This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
COVID-19 concerns continue to pummel the NBA, as a breakout of the virus among the Chicago Bulls has forced a cancellation on Thursday's slate, leaving us with only four games.
SLATE OVERVIEW
IND (-10) vs. DET O/U: 210.0
BKN (-1) vs. PHI O/U: 213.5
NYK (-6.5) @ HOU O/U: 215.5
PHO (-8.5) vs. WAS O/U: 216.5
Shifting your focus to cash games is usually a sound strategy with slates this small, as tie scores in GPPs ultimately dilute profitability. It's also a slate where an off night for one endorsed player can torpedo your contest, so be ready for some variance if you're fielding only one lineup.
INJURIES
DET Jerami Grant (thumb) - OUT
This long-term injury scenario has helped boost Cade Cunningham ($7,900) and Saddiq Bey's ($($4,600) fortunes significantly.
PHI Furkan Korkmaz (illness) - QUESTIONABLE
PHI Georges Niang (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
These injuries won't affect Hilly's rotation much, especially now that frontcourt players are healthy. Shake Milton ($5,100), Seth Curry ($5,300) and Tyrese Maxey ($6,400) could be worthwhile plays with one less mouth to feed in the backcourt.
BKN James Harden (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
BKN LaMarcus Aldridge (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
BKN Bruce Brown (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
BKN James Johnson (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
BKN DeAndre' Bembry (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
BKN Paul Millsap (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
The Nets can barely field a team at the moment. We will hit on an obvious beneficiary in a moment, but David Duke ($6,100), Kessler Edwards ($6,300) and Nicolas Claxton ($5,900) are new names to watch amid these absences.
NYK RJ Barrett (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
NYK Quentin Grimes (COVID-19 Protocols) - OUT
This position is now decimated with the addition of Grimes to the list. Alec Burks ($5,500) looks to be the best pivot here, and he is my top budget pivot for the night. Keep your ear to the ground as more health and safety protocol cases could spring up for the Knicks.
HOU Kevin Porter (thigh) - OUT
HOU Jalen Green (hamstring) - OUT
HOU Christian Wood (knee) - DOUBTFUL
If Wood misses again, Alperen Sengun ($5,800) will start again after putting up 46 FP in Wednesday's loss. Eric Gordon's ($5,700) return to action crystallizes some things in the other injury situation. Gordon and Armoni Brooks ($4,500) should be the best pivots.
PHO Devin Booker (hamstring) - OUT
PHO Frank Kaminsky (knee) - OUT
Cameron Payne ($5,400) should continue to see more time with Booker out, while JaVale McGee ($4,400) and Jae Crowder ($5,000) will continue to help out the frontcourt in Kaminsky's absence.
ELITE PLAYERS
Despite the high salary, Kevin Durant ($12,000) is a smash spot for the short-handed Nets. Due to the number of low-cost pivots, it shouldn't be much of an issue accommodating him, and it's a highly-advisable endorsement across the board. Joel Embiid ($10,500) is back and will be in a nice spot with LaMarcus Aldridge out, but I think his price is a tad too high, and the center position is one spot where we might have ample opportunity to save some cash. It also wouldn't be shocking if Embiid is rested on the second half of a back-to-back after he played through an injury Wednesday night.
I don't mind Julius Randle ($8,700) at all due to his eligibility at power forward, making him a slightly better play among the big men. Domantas Sabonis ($9,200), while pricey, is also a decent option against the Pistons. An alternate route is to spend up with two big men and use the budget pivots to afford them instead.
At guard among the elites, Bradley Beal ($8,200) and Chris Paul ($8,600) are the standout plays, although Beal's cost is more reasonable than Paul's when you consider CP3's abundance of scoring options alongside him. The return of Kyle Kuzma should help Beal out a ton tonight. Malcolm Brogdon ($7,800) is another excellent play on the slate against Detroit.
Although he has already been mentioned once, it's a night where you can definitely use Cade Cunningham ($7,900) as a lineup anchor in GPPs.
Also consider: Deandre Ayton, PHO ($8,000) vs. WAS
EXPECTED CHALK AND VALUE PLAYS
Due to the slate size, we are combining these two sections. It's imperative to keep pivots like Brooks, Sengun, and the Brooklyn subs at the forefront of your mind as we continue.
Tobias Harris, PHI ($7,100) @ BKN
Harris is about as prominent as you'll get on this slate, as he should have free reign against the depleted Nets. While Durant will do his best to contain the Sixers, he can't be in two places at once, and he'll need to aid the effort in containing Embiid. He played 37 minutes while scoring 24 points Wednesday, but I'm not too concerned about fatigue or the back-to-back road game.
Myles Turner, IND ($6,400) vs. DET
Turner had 37 FP Wednesday night and came through as an endorsement from Wednesday's article, and I am fine with going back to the well here. While I'm not a big fan of stacking Sabonis and Turner, swapping them in and out in multiple lineups for diversity is a good option. There is some blowout potential here, but both players have a chance to inflict a lot of damage in three quarters.
Jae'Sean Tate, HOU ($6,400) vs. NY
Houston is still snake-bit with the injury bug, and with Wood added to the mix, there's a definite lack of leadership in the locker room. Tate seems to have taken on that role in recent weeks, especially with rumors swirling about Christian Wood as a potential trade target. While I'd prefer to see more minutes from him, his reasonable salary gives him an excellent chance to pay off if he is forced to absorb some of Wood's output.
Derrick Rose, NYK ($6,200) @ HOU
We already mentioned Alec Burks as the top pivot tonight, but I also think there is plenty of room for Rose to do his thing. The veteran continues to turn back the clock with exemplary performances, and although I would like him a lot more at 5.5k or less, he still has the potential to exceed 30 FP with RJ Barrett out.
Caris LeVert, IND ($6,200) vs. DET
His numbers continue to disappoint, but LeVert is bound to crush value eventually at this price. A home game against Detroit might be what the doctor ordered. We're looking for a stat line similar to his 49-FP beatdown of the Mavericks last week, and with that potential upside, he's worth a look below FanDuel's median salary.
Mikal Bridges, PHO ($4,800) vs. WAS
Tuesday's game against Portland wasn't a good night for Bridges, but he puts up FP totals in the mid-20's with relative consistency. The salary reduction is an exploitable spot in an effort to fill your lineup with elite options.
