We’re officially in silly season! This is the time of the year that many fantasy managers hate, but it’s the perfect time to capitalize on DFS. We have great teams resting players to get ready for the playoffs and bad teams resting players to fall deeper down the standings. That means players that no one has heard of will get significant minutes from here on out, and we’ll do our best to project those for the final few days!
This is another small slate, with seven games making up this Thursday card. It’s rare to have B2B slates this tiny, but it’s preparing us for a crazy weekend. This is the final weekend of the regular season, and almost every team is playing twice. That means we should get some chaos over the final days, but that’s commonplace at this time of the year.
View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
Schedule and Odds
- ORL at CHA (CHA -13.5) O/U: 227.5
- BOS at MIL (MIL -5.5) O/U: 227
- PHI at TOR (TOR -2) O/U: 215.5
- POR at NOP (NOP -16.5) O/U: 223
- SAS at MIN (MIN -8) O/U: 238
- MEM at DEN (DEN -3) O/U: 232.5
- LAL at GSW (GSW 12.5-) O/U: 222.5
Check out our consensus game odds as well as the odds from each sportsbook at BettingPros
Injury Report
- Cole Anthony (ankle) Questionable
- Jalen Suggs (ankle) Questionable
- Franz Wagner (ankle) Questionable
- Wendell Carter Jr.(tanking)
- Robert Williams (knee) OUT
- OG Anunoby (thigh) Questionable
- Damian Lillard (abs) OUT
- Jusuf Nurkic (foot) OUT
- Josh Hart (tanking) OUT
- Anfernee Simons (quad) OUT
- Trendon Watford (tanking) OUT
- Zion Williamson (foot) OUT
- Dejounte Murray (illness) Doubtful
- Jaden McDaniels (ankle) Questionable
- Ja Morant (knee) OUT
- Dillon Brooks (hip) Questionable
- Jamal Murray (knee) OUT
- Michael Porter Jr.(back) OUT
- Anthony Davis (leg) Questionable
- LeBron James (knee) Questionable
- Stephen Curry (ankle) OUT
- Brandon Williams (quad) Questionable
Core Plays
Karl-Anthony Towns (C – MIN): $9,600 DraftKings, $8,900 FanDuel
It’s strange to see Towns well below $10K. This has been one of the best players in the NBA, averaging 47 fantasy points per game. He’s also scored at least 49 DK points in three straight outings, showing us a 90-point upside just a few weeks ago. Facing San Antonio is sensational, too, with the Spurs sitting fourth in pace and 23rd in total defense. That 90-point masterpiece actually came against these Spurs!
C.J. McCollum (SG – NOP): $8,600 DraftKings, $8,200 FanDuel
McCollum has been majestic since joining the Pels, and you know he’ll be motivated against the team that traded him. It happens to be one of the worst defenses in the NBA, too, ranked dead-last in defensive efficiency. That’s bad news, with McCollum averaging 43 DK points per game since joining New Orleans.
Mo Bamba (C – ORL): $6,900 DraftKings, $6,400 FanDuel
Mo has always done well when given the minutes, and it looks like this is his time to thrive. Orlando could be without Anthony, Carter, and Wagner, leaving Bamba with a 30-minute starting role. If you look at the 28 games Bamba has played at least 29 minutes, he’s averaging 36 fantasy points per game! That’s amazing from a sub-$7K player, especially against a Charlotte team that ranks third in pace and 28th in points allowed.
Cash Game Considerations
Nikola Jokic (C – DEN): $12,600 DraftKings, $11,800 FanDuel
Jokic is in this section every night, and rightfully so. The big man is the frontrunner for MVP, leading the NBA with nearly 62 DraftKings points per game. He’s actually been even better in the second half, which is scary since he’s scored at least 41 fantasy points in all but one game this season. Facing Memphis is no easy task, but The Joker is averaging 60 DK points per game in their three matchups this season.
Brandon Ingram (SF – NOP): $8,300 DraftKings, $8,300 FanDuel
BI has become the Pelicans de facto points guard, leading the team in assists. That’s fantastic with his elite scoring and solid rebounding, making him a triple-double threat in every game. That’s led to BI scoring at least 37 fantasy points in nine of his last 10 games, maintaining a 42-point average in that span. Facing the worst defense in the NBA only adds to Ingram’s intrigue, averaging 43.3 DK points in their two matchups this year,
Tre Jones (PG – SAS): $5,300 DraftKings, $5,800 FanDuel
With Murray already ruled out for this game, Tre should get yet another start. He’s been spectacular in this role, scoring at least 26 fantasy points in eight of his nine starts this year. He’s also generating a 33-point average in that span, an absurd total from a player below $6,000. Facing Minnesota isn’t too shabby either, with the T’Wolves ranked 19th in total defense while playing at the fastest pace in the NBA.
GPP Targets
D’Angelo Russell (PG – MIN): $6,800 DraftKings, $6,800 FanDuel
Russell has remained too cheap on these sites all season. The southpaw is averaging 36 fantasy points per game for the season, scoring at least 34 fantasy points in eight of his last 12 games. What we really love is this matchup with the Spurs, with San Antonio surrendering the third-most fantasy points to opposing guards. That’s led to D-Lo averaging 38 fantasy points per game in their two meetings this year.
Jakob Poeltl (C – SAS): $6,500 DraftKings, $6,700 FanDuel
I don’t understand why Poeltl remains so affordable. The big man has established a 30-point floor this season, averaging 34 DraftKings points per game. That makes him tough to fade in this price range against the fastest-paced team in the NBA, particularly since he needs to play extra minutes to oppose KAT.
Markelle Fultz (PG/SG – ORL): $5,200 DraftKings, $6,000 FanDuel
We all know that Fultz has the talent to be a great player, and it’s nice that he’s finally healthy. It’s the perfect time to get healthy, with Orlando likely missing Anthony, Wagner, and Carter. That will leave Markelle with primary ball-handling duties, scoring at least 31 fantasy points in three of his last four games. That should be easy to duplicate against one of the most fantasy-friendly matchups in the NBA.
Value Plays
Brook Lopez (C – MIL): $5,000 DraftKings, $5,000 FanDuel
Lopez can be a $7K player when he’s right, and we finally saw that upside in his most recent game. The big man dropped 47 DK points on Tuesday night, showing us 10X upside. That makes it hard to believe that Bro-Lo is still just $5,000 on both sites, especially since he’s back to playing nearly 30 minutes a night.
Chuma Okeke (SF/PF – ORL): $4,900 DraftKings, $4,100 FanDuel
Much like Bamba, we love Okeke when he gets the minutes. He seems like a lock for 30 minutes with so many players missing, with Chume collecting 33 DK points across 33 minutes in Orlando’s most recent game. That’s no surprise when you see that Okeke is posting a 32-point average in the 18 games he’s played at least 30 minutes.
Larry Nance Jr.(PF – NOP): $3,600 DraftKings, $5,300 FanDuel
Nance just returned from a long-term injury, and it appears DraftKings forgot he’s back in the lineup. The versatile big man had 46 combined fantasy points across 50 minutes in the last two games. That’s all you can ask for from a player this cheap, and we believe he’s getting closer to 30 minutes with Zion still out of the lineup. Not to mention, Portland owns a 28th OPRK against opposing power forwards while posting the worst defensive rating in the NBA.
Advantageous Pricing
- Larry Nance Jr.(PF – NOP): $3,600 DraftKings, $5,300 FanDuel
- Terry Rozier (PG/SG – CHA): $6,900 DraftKings, $7,900 FanDuel
- Jayson Tatum (SF/PF – BOS): $10,500 DraftKings, $9,300 FanDuel
- DeAndre Jordan (C – PHI): $3,300 DraftKings, $4,500 FanDuel
- Josh Primo (PG/SG – SAS): $3,400 DraftKings, $4,800 FanDuel
- Jaxson Hayes (PF/C – NOP): $5,400 DraftKings, $6,400 FanDuel
- Ja Morant (PG – MEM): $9,900 DraftKings, $8,600 FanDuel
- Russell Westbrook (PG – LAL): $8,800 DraftKings, $7,800 FanDuel
- Klay Thompson (SG – GSW): $7,800 DraftKings, $6,800 FanDuel
- Andrew Wiggins (SG/SF – GSW): $6,800 DraftKings, $5,800 FanDuel
Get a $5 bonus when you make your first deposit at FanDuel
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox | Pocket Casts
Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.