This marks my final article of 2021! Good riddance because this year has been absolute chaos. It’s undoubtedly been the most topsy-turvy season I’ve ever seen in terms of DFS, and it’s only going to get crazier with COVID flowing through the league like a plague. It’s a revolving door of players landing in COVID protocols and clearing it, making it tough to decipher who’s going to play on any given night. We’ll try our best to break it down, so let’s go ahead and get into it!
After a sizeable nine-game slate on Wednesday, we’re down to just four games here. That’s typical for a Thursday card, and I’m ecstatic to cover such a short slate. It’s been nightmarish to examine a full card, and it’ll be nice to look at these four games and dissect it. There’s still a lot to discuss, though, so let’s start with the schedule and odds!
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Schedule and Odds
- PHI at BKN (BKN -4) O/U: 217
- MIL at ORL (MIL -13) O/U: 216
- CLE at WAS (WAS -2) O/U: 213.5
- GSW at DEN (GSW -3.5) O/U: 212.5
Check out our consensus game odds as well as the odds from each sportsbook at BettingPros
This marks my final article of 2021! Good riddance because this year has been absolute chaos. It’s undoubtedly been the most topsy-turvy season I’ve ever seen in terms of DFS, and it’s only going to get crazier with COVID flowing through the league like a plague. It’s a revolving door of players landing in COVID protocols and clearing it, making it tough to decipher who’s going to play on any given night. We’ll try our best to break it down, so let’s go ahead and get into it!
After a sizeable nine-game slate on Wednesday, we’re down to just four games here. That’s typical for a Thursday card, and I’m ecstatic to cover such a short slate. It’s been nightmarish to examine a full card, and it’ll be nice to look at these four games and dissect it. There’s still a lot to discuss, though, so let’s start with the schedule and odds!
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Schedule and Odds
- PHI at BKN (BKN -4) O/U: 217
- MIL at ORL (MIL -13) O/U: 216
- CLE at WAS (WAS -2) O/U: 213.5
- GSW at DEN (GSW -3.5) O/U: 212.5
Check out our consensus game odds as well as the odds from each sportsbook at BettingPros
Injury Report
Core Plays
Nikola Jokic (C – DEN): $11,900 DraftKings, $11,700 FanDuel
It’s imperative to use Jokic when there are 12 games on a slate, and it’s even more critical on a four-game slate like this. There’s simply no one like him, with The Joker scoring at least 41 DraftKings points in all but one game this season. He’s also flirting with a 60-point average, scoring at least 61 DraftKings points in eight of his last 10 games.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (PF – MIL): $11,600 DraftKings, $11,200 FanDuel
Giannis is the only player who can rival Jokic’s floor, scoring at least 31 DK points in every game and surpassing 41 fantasy points in all but three outings. That has led to his absurd 56-point average, which should be easy to duplicate against a 28th-ranked Orlando defense. Giannis is averaging 54 DK points per game against the Magic in their three meetings this season, despite playing fewer than 28 minutes a night! Imagine what he could do if he plays 30-35!
Isaac Okoro (SG – CLE): $4,400 DraftKings, $4,600 FanDuel
Go look at the Cavs roster! It’s insane just how many vital pieces they’re missing, with Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Ricky Rubio, and Jarrett Allen all expected to miss this game. That leaves Okoro as one of the only ball-handlers left and a near guarantee for 40 minutes of play. He’s been much better recently, too, averaging 25 DK points per game over his last five fixtures. He did that damage with most of those guys in the lineup, and we genuinely believe he could be in line for 40-plus here with so much production out of the lineup.
Cash Game Considerations
Stephen Curry (PG – GSW): $11,400 DraftKings, $10,400 FanDuel
Chef Curry is in a bit of a slump for his standards, but we should all be so lucky! This guy is still an animal, averaging 49 DK points per game. What really adds to his value here is the matchup against Denver, with the Nuggets owning a 25th OPRK against opposing point guards this season. He struggled against them on Tuesday, and it’s hard imagining him doing that twice in a row.
James Harden (PG/SG – BKN): $11,100 DraftKings, $11,100 FanDuel
Harden is flirting with triple-double averages, and he’s currently in the best stretch of his season right now. In fact, James has at least 41 fantasy points in 13 straight games, scoring at least 75 DK points in back-to-back outings. Not many guys in the NBA have reached 75 points once this season, and it’s scary that Harden has done it in each of his last two games. Philly isn’t really a frightening matchup either, with James tallying 20 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists in their previous meeting.
Dean Wade (PF/C – CLE): $3,700 DraftKings, $4,800 FanDuel
We already discussed all of the absences in Cleveland, and it should force Wade into a prominent role. That has allowed him to play at least 28 minutes in back-to-back games and could be looking at 35-40 here. That alone makes him a good option in the $4K price range, especially with Dean averaging nearly 30 fantasy points per game in the outings he’s played at least 30 minutes.
GPP Targets
Spencer Dinwiddie (PG – WAS): $7,100 DraftKings, $6,300 FanDuel
We only have this in the GPP section because Bradley Beal could return. When Beal is out, Dinwiddie is quite simply one of the best options in fantasy. He’s scored at least 29 DraftKings points in all six games that Beal has missed, averaging 47 fantasy points per game in those outings. Cleveland is one of the best defenses in the NBA, but having their three best guards out of the lineup should make them a much easier matchup than it says on paper.
Lauri Markkanen (PF – CLE): $5,800 DraftKings, $5,500 FanDuel
Lauri is probably the second-best player on this team with all of the injuries, and it’s just a matter of time before he gets rolling. The role is the most exciting thing here, with Lauri looking at 35-40 minutes and 15-20 shots. His rebounding should also ride with Allen out, and we can’t fade this sort of upside from a sub-$6K player.
Otto Porter (SF/PF – GSW): $5,000 DraftKings, $5,500 FanDuel
With Draymond Green sidelined for Golden State, Porter has played a ton. That’s allowed Otto to play at least 26 minutes in four straight fixtures, scoring at least 31 DraftKings points in three of those. That’s tough to find from a $5K player, and it’s far from surprising when you see that Porter was a Top-50 player in the past.
Value Plays
R.J. Hampton (SG – ORL): $3,900 DraftKings, $5,300 FanDuel
This DraftKings price is silly. Hampton has recently taken on a much more significant role in Orlando, and it’s easy to see why with Cole Anthony, Mo Bamba, Terrence Ross, Jalen Suggs, Markelle Fultz, and Chuma Okeke all missing. That has allowed R.J. to play at least 27 minutes in three straight outings, registering a 26-point average in that span. That might not be good enough on FanDuel at $5,300, but it’s a fantastic total from a sub-$4K player on DraftKings. Not to mention, Milwaukee owns a 28th OPRK against opposing shooting guards.
Kevin Pangos (PG – CLE): $3,800 DraftKings, $3,900 FanDuel
Who is this guy? That’s where we’re at in this new COVID era because Pangos is the only point guard left on this roster. It’s taken Garland, Sexton, and Rubio all going down to make this guy relevant, but Pangos is the only point guard left. We also like that he’s been there all season, and it should guarantee him 20-30 minutes. That alone makes him worth a shot on this price range, and we did like he ran a successful Gonzaga team in college.
Kevon Looney (C – GSW): $3,600 DraftKings, $5,200 FanDuel
Someone needs to cover Jokic! Looney is the only one big enough in Golden State to try it, dropping 20 DK points across 26 minutes of action on Tuesday. His minutes have been on the uptick recently anyway, playing at least 24 minutes in six of his last nine games. His fantasy numbers have been impressive, too, scoring at least 20 fantasy points in seven of his last 10 games. You can’t ask for more from a $3,600 player, making Looney a great pairing with guys like Curry, Harden, Durant, and Jokic.
Advantageous Pricing
- Stephen Curry (PG – GSW): $11,400 DraftKings, $10,400 FanDuel
- Dean Wade (PF/C – CLE): $3,700 DraftKings, $4,800 FanDuel
- R.J. Hampton (SG – ORL): $3,900 DraftKings, $5,300 FanDuel
- Kevon Looney (C – GSW): $3,600 DraftKings, $5,200 FanDuel
- Bradley Beal (SG – WAS): $10,100 DraftKings, $8,300 FanDuel
- Tobias Harris (PF – PHI): $8,800 DraftKings, $7,400 FanDuel
- Jordan Nwora (SF/PF – MIL): $4,300 DraftKings, $6,600 FanDuel
- Blake Griffin (PF/C – BKN): $4,500 DraftKings, $5,500 FanDuel
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
