This article is part of our FantasyDraft NBA series.
Thursday's slate features a modest six games, but there's a lot to monitor leading up to lineup lock. There are notable injuries galore, with the likes of Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony all questionable, and both Kristaps Porzingis and Enes Kanter out. That means plenty of potential value all across the salary spectrum to be mindful of, and potentially significant usage boosts for some of the other star teammates on those squads. Without further ado, let's analyze how it all breaks down:
GUARDS:
Premium Option
Stephen Curry, GS vs. DAL ($19,500):Russell Westbrook ($21,900) is considered a game-time decision for Thursday's tilt against the Lakers due to an ankle sprain, so Curry presents a safer alternative if the latter's status for the 10:30pm EST tip-off remains murky at lineup lock. The Warriors are currently in the midst of a rare two-game losing streak, and with Kevin Durant also questionable for Golden State with a hand injury, Curry is poised to be heavily involved in what is a highly appealing matchup. Curry has averaged 30.5 points, 8.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals across 33.0 minutes over two games against Dallas this season, while the Mavs come in allowing the sixth-most fantasy points (46.3) to point guards on the season, along with the second-most made three-pointers (2.7) and second-highest shooting percentage (44.0). Additionally, Curry has drained a solid 48.8 percent of his shots over the last 10 contests and he sports a 61.0 effective field-goal percentage, 36.8 percent usage rate, 1.34 points per possession and 1.70 fantasy points per minute with Durant off the floor this season.
Mid-Tier
C.J. McCollum, POR vs. CHA ($14,500): McCollum could benefit from the tough positional matchup that his backcourt mate Damian Lillard will encounter Thursday, particularly because he'll be facing a Hornets squad that's allowed the most fantasy points (67.9), points (43.2) and made three-pointers (5.6) to two-guards over the last five contests. McCollum's fantasy-point production has been all over the place recently, but he eclipsed the 60-fantasy-point mark against the Bulls four games ago and 30 fantasy points in four other games over his last seven. McCollum also compiled 25 points (on 58.8 percent shooting), three assists and two rebounds across 39 minutes in one previous meeting against Charlotte this season, while the Hornets have allowed the seventh-highest percentage of scoring through three-pointers on the season (31.0) and on the road (31.1), along with the fifth highest (37.8) over the last three contests. Those numbers dovetail nicely for fantasy purposes with McCollum's impressive 44.1 percent success rate on an average of 6.8 attempts from three-point range over the last five.
Affordable
Fred VanVleet, TOR vs. NY ($8,900): VanVleet has progressively carved out a larger role in the Raptors' backcourt rotation as the season has unfolded, and he's scored 23.25 to 47.25 fantasy points in five of the last seven games. He's sporting a 63.5 effective field-goal percentage and 24.5 percent usage rate while averaging 1.48 points per possession and 1.46 fantasy points per minute during that stretch, and a solid 13.0 points (on 48.3 percent shooting), 5.3 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 steal across 26.7 minutes in three prior games against the Knicks this season. New York has also been vulnerable to point guards throughout the campaign, having allowed the eighth-most fantasy points (46.0) to ones coming into Thursday's contest.
FORWARDS/CENTERS:
Premium
Paul George, OKC at LAL ($16,500): George is averaging a solid 21.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.7 steals across three games versus the Lakers this season, while the Lakers come in allowing the most fantasy points (46.1) and rebounds (9.5) to small forwards on the campaign. George has been over 60 fantasy points twice, over 50 once and over 40 on another pair of occasions in the last seven contests, and he could potentially find himself as the last man standing in the Thunder's Big Three on Thursday. Both Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony are questionable with ankle issues for the contest, and George is sporting a 37.5 percent usage rate and averaging 1.21 fantasy points per minute with both off the floor this season. Moreover, the Lakers' NBA-high pace of 105.3 possessions per game also certainly works in his favor.
Mid-Tier
Jayson Tatum, BOS at WAS ($11,500): Tatum's production took a significant downturn against the Raptors on Tuesday, but he was far from alone in a game in which the Celtics' starting five underwhelmed as a whole. However, he'd scored 20.75 to 44.50 fantasy points in five of the prior six contests, a span during which he shot 45.6 percent on a total of 13.2 attempts per contest, with the latter number a notable increase over his 10.0 seasonal figure. Tatum also drained a blistering 77.8 percent of his shot attempts against the Wizards in his one previous meeting against them this season on the way to 20 points over 36 minutes, while Washington comes in allowing the sixth-most fantasy points (41.4) to small forwards on the season, including the second most (59.6) over the last five contests.
Affordable
Jerami Grant, OKC at LAL ($9,400): Grant could potentially find himself drawing a start Thursday if Carmelo Anthony sits with his ankle injury, but he's been churning out some solid production relative to price in his bench role recently. Grant had scored 23.00 to 30.50 fantasy points in the three games prior to his last contest against the Warriors, when he posted 29.50 fantasy points over an extended stint of 35 minutes due to Anthony's injury. He's scored in double digits in three of those contests as well, with one of those games also qualifying as a double-double. Grant is sporting a 68.2 effective field-goal percentage, 1.39 points per possession and 1.26 fantasy points per minute during that stretch, while the Lakers come in allowing 43.1 fantasy points per game to power forwards, along with a 47.0 percent success rate from the field.
UTILITY:
Kyle Lowry, TOR vs. NY ($14,900): Lowry has averaged 23.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.0 steal across 34.0 minutes in two games against the Knicks this season, and he's scored 32.75 to 51.75 fantasy points in five of the last six contests. As mentioned earlier, New York has exhibited significant vulnerability to point guards this season, including allowing the fifth-most assists (8.7) to the position, a particularly relevant stat given Lowry's abilities as a facilitator. Lowry has also encouragingly been more involved on the offensive end recently, as the 14.3 shot attempts he's averaging over the last 10 represent an appreciable bump over the 12.6 he's posting on the season.
Kyle O'Quinn, NY at TOR ($8,600): Many will likely flock to Michael Beasley ($13,200) with both Kristaps Porzingis (knee) and Enes Kanter (mouth) out for the Knicks on Thursday, and he's naturally a very viable option if you've got the money to spend. However, for those that need the savings, O'Quinn presents an attractive value option that should be seeing plenty of minutes in a favorable matchup. Despite typically serving in a reserve role, O'Quinn has eclipsed 20 fantasy points on five occasions and 30 fantasy points in two other instances since the calendar flipped to 2018, and he's averaging 1.17 points per possession and 1.19 fantasy points per minute with both of the aforementioned big men off the floor this season. The Raptors also shape up as a soft target for him, considering they've allowed 41.5 fantasy points per contest to centers over the last five games, a notable increase over their 33.4 seasonal figure. With a price that's nowhere near reflective of the amount of minutes he should see as a starter Thursday, he presents as an excellent low-risk selection.
