This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Thursday's NBA slate features four games beginning at 8:00 PM Eastern time. The players recommended below are primed to provide strong bang for your buck, making them good fits for most lineups regardless of strategy. FanDuel's format only counts the eight highest scores in your nine-player lineup, so keep that in mind when making your selections.
POINT GUARD
Kyrie Irving, BOS at PHO ($8,500): Irving's picked his level up dramatically over the past four games, averaging 27.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 5.0 assists to go with 1.3 steals and a block per game. That level of success is nothing new for the star point guard, proving that his slow start to the season was just an aberration. That slow start has his price still below where it belongs, further raising Irving's value against a Suns team that's giving up 113.8 PPG.
Eric Bledsoe, MIL at GS ($6,800): Bledsoe's had an up and down start to the season, but he's an excellent pick at this price on his good days. Through 10 games, he's scored at least 16 points five times, grabbed at least four rebounds seven times and dished out seven or more assists six times. His strong all-around game will have to be on display for Milwaukee to stand a chance against the defending champs, but luckily Bledsoe will match up with what most consider to be Golden State's weakest defender in Stephen Curry.
SHOOTING GUARD
Dennis Schroder, OKC vs. HOU ($7,000): With Russell Westbrook's ankle injury keeping him out Wednesday, Schroder scored 28 points in 34 minutes. That was his third time in as many games sans Westbrook with at least 30 minutes of playing time, while Schroder has only gotten that many minutes twice in seven games Westbrook played. Given his increased usage in addition to his rise in playing time, Schroder should be effective once again with Westbrook still sidelined.
Devin Booker, PHO vs. BOS ($8,200): Booker's still growing his game, which isn't surprising given that he turned only 22 years of age just over a week ago. While his scoring and rebounding are right in line with last year's marks (despite a 5.0 percent drop in three-point percentage that's likely to correct itself), Booker's taken his passing to the next level, averaging 6.0 assists after dishing out only 4.7 dimes per game last season. Whether he does it with scoring or passing, Booker should provide great value against a Celtics team that just allowed 48 points to Jamal Murray on Monday.
SMALL FORWARD
Carmelo Anthony, HOU at OKC ($5,200): They took different paths in doing so, but Anthony has followed in James Harden's footsteps as the latest scorer to move from Oklahoma City to Houston. Having been run out of town by the Thunder after just one season, Melo should be motivated in this revenge game. With three scoring outbursts of 22 or more points already this season, the 10-time All Star has proven to still be quite effective on his best days. He's also shown a much better propensity to hustle on defense at home (perhaps benefiting from some friendly scorekeeping as well), averaging 0.8 steals and 1.5 blocks in Houston compared to 0.2 steals and 0.2 blocks per road game.
Evan Turner, POR vs. LAC ($4,600): Turner's point-forward skill set has allowed him to thrive off the bench, as he's averaging a well-rounded line of 10.4 PPG, 5.5 RPG and 4.1 APG in 25 minutes. His contributions in secondary categories allow Turner to find success even if his shot isn't falling, and he's locked into a consistent role, having played between 20 and 32 minutes every night. Turner almost certainly won't disappoint at $4,600, and there's a chance his role expands considering his season high in minutes occurred during Portland's most recent game.
POWER FORWARD
Jonas Jerebko, GS vs. MIL ($4,000): Jerebko has played 19 minutes or more four times this season, recording at least 20.7 fantasy points in each of those games. He's due for a bump in playing time with Draymond Green sidelined due to a sprained toe, so Jerebko's a sneaky value play at just $4,000. If things go awry, you can just drop his score in this format, anyway.
Tobias Harris, LAC at POR ($7,800): Harris is the driving force behind the Clippers' offense, averaging 21.3 PPG and 8.5 RPG. He also averaged 3.1 assists and 1.2 steals in 32 games after being acquired by Los Angeles last season, but those numbers are down to 1.9 and 0.3, respectively, in the new campaign. If he's able to pick things up in those two categories without sacrificing his scoring and rebounding gains, Harris should have no problem blowing his current valuation out of the water.
CENTER
Boban Marjanovic, LAC at POR ($5,400): Marjanovic is a monster on a per-minute basis, as his massive frame allows him to dominate offensively and on the glass. Sure, he's basically an oversized pylon on defense, but there's no penalty for that in the fantasy realm. He's getting consistent playing time as the Clippers' starting center, and is making the most of it with averages of 11.7 PPG, 10.3 RPG and 1.7 blocks in 20 minutes per game over the past three. Since the Trailblazers employ a traditional center in Jusuf Nurkic, Marjanovic is primed to see some decent run in this matchup with some nice production likely to follow.
