We saw nearly every team play yesterday, leaving us with this much smaller slate. We have four games making up this Thursday card, but we have some fun matchups to discuss. These slates with 4-6 games are my favorite because they give us plenty of players to talk about but not too many to be overwhelmed with.

View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet

NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer:

Schedule and Odds

• TOR at PHI (PHI -8.5) O/U: 215
• DET at NOP (NOP -7.5) O/U: 219.5
• ORL at UTA (ORL -1) O/U: 222
• SAS at PHX (PHX -7) O/U: 225

Check out our consensus game odds as well as the odds from each sportsbook at BettingPros.

Injury Report

• Brandon Ingram (knee) Questionable
• Bradley Beal (back) OUT
• Devin Booker (toe) Questionable
• Jalen Duren (ankle) Questionable
• Precious Achiuwa (groin) OUT

Core Plays

Scottie Barnes (PG/SF – TOR): $8,200 DraftKings, $8,800 FanDuel
With Fred VanVleet out of town, Barnes has taken over this offense. The stat-stuffing forward has scored at least 44 DraftKings points in all five outings, averaging nearly 50 DK points per game. That makes him tough to avoid in this $8K price range, especially since Scottie dropped 61 and 42 DK points in his two most recent matchups with the Sixers.

Tyrese Maxey (PG – PHI): $8,400 DraftKings, $8,900 FanDuel
James Harden was finally traded this week, and the play of Maxey has to be a significant reason why. This guard has taken over in his absence, averaging 53 DraftKings points per game this season. That’s one of the highest totals in the NBA, but it’s no surprise since Maxey is the primary ball-handler with Harden out of the picture. We also don’t mind that Maxey has at least 52 DraftKings points in three of his last four matchups with Toronto.

Cash Game Considerations

Joel Embiid (C – PHI): $11,500 DraftKings, $12,000 FanDuel
Embiid took down MVP honors last season, and he looks hungry again this year. The big man has 63 and 81 fantasy points in his two most recent outings, doing everything in the absence of Harden. That boosts his shot attempts and usage, which is incredible since Nick Nurse leaves him out there 35-40 minutes a night. That 63-point gem was against this Toronto team, and it could be a regular thing going forward!

Kevin Durant (SF/PF – PHX): $10,800 DraftKings, $10,800 FanDuel
Durant has always been one of the best players in the league, but he’s taken over this club with Devin Booker and Bradley Beal both nicked up. That’s guaranteed KD 35-40 minutes, 20-25 shots, and a 30 percent usage rate in every game. This guy doesn’t even need that sort of usage to be productive, averaging 46 DraftKings points per game this season. The Spurs are a sensational matchup, too, surrendering the most fantasy points in the NBA last season.

GPP Targets

Markelle Fultz (PG – ORL): $5,500 DraftKings, $5,800 FanDuel
It’s been a rough start for Fultz, but the last two games are an encouraging sign. This point guard is averaging nearly 30 fantasy points per game in this mini-spurt. More importantly, he’s playing over 32 minutes a night and was a $6K player in that type of role last season. This matchup with Utah is the best part of this because the Jazz have the worst defensive rating in the NBA.

Walker Kessler (C – UTA): $6,000 DraftKings, $6,400 FanDuel
Kessler has been a nightmare through the opening week, but it’s wild to see this sort of price drop. This guy was an $8K player at the end of last season, and it’s just a matter of time before he gets back there. We saw flashes of that on Monday, with Kessler collecting 41 DraftKings points. That’s amazing from a $6K player, and this is a big Orlando team that Kessler will have to play heavy minutes against.

Value Plays

Isaiah Stewart (PF/C – DET): $6,100 DraftKings, $5,700 FanDuel
We had Beef Stew in this section yesterday, and we have to go back to him with Jalen Duren likely sitting again. Stewart has been superb whether Duren has played or not, averaging nearly 30 fantasy points per game. We love that with the boost in usage and rebounds here because Duren is averaging 15.3 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. Picking up a small portion of that would be massive, making Beef Stew about $1,000 too cheap.

Eric Gordon (PG/SG – PHX): $5,500 DraftKings, $5,300 FanDuel
It’s surprising that Gordon is fantasy-relevant at this point, but it’s less shocking when you see that Booker and Beal are both injured. That’s forced EG into the starting lineup, scoring 32 and 33 DK points in his two most recent outings. The expanded role is incredible for a veteran like this, and Phoenix needs him out there with so much playmaking sitting on the bench. Not to mention, the Spurs were last in defensive efficiency last season.

Advantageous Pricing

• OG Anunoby (SG/SF – TOR): $5,600 DraftKings, $6,900 FanDuel
• Gary Trent (SG – TOR): $5,300 DraftKings, $4,500 FanDuel
• Zion Williamson (PF – NOP): $9,200 DraftKings, $7,800 FanDuel
• Jalen Duren (C – DET): $6,800 DraftKings, $7,700 FanDuel
• Marvin Bagley (PF/C – DET): $4,400 DraftKings, $5,200 FanDuel

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