With only four games on the schedule for Thursday night in the NBA, there will only be so many options to choose from when it comes to putting together the NBA fantasy line for daily leagues. It also means less room for error when it comes to finding the perfect combination of star players and strong value options. Here is some important fantasy advice to take in to consideration for Thursday’s NBA action.
Weak Defense To Target: Phoenix Suns
The Suns are coming off back-to-back wins, but they still rank 27th in the NBA with a 17-46 record and their terrible defense has been a big part of the problem. Phoenix has allowed an average of 107.4 points per game to rank 29th in the league in that department, so it makes sense to target them when they visit the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night. Rookie point guard Emmanuel Mudiay has had his highs and lows this season, but he has heated up of late and could be a strong option. Meanwhile, those looking for a strong value play could turn to Nikola Jokic. The rookie center has averaged 15.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 steal per game over the last week of action and should be an excellent value option for Thursday’s NBA fantasy leagues. The Nuggets play an up-and-down style while the Suns don’t do much to slow that. Don’t be shy with Nuggets players in this spot.
Player Who’s Hot Right Now: DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors
Toronto’s two All-Star guards have taken turns heating up over the past few weeks and right now it looks like it is DeRozan’s turn to be the lead dog. DeRozan has hit the 25-point mark in each of the Raptors’ last three wins with some impressive fantasy stat lines in those games. DeRozan has averaged 28.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game over the last week of action so make sure you ride the hot hand with Toronto set to host the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday night.
Injuries, Rest Create Opportunities For… Jordan Clarkson, J.R. Smith
The Los Angeles Lakers shocked the NBA world with a win over the Golden State Warriors and while they aren’t likely to upset another top team this season, that doesn’t mean they won’t put up some decent numbers against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night. Jordan Clarkson has been extremely productive of late and he is a strong value option that you should consider having in your NBA fantasy lineup. Clarkson has averaged 20.7 points, 4.0 three-point shots, 4.0 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.0 steal per game over the past seven days, so expect similar production versus Cleveland. He’s not going to cost you a ton in NBA fantasy either.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers should be able to beat the Lakers without relying too much on LeBron James to carry the load and there is a good chance their depth players step up with some strong production on Thursday night. It could mean even more opportunity for J.R. Smith, who has averaged 33.3 minutes per game over the last week of action. Smith has averaged 10.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.3 three-point shots per game over that span and he could easily top those averages against the Lakers.
Highest Scoring Game Of The Night: CHI @ SA
On what should be a relatively low scoring night overall, the expectation is that the Chicago Bulls will be playing catch up against the San Antonio Spurs for most of their game. The problem is that the Spurs don’t really have any reliable fantasy options other than LaMarcus Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard so unless you can afford to plug them in to your lineup you’ll likely need to turn to the Bulls to find any strong value options. Mike Dunleavy could be a decent option with some strong numbers over the last week of action. Dunleavy has averaged 12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.7 three-point shots and 1.3 assists per game over that span and should have another strong performance as Chicago tries to keep up with the Spurs on Thursday night. He’s going to be one of the cheaper options on the board too.
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