This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We're set for a typically compact four-game slate Thursday, and despite just eight teams being in action, we still have a solid player pool to work with, thanks to a very light injury report. There is one prominent potential absence, but otherwise, there are appealing options across each level of the salary cap.
Slate Overview
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There isn't a favorite of higher than six points Thursday, which bodes well for our chances of seeing largely competitive games. The Celtics-Mavericks and Jazz-Rockets clashes could well hold the most DFS appeal when all is said and done; accordingly, the two games carry the highest projected totals of the slate, 230 and 232.5 points, respectively, as of early Thursday.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Paul George, LAC (hamstring): QUESTIONABLE
If George were to sit out, Kawhi Leonard would likely see an appreciable usage bump, while Luke Kennard or Terance Mann could draw a start at two-guard.
Jalen Suggs, ORL (ankle): GTD
Suggs could be set to return after a month-plus absence but would almost certainly be on a minutes restriction if he does.
Other notable injuries:
Collin Sexton, UTA (hamstring): OUT
Nicolas Batum, LAC (ankle): OUT
Elite Players
We have four players with five-figure salaries on Thursday's slate – Luka Doncic ($12,800), Nikola Jokic ($11,500), Jayson Tatum ($10,800) and Ja Morant ($10,500).
Doncic has scored between 64.4 and 105 FD points in his last four games, making him rosterable at a salary even higher than Thursday's. It's also worth noting he scored 60.1 FD points across 39 minutes in the first meeting with the Celtics this season.
Jokic just saw his 12-game streak of 50-plus FD-point tallies narrowly snapped against the Timberwolves on Monday night, but he still scored 46.9 FD points across 33 minutes. He'll also have a significant rest advantage against a Clippers team that's allowed a 30-point, 13-rebound double-double to Bam Adebayo on Wednesday.
Tatum scored only 33.2 FD points in 30 minutes against the Thunder on Tuesday, but he'd posted at least 43.4 in each of the prior eight games.
Morant has scored over 41 FD points in each of his last six games and draws a premium matchup Thursday versus a Magic team that's been highly vulnerable to point guards to all season.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Paul George, LAC ($9,400)
George will have to overcome his questionable designation, but if he's cleared, he should be very popular on a small slate after scoring 66.8 FD points two games ago and 43.1 across 34 minutes in his most recent contest.
Jaylen Brown, BOS ($9,200)
Brown has scored under 40 FD points in two of his last three, but he's shown a 50-FD-point ceiling on multiple occasions this season, including in three of his last eight contests.
Kawhi Leonard, LAC ($9,000)
Leonard should be especially popular if George is ruled out, averaging 8.0 FD points more per 36 minutes when George is off the floor. However, he should be in plenty of lineups under any circumstance after scoring between 40.1 and 44.5 FD points in his last three.
Lauri Markkanen, UTA ($8,600)
Markkanen has scored anywhere from 41 to 53.9 FD points in four of his last five games and will be an integral part of a game with a 232.5-point projected total, factors that should keep him highly popular Thursday.
Key Values
Alperen Sengun, HOU vs. UTA ($6,000)
Sengun missed the Rockets' first two games of the season against the Jazz, but he'll be available Thursday and should be in an excellent position to exploit the highly favorable matchup. Utah has allowed the third-highest offensive efficiency rating to centers (34.4) and the second-most FD points per game (59.0) to the position as well. Sengun has already flashed a ceiling above 50 FD points on two occasions this season and has delivered over a 5x return on his current salary in 17 of 33 games thus far, furthering his case in a game with the highest projected total of the night.
Jabari Smith, HOU vs. UTA ($5,000)
Smith just racked up 39.1 FD points across 31 minutes on Wednesday night against the Pelicans, and he's already delivered over a 5x return on his current salary in 21 of his first 36 pro games. The talented rookie's offensive efficiency still has a long way to go, but he'll face a Jazz team he already put together a 42.8 FD-point tally against across 34 minutes back on Oct. 24 in only his fourth NBA contest. Utah is also allowing over 44 FD points per contest to power forwards in the last 15 games and is giving up an elevated 53.1 rebounds per road contest for the season, furthering Smith's already strong case.
Tyus Jones, MEM at ORL ($4,900)
Jones is capable of delivering on his very reasonable salary even when coming off the bench, which he's most recently demonstrated by scoring 24.8 and 40.2 FD points in two of his last three games. The veteran is also shooting a career-high 39.1 percent from three-point range, and he'll face a Magic team that's allowed a 41.7 percent success rate from behind the arc in the last three contests. Orlando is also surrendering the fifth-highest offensive efficiency rating to second-unit players (44.1) and the 10th-highest to point guards (27.4), along with 52 FD points per game to ones in the last seven contests.
ALSO CONSIDER: Malik Beasley, UTA at HOU ($4,800)
