NBA DFS rolls on Thursday night with a small five-game slate. The Coach is here with his starting five and authentic insight from ‘inside the ropes.’ The NBA’s fantasy landscape changes daily with nightly examples of last-minute injury designation and load management. For reference, last night, the pay line in FanDuel’s $12k main slate contest was right in the normal range at 312.7 points. We will continue to operate and expect our pay line to be in the low 300s.
Our starting lineup is designed to provide core players with which to construct your DFS lineups. We strive for players who have the potential to be less owned and will give us a lineup different from the masses. Your obvious must-start studs or options are not always mentioned; we try to offer balanced DFS salary options. The fantasy point-per-game averages referenced are those across FanDuel scoring. Who gets the green light from the Coach tonight?
DFS Starting Guards
Jamal Murray ($7.7k DraftKings and $8.1k Fanduel)
Running the show for us tonight will be the Nuggets Jamal Murray. He will play in a green light environment this evening in the slate’s highest implied 239.5 game total. In addition, Denver has the slate’s second highest implied team total and Murray will face the Bucks who yield the sixth most fantasy points to point guards.
He ranks as the overall PG10 posting over 38 points per game on the season and 43.3 over his last six starts. Murray should have plenty of opportunities to hit on the all-important assist total, but keep in mind he is a GTD with a knee injury, so check on his status before tip-off.
Bradley Beal ($6.8k DraftKings and $7.4k Fanduel)
We need exposure to the Pelicans-Suns game that boasts a 236 implied game total. Bradley Beal’s DFS price tag has crept up a bit but still reasonable. Beal will start at the shooting guard for us but is eligible at small forward as well. He provides us roster flexibility and has an above-average matchup against the Pelicans who rank 20th in points allowed to shooting guards. We started him on Tuesday night and he rewarded us with 53.5 fantasy points. Beal has played 42 minutes a game in his last two starts, indicating he is all the way back after the four-game absence.
Substitution Options: Damian Lillard, Russell Westbrook, Luka Doncic
DFS Starting Forwards
Klay Thompson ($5.4k DraftKings and $5.4k Fanduel)
We can save on salary and start Klay Thompson at small forward. He gets coveted green light facing the Hornets who are allowing the fifth most fantasy points to small forwards. In addition, you know another staple for us is roster flexibility and Thompson will provide that being dual position eligible. He has topped the 35 point fantasy mark in two of his last four games, giving us a potential 5x-7x DFS player.
Jaden McDaniels ($6.9k DraftKings and $6.5k Fanduel)
DFS Starting Center
Draymond Green ($6.1k DraftKings and $6.5k Fanduel)
Draymond Green will make his second start at center for us this week. Keep in mind this on paper is not an ideal matchup with Orlando being a top-5 defense against centers. However, Green can produce due to his ability to hit on so many statistical categories. He has averaged 35.35 fantasy points, 6 assists and 6 boards in his last eight games.
Green will also play in what is forecasted to be one of the more competitive games tonight with just a five point spread between Golden State and Orlando. We also have the option to slot Green in at power forward and spend up at center for Nikola Jokic or point guard for Luka Doncic.
Substitution Options: Brook Lopez, Bol Bol, Mark Williams, Yves Missi
DFS Tournament Stacks
Bradley Beal-Kevin Durant-Bol Bol/ Jamal Murray-Aaron Gordon-Nikola Jokic/ Damian Lillard-Giannis Antetokounmpo-Brook Lopez or Kyle Kuzma/ Luka Doncic-LeBron James-Austin Reaves
Final Thoughts
It is impossible to mention every player, but our substitution options provide our followers with additional green light options and flexibility within your DFS builds. We strive to balance studs and value plays who might also be potentially lower-owned. Pay attention to implied game totals and try to get pieces of those games within your lineup construction.
The top DFS builds will consist of the right balance between studs and value players that pay at least 5x their DFS salaries. Good luck with your roster builds, and please like and follow us on social media. Please always double-check our recommendations and your roster builds once line-ups are finalized for late inactives.
