'll be working without James Harden moving forward, those totals could continue to be more or less the norm.
Durant will definitely take the floor without Bradley Beal again and could also be doing so without Devin Booker, but his production hasn't really spiked beyond it's already typically impressive levels while operating under those conditions the last three games (39.9 to 53.2 FD points scored).
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Tyrese Maxey, PHI ($8,900)
Maxey has been in elite form since the season started while generating an average of 49.8 FD points per contest and no longer has to worry about a Harden return, so he should remain very popular Thursday.
Scottie Barnes, TOR ($8,800)
Barnes has posted some strong early-season production that's led to an average of 47.3 FD points, and his very safe and elevated floor should keep him in plenty of lineups.
Lauri Markkanen, UTA ($8,600)
Markkanen has already exceeded 50 FD points twice in the new season and should remain very popular on the small slate.
Cade Cunningham, DET ($8,000)
Cunningham has had a couple of duds over his first five games, but he also has three tallies of between 38.8 and 50.1 FD points, which should keep him highly rostered at his salary on the small slate.
Victor Wembanyama, SAN ($8,000)
Wembanyama is still getting acclimated but has already posted efforts of 36.1 and 50.9 FD points, and both his salary and name value should place him in plenty of lineups Thursday.
Key Values
Kelly Oubre, PHI vs. TOR ($5,800)
Oubre's salary is an eye-opener when considering he's averaging 30.5 FD points over the first three games, with tallies of 31.8 and 36 FD points part of that sample. Now the veteran wing is set to take on a starting role, per head coach Nick Nurse, making him a highly viable value play. Oubre will certainly be well rested – Philadelphia last took the floor Sunday – and he'll be facing a Raptors team that's ranked in the bottom 10 in offensive efficiency rating allowed to small forwards (24.2). Given his expected workload, Oubre should have a strong chance of delivering a 5x return on investment.
Eric Gordon, PHO vs. SA ($5,300)
Gordon should have a good chance of remaining in the starting five Thursday with Bradley Beal already ruled out and Devin Booker potentially sitting again as well. The veteran has been particularly effective in the last two games, scoring 21 and 20 actual points on 60.7 percent shooting (43.8 percent from three-point range) while netting 32.4 and 27.4 FD points. The latter tally came against this same Spurs squad he'll face in a rematch Thursday, one that's allowing 42.0 percent three-point shooting on the road thus far and the sixth-highest offensive efficiency rating (57.3) to backcourt players.
Jordan Hawkins, NO vs. DET ($4,300)
Brandon Ingram has missed two straight games with his knee issue, affording Hawkins a pair of spot starts where he's produced 28 and 29.7 FD points. Hawkins scuffled badly with his shot against the Thunder on Wednesday, but the rookie first-round pick came into the night with a respectable 45.0 percent field-goal percentage, including 38.5 percent from behind the arc, in his first three games. Given the very appealing salary and the matchup against a Pistons team that's allowing 45.9 FD points per game to two-guards and 40.3 percent three-point shooting in the last three contests, Hawkins is a play to consider should Ingram sit out a third consecutive contest.
ALSO CONSIDER: Jalen Suggs, ORL at UTA ($5,100); Grayson Allen, PHO vs. SAN ($5,000); Collin Sexton, UTA vs. ORL ($4,200)
