With only four games on the schedule for Thursday, there is even less room for error in Daily Fantasy Leagues. One bad decision could be enough to make the difference between a win and a loss. Despite the light schedule, there is still plenty of superstar power but keep in mind that in order to invest big money in elite fantasy players, you need to be able to identify value options in order to fill out your lineup as well. Here is some important fantasy advice to keep in mind for Thursday night’s NBA action.
Weak Defense To Target: Sacramento Kings
No team is giving up more points per game this season than the Kings. With only four games on the slate, it only makes sense to target Sacramento’s defense with a favorable matchup. The Kings defense has been trampled early and often this season as they’re allowing 109.5 points per game this month. Seven of their last nine opponents have topped the 100-point mark.
That means that at least a pair of Knicks have the potential to play above their price value. Kristaps Porzingis has really stepped up with some dominant numbers of late but if he is too expensive (along with Carmelo Anthony), consider Jose Calderon and Derrick Williams as two potential secondary options that could be worth taking a chance on in order to fill out your lineup for Thursday night.
Player Who’s Hot Right Now: Jamal Crawford, Los Angeles Clippers
Crawford returned to the bench for the Clippers in Monday’s win over the Minnesota Timberwolves but he still scored 18 points with seven assists, three rebounds and a steal in just 27 minutes of action. Chris Paul and J.J. Redick are both healthy enough to start on Thursday but Crawford is still seeing minutes. He had a modest night on Wednesday as the Clippers blew out the Milwaukee Bucks. He had just eight points and a rebound, but he still hoisted 11 shots and made a couple of threes. Before that, he was averaging 22.0 points, 5.0 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 3.7 three-point shots over the week prior. J.J. Redick played 33 minutes last night and Chris Paul played 38, so don’t be surprised if either are rested or eased off of the minutes in a back-to-back set, which could give Crawford more opportunities.
Injuries & Rest Create Opportunities For…. Omri Casspi, Lance Thomas
Omri Casspi has seen his minutes shoot up with Willie Cauley-Stein out with an injury and he’s responded quite well. Casspi played a season-high 41 minutes the Kings game on Tuesday and he should continue to see a heavy dose of playing time. Casspi finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, three threes and a steal. Those are really quality numbers across the board. Most people aren’t up on him yet but he’s worth playing in both season-long and daily fantasy.
Lance Thomas has seen a bump in his minutes this month as he’s played at least 22 in every single game. That’s a sizable contract from November when Thomas had averaged just 17.9 minutes of action. He’s been fairly productive of late. He entered Wednesday having scored in double-figures in four of his last five games. He doesn’t provide a ton of stats across the board but you’re mostly looking at points, one or two threes and a couple of free throws per game. The 1.3 threes he’s averaging this month is valuable.
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Highest Scoring Game Of The Night: ATL @ OKC
This game is one of the more intriguing matchups of the week with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook looking to take care of business at home against an Atlanta team that has somewhat struggled out of the gate. They were a team many predicted would contend for the top seed in the Eastern Conference but are currently the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 13-9. Only the Golden State Warriors have a higher points per game than the Thunder this season and with the Hawks ranked 12th in that department it should make for the highest scoring matchup of the night on Thursday.
