After a busy night in the NBA on Wednesday, the schedule gets a lot thinner with just three games on the slate for Thursday. While there are fewer options to choose from when it comes to DraftKings NBA Daily Fantasy Leagues, there is also a much smaller margin for error.
The fact that it is still the first week of the year means that some of the player salary numbers aren’t exactly where they should be and there are plenty of bargains to be found – including with the New York Knicks in particular.
Here is a look at our optimal lineup for Thursday’s DraftKings NBA Daily Fantasy Leagues.
PG: Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers
Salary: $9,600
The Clippers opened the year with a 111-104 win over the Sacramento Kings but are right back at it on Thursday night in a game that even the casual NBA fan has had circled on their calendar. They’ll be hosting the same Dallas Mavericks team that DeAndre Jordan spurned a few months ago. Jordan might be a risky play for Thursday but Paul is as consistent as it gets at the point guard position and he is worth spending a little more on as one of the foundational pieces of our lineup.
SG: Monta Ellis, Indiana Pacers
Salary: $7,100
The Pacers look like a team that has enough pieces to challenge for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference this season and Ellis is a big part of that despite the fact that he was held to just nine points on 3-for-11 shooting against the Toronto Raptors in a 106-99 loss on Wednesday. Ellis still managed to add six assists and two steals and he should have a much better performance when he finds his stroke against the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night.
SF: Derrick Williams, New York Knicks
Salary: $3,200
Williams had a game-high 24 points in just 21 minutes off the bench for the Knicks in their 122-97 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night and while he might not match that point total on Thursday against the Atlanta Hawks, the potential is there. The fact that he is available at just $3.2K makes him that much more attractive. Williams proved on Wednesday that he can stuff the stat sheet as well as he had seven rebounds, an assist and a steal, so lock him in to this spot.
PF: Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers
Salary: $9,500
The best fantasy player on our roster is Griffin and while he is also the most expensive. We don’t mind spending a little more money on a player that has the potential to score 33 points with eight rebounds and four assists the way that Griffin did against the Kings on Wednesday night. Griffin is the best fantasy player on the best team in action on Thursday night so it only makes sense to lock him in here.
C: Robin Lopez, New York Knicks
Salary: $5,200
Lopez had eight points, two blocks and two rebounds in 20 minutes for New York on Wednesday but his limited playing time probably had more to do with the fact that Knicks have to play two games in as many nights. They also beat Milwaukee in a blowout, so starters didn’t need to be overused. Lopez should put up better numbers with more minutes against the Hawks and he is worth his price tag in this spot.
G: Langston Galloway, New York Knicks
Salary: $4,200
The final player on our roster from New York is another decent bargain option as Galloway had 16 points, four rebounds, three assists and three threes in 25 minutes against the Bucks. He should be in for another strong performance. Jose Calderon and Jerian Grant will see playing time as well but Galloway was the best of the Knicks’ point guards on Wednesday and we expect a strong encore performance.
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F: Paul Millsap, Atlanta Hawks
Salary: $7,800
Atlanta suffered a tough loss to the Detroit Pistons in its opener but should bounce back with a better effort against the Knicks. With the money we managed to save for this position, we have a little more to spend on a talented player in Millsap. The veteran big man had 19 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two three-point shots against Detroit and should have no problem matching that line against New York.
FLEX: J.J. Barea, Dallas Mavericks
Salary: 3,300
Eight different scorers hit double-digit point totals for the Mavericks in their 111-95 win over the Phoenix Suns and Barea was one of them. He had 10 points, four rebounds and an assist in 25 minutes off the bench. He isn’t an elite fantasy producer but his potential is high enough to take a chance on him in this spot as the best player available to slide in to our FLEX spot with the remaining money we have left over.
