Thursday night’s eight-game slate is headlined by Russell Westbrook vs. James Harden Pt. 3, but there is a ton of talent to go around elsewhere. C.J. McCollum has been tearing it up with Damian Lillard sidelined, but he has risen up to $9,000, so he is not as appealing as he had been just a few days ago. On the flip-side, Anthony Davis is down to just $10,000, which is the cheapest he has been in a very long time.

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 1/5/16. The DFS lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays on DraftKings. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @hayudi18.

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DraftKings DFS Guards

Kyle Lowry - PG, vs. UTA ($7,800)

By drafting Lowry, you will save about $4,500 in not using Westbrook or Harden, and still get very strong production from a reliable source. Utah plays at the slowest pace in the NBA, which certainly limits the opportunities for opposing players to rack up counting stats. However, it also translates to the fewest turnovers caused in the league. The Jazz have not been the same defensive force without George Hill, who will be on the sidelines once again Thursday night with a concussion and a lip injury. Isaiah Thomas eclipsed 60 fantasy points against Utah on Tuesday night, tearing through Shelvin Mack for 29 points and 15 assists. Lowry, who scored 36 points against the Hill-less Jazz back on Dec. 23, should enjoy similar success on Thursday night with Rodney Hood potentially containing DeMar DeRozan.

Devin Booker - SG, @ DAL ($6,300)

Booker has been relatively inconsistent this season, with seven games with at least 27 points and 12 others with 13 or fewer. In total, however, he is averaging 18.9 points through 35 games. The second-year guard can catch fire at any time, and a Thursday night tilt against the 11-24 Mavericks is an ideal opportunity to rack up points in bunches. Dallas has yielded an absurd 40.1% three point percentage this year. Over the last four games, opposing shooting guards have averaged 26.3 points on 52.2% shooting and 48.6% from beyond the arc. However, the Mavs have actually been pretty stingy against point guards, so Eric Bledsoe might fall behind Booker on the scoring sheet for the second game in a row. Booker is reasonably priced and could easily light up the scoreboard.

Danny Green - SG, @ DEN ($3,900)

Before Tuesday’s blowout of the Raptors — in which he played just 22 minutes — Green had been riding a three-game streak of at least 20 Draftkings points. While that isn’t head-turning, it’s solid value for anyone under $4,000. Defensively, Denver sits in the bottom six in shooting percentage, three-point percentage and points per game. Bench guards Seth Curry, Jamal Crawford, Ian Clark and Arron Afflalo have all had success against the Nuggets in recent weeks. Denver also commits the fifth-most turnovers and forces the second fewest. Green can be productive on both sides of the ball Thursday night.

 

DraftKings DFS Forwards

Paul George - SF/PF, vs. BKN ($8,700)

George is playing out of his mind lately, having dropped 30 points in three of his last four games. Over that stretch, he has posted 42 Draftkings points per game, and his price tag has understandably shot up to $8,700 for a juicy matchup against the Nets. In the last week alone, Brooklyn has yielded 70 total points to Jimmy Butler and Gordon Hayward. Bojan Bogdanovic, the Nets’ current starting small forward, has been no match defensively for some of the more talented forwards in the league. George should feast on this opportunity on Thursday night, making him one of the more appealing plays, even with his increased cost.

Julius Randle - PF/C, @ POR ($7,100)

Randle has made significant strides on the offensive end in his third season, averaging 13.6 points on 50.1% shooting to go along with 8.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists through 33 games played. He leads the team in rebounding and has served as the only real source of scoring down low. The 22-year-old has posted over 40 fantasy points in three of his last four contests, including his third career triple-double on Tuesday. His price shot up to $7,100 as a result, but he should still return plenty of value against the Trailblazers on Thursday. Portland has allowed the most Draftkings points to opposing power forwards to date, managing the sixth-worst rebound percentage and the third-most points per game.

Sam Dekker - SF/PF, vs. OKC ($3,400)

Dekker has flashed some potential in his second NBA season (he appeared in just three games last year), averaging 6.7 points, 1.1 assists and 4.2 rebounds through 36 games, including 10 double-digit scoring efforts. The Thunder, Houston’s Thursday night opponents, have allowed big performances to opposing bench forwards over the last few games— 16 and five to James Johnson, 21 and eight to Zach Randolph, 18 and six to Brandon Bass. Dekker is an incredibly high-risk player given the fact that he hasn’t scored a point in two straight games. Still, he did manage 33.25 Draftkings points just a week ago against the Mavericks, and has enjoyed moderate success vs. the Thunder this year— 17 points in 34 minutes over two games. Dekker has a little bit of upside, and is super cost-effective and will likely allow you to roster Westbrook, Harden or Davis.

 

DraftKings DFS Centers

Dwight Howard - C, @ NO ($7,500)

Having to play in Anthony Davis’ paint in New Orleans doesn’t seem appealing off the bat, but the Pelicans currently possess the second-worst rebound percentage in the NBA. New Orleans has allowed double-digit rebounds to an opposing big man in seven of its last nine games, including 18 to Hassan Whiteside and 25 to DeAndre Jordan. Howard has posted at least 10 boards 23 times this season, including three 20-rebound showings. Paul Millsap is a force to be reckoned with, so Davis cannot focus all of his attention on Howard in the post. This should open things up for Howard’s fifth double-double in six games.

Tyson Chandler - C, @ DAL ($4,800)

Chandler is averaging 8.4 points and 11.3 rebounds over the last month, grabbing 20 or more rebounds three times in that span. The Mavericks rank dead last in rebound percentage, and while center Andrew Bogut is back from a knee injury, he is expected to continue to come off the bench in a limited role. Dallas has gone small over the last few games, with Dirk Nowitzki — not known for his rebounding or defensive abilities — manning the center spot. Chandler should be able to dominate the glass against his former team, and at $4,800, is a cheap alternative at the center position.

 

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