The Thursday slate is rather intriguing. The Sixers and Lakers are both on tap, causing fantasy owners to think heavily on targeting those individual matchups. On the other hand, fantasy owners have employed unique strategies in cash games this season. So unique that they have yours truly contemplating bypassing 50/50s and cash games altogether and just going all in on tournaments. At any rate, good luck in whatever strategy you employ tonight.

In this article, I will be providing you with Daily NBA picks for DraftKings for 1/7/16. The picks will range from some of the elite players, to mid-priced options, and value plays.

Without wasting anymore time, let's get down to it!

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DraftKings DFS Point Guards

Darren Collison (vs LAL, $6,000)

With the status of Rajon Rondo up in the air, Collison almost becomes a must play for mostly two reasons. First, the Kings play at a breakneck pace and are averaging 105.9 points per game, good enough for third in The Association. Second, the Lakers are absolutely awful defending points guards. At 6k, the Collison roster allows for some flexibility to grab the heavy hitters at other positions.

Trey Burke (at HOU, $4,900)

Before the calendar struck 2016, Burke was on the verge of going absolutely HAM before running into a brick wall against Memphis. In two straight games at the end of the year, he went 20-for-37 from the field, including 5-for-14 from behind the arc. Then he threw up a couple duds before coming back strong against San Antonio in 24 minutes on Wednesday night. In six games on zero days of rest this season, Burke is seeing a 30.6% usage rate while shooting 51.3% from the field. Looks like he is in the middle of another quasi-hot streak.

 

DraftKings DFS Shooting Guards

Lou Williams (at SAC, $5,900)

I pushed hard for Lou on Tuesday and it bite me in the bud. Since he put up a dud on Tuesday, I am even more confident he is going to come out swinging against the league’s most forgiving defense against two guards. I love him even more if Kobe Bryant does not suit up for a fourth straight game.

Marco Belinelli (vs LAL, $4,400)

The Sacramento Kings injury list looks almost like a full roster right now, so they will clearly need some of their bench players to pick up the slack and score some points. With an average of 30.9 DKFPPG over his last four games, Belinelli is one of those guys that can really step in. He has taken an average of 14.5 shots per game during that span, well above his season average. It’s important to check the status of Omri Casspi and Rajon Rondo before the game, however. Every guy in front of him that does end up playing all connects to him losing minutes.

 

DraftKings DFS Small Forwards

Gordon Hayward (at HOU, $7,400)

The price has fallen just a bit on Hayward, so now is the time to scoop him up. Especially against the Houston Rockets, a team that is giving up the most DKFP to opposing swing men. Hayward pestered Houston earlier this week to the tune of 20 points, seven boards, three assists, a block and three steals. Hayward only averages 29 minutes per game on the second game of back-to-backs for the season, but he only played 28 minutes on Wednesday night in a blowout loss to the Spurs. He should be relatively fresh to take up most of the scoring duties on Thursday.

Jae Crowder (at CHI, $6,400)

There are so many guys I like on Thursday at the swing, but if you’re looking to go cheap, it gets pretty dicey after Crowder. Gone are the Tom Thibodeau days when the Bulls were defensive bullies up and down the court. Instead, they’ve opted to go for a ton of scoring and a quicker pace, playing in nicely to Boston’s hands and their fourth fastest pace. From a fantasy perspective, Crowder is a well-rounded player that can stuff the stat sheet, so even if his shot is not dropping, he is capable of getting a lot of points in an up-tempo matchup.

 

DraftKings DFS Power Forwards

DeMarcus Cousins (vs LAL, $10,300)

If you can fit in Boogie, oh boy. This is one of those games you get the feeling he will go beast mode and fill a 30-15-5 stat line. The price is the problem.

Paul Millsap (at PHI, $8,300)

For a little bit more salary relief, look at the second-highest priced option on the board. At 2k cheaper, I’ll gladly continue to utilize the tried, tested and true strategy of picking on the Philadelphia front court. The lowly Sixers give up a ton of offense and defensive boards to opposing big men and there’s really no more consistent power forward in the game (from a DraftKings standpoint) than Millsap. He has dropped 46.05 DKFPPG over the last five games, averaging 21.2/8.6/4.2 during that span. I love Millsap in safe lineups.

Taj Gibson (vs BOS, $5,900)

Jimmy Butler has been getting all the highlights, but Gibson has been quietly effective since his insertion in the starting lineup. Against the Celtics, he will face a front court that struggles against players that ball like bullies, which is Gibson in a nutshell. Butler has been playing at a high level as of late, but at some point his field goal percentage and scoring will come back down to his season average, making room for guys like Gibson to pick up the slack. Look for that to start on Thursday.

 

DraftKings DFS Centers

Pau Gasol (vs BOS, $8,000)

I feel like I’m beating on a dead horse here week in and week out by consistently selecting Gasol. But the guy has been an absolute fantasy beast all season and his price tag still, still, has yet to catch up to his production. He should have no problem taking advantage of Boston’s defensively inefficient front court. Jared Sullinger cannot match Gasol’s athleticism and Kelly Olynyk cannot play interior defense. I love Gasol in all formats tonight to continue his torrid 40.5 DKFPPG pace.

 

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