The NBA has five games on Thursday for the DFS fantasy basketball competitions. Get your team in the game with FanSided’s FanDuel daily picks.
There are five games on Thursday night, with line-ups locking for the first two games at 7:30 ET with the Raptors at the Heat and the Suns at the Nets. Two more games tip an hour later, with the Grizzlies at the Spurs and the Clippers at the Mavericks. Finally, the last game of the night is the Knicks traveling cross country to battle the Trail Blazers.
The first game that catches my eye on Sunday is the Suns and the Nets, since both are lottery teams that play poor defense but have been scrappy of late. This could lead to a competitive game, and the Suns in particular have quite a few potential bargain plays that could put up big numbers. The Knicks at the Trail Blazers could be the same game with slightly better teams, but only if the Trail Blazers aren’t so good that they blow it out.
The way Damian Lillard has been playing lately he could shoot the Knicks off the court…but if they keep it close, there could be fireworks. The Grizzlies at the Spurs is the game with the best two teams, but both are known for great defense which could potentially depress the fantasy numbers….though the Grizz in particular have been friendlier to opposing backcourt of late than you’d expect. The Raps/Heat and the Clips/Mavs games also feature solid defenses, but with potential standouts that could make things interesting.
Chris Paul and Blake Griffin have to step forward for the Clips to make any noise as the playoffs approach; DeMar DeRozan has been trying to carry the Raptors with Kyle Lowry out but he seems to wear down at times; and the Heat continue to improbably be a consistently solid team. As always, plenty to see on the night.
Explanation of the stars after each pick
Each one of my picks is ranked on a scale of one to five stars.
Picks that I give five stars (∗∗∗∗∗) are players that you almost have to own and I have no reservations about owning at their price.
Players that get four stars (∗∗∗∗) are players that I think are strong picks to build your roster around.
Three-star players (∗∗∗) are middle-of-the-road solid picks who are fairly reliable to produce a good game.
Picks receiving two stars (∗∗) are high-risk, high-reward players who do offer enough upside to be in my picks, but also have a significant risk factor that makes them dangerous.
One star (∗) players are picks that are the best option around that price point, but who I don’t think are great options. I would take any one-star player over any option not in my picks, but they aren’t picks to build your roster around.
Let’s take a look at your best options for both studs and value players at each position.