We have a nice four-game NBA DFS slate on tap for Thursday. Each game currently has a 208 total or better, which is rare. With that many points projected to be scored, you know there are plenty of potential picks for FanDuel and DraftKings contests. We have a few significant injuries, as well, so keep a close eye on them all the way up until roster lock.
In terms of pace, each game has a team playing way faster than they normally do: The 76ers are pacing up against the Lakers, the Wizards are pacing up against the Suns, the Thunder are pacing up against the Nets, and the Jazz are pacing up against the Rockets.
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NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings, FanDuel advice for Thursday, December 7
| Pos | Player | Matchup | FD | *Own % | DK | Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PG | Russell Westbrook | OKC @BKN | $11500 | -- | $12000 | With Paul George off of the floor this season, Westbrook is host to a -- wait for it -- 48-PERCENT USAGE RATE. That is insane. He's been the best fantasy producer in basketball of late, and that's been with George on the floor, so he's a lock in all formats for Thursday. |
| PG | Chris Paul | HOU @UTA | $8300 | -- | $7600 | Paul saw 33 minutes his last time out, which tied a season-high in minutes. This matchup against Utah isn't as scary as it once was, and Paul's ownership might be depressed a bit because of it. We're getting him at $7.6K on DraftKings, and that's simply too low. He's consistently giving us 30-plus points, which on a four-game slate is fine because we want safe floors. |
| PG | Spencer Dinwiddie | OKC@ BKN | $7200 | -- | $6500 | After seeing his price balloon across the industry, we're finally seeing it drop back down to a comfortable spot. At $6.5K, Dinwiddie has upside. He's a definite double-double threat and matches up against Westbrook, who focuses way more of his attention to the offensive end of the ball. |
| SG | Alec Burks | HOU@ UTA | $5000 | -- | $4800 | Burks value will definitely take a hit when Rodney Hood returns, but if Hood sits again on Thursday we're ready to fire up Burks again. He has three 20-plus actual point efforts over his past four games and is still under $5K on DK. |
| PG | Jordan Clarkson | LAL @PHI | $4500 | -- | $4900 | Clarkson's had two poor outings in a row but scored 20 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists in a game against the 76ers earlier this year. He's only $4.5K on FanDuel, and on a four-game slate, he has the upside to help you take down a tournament. |
| SG | James Harden | HOU @UTA | $11500 | -- | $11000 | All those people that thought Harden and Chris Paul couldn't coexist couldn't have been more wrong. Harden has been balling out, putting together four straight outings of 58-plus DK points. If you don't want to go all the way up and pay for Westbrook, you can save $1,000 and get Harden, who has the same upside. |
| SG | Bradley Beal | WAS @PHX | $8600 | -- | $8100 | Coming off a 51 actual point contest, Beal is flying high. He'll continue to get and take all the shots he can handle with John Wall out of the lineup, which makes him an elite play each and every night he takes the floor. |
| SF | Brandon Ingram | LAL @PHI | $6800 | -- | $6400 | Ingram has turned into quite the scorer in recent weeks. Over his past nine games, he's averaging 19.1 points per game. He's going to be guarded by Robert Covington, who is a very good defender in his own right, but Ingram was able to score 26 points against PHI last time the two teams met. So, I'm not too worried about the matchup. |
| SG | Troy Daniels | WAS@ PHX | $3700 | -- | $4100 | Sometimes on four-game slates we have to try some things we wouldn't normally do. Devin Booker has already been ruled out, leaving minutes and usage on the table. Daniels has been someone consistently in the Suns rotation, and just last game when Booker went down, he scored 13 actual points in 21 minutes. Daniels can score in bunches given the opportunity, so why not take a flier on him here? |
| SF | Ben Simmons | LAL@ PHI | $10500 | -- | $9900 | It doesn't seem like any price tag you give him is too high, and sub-$10K on DraftKings feels too cheap. Simmons has unlimited upside due to the fact he's always a game away from a triple-double. He's also been someone with his hands in the passing lanes all year, and the Lakers are a young, turnover-prone team that Simmons can take advantage of. |
| SF | TJ Warren | WAS@ PHX | $8100 | -- | $6500 | Since Devin Booker is out, all the attention and ownership will go to Warren. But I'm pumping the breaks about going all-in here and ready to proceed with caution. Warren's USG rate actually goes down with Booker off the floor. Defenses are able to focus more of their attention on Warren with Booker sidelined. |
| SF | Carmelo Anthony | OKC @BKN | $6900 | -- | $6500 | It's easy to assume everyone gets a boost with Paul George off the floor, but then you see the numbers and they're eye popping. Anthony's USG with George on the floor is 24.3-percent, but when PG13 is off the floor, that balloons to 36.6. A Thunder stack is in order, (you'll find out the third member of our stack a little bit later). |
| PF | Rondae Hollis-Jefferson | OKC@ BKN | $7300 | -- | $5400 | On FanDuel at $7.3K you can't play him, but he's almost $2K cheaper on DK. At an awful PF position, he's a fantastic option. He has 40-DK-point upside and will matchup against Carmelo Anthony, who might struggle with RHJ's athleticism. |
| PF | Markieff Morris | WAS @PHX | $4800 | -- | $4700 | This is a revenge narrative I can really get into. Morris' price is still sub-$5K across the industry, and he now faces the team that he so desperately wanted out of due to bad blood between the two parties. With John Wall off the floor this year, Morris has an impressive 24-percent USG rate. He's playing way up in pace as well, so couple those two things with the revenge factor and he may have his best game of the year tonight. |
| SF | Josh Jackson | WAS@ PHX | $4600 | -- | $4500 | Jackson is going to be a popular play on Thursday, but I'm with the narrative. He's going to start and likely see big minutes. He's already a rotation regular but the extra starters run is very beneficial. He's only shooting 39 percent from the floor this year, which scares me a bit, but he's worth a shot in big tournaments. |
| PF | Larry Nance Jr. | LAL @PHI | $6000 | -- | $4900 | It is extremely hard to predict which Lakers PF will see big minutes on a night-to-night basis, but Nance is the safest choice right now. He and Kyle Kuzma are the two I'd give looks at, and Randle gets a hard pass from me. All of them are risky, but if I had to choose, I'd take Nance. |
| C | Joel Embiid | LAL@ PHI | $10800 | -- | $10100 | We all remember Embiid's 90-fantasy point night the last time these two teams met, so it's going to be quite hard to fade him in this spot. It's not like since that time the Lakers have added anyone that is going to be able to stop him, so there's no reason to think he can't have another monster outing. He's strung together seven straight double-doubles and is as safe of a play as they come on this slate. |
| C | Steven Adams | OKC @BKN | $6900 | -- | $6100 | Adams has been rolling his last three games, scoring 19 or more points while grabbing six or more rebounds in each. With Paul George off the floor, Adams should se an uptick in shot attempts, which obviously gives him more fantasy appeal. This is third member of that OKC stack I mentioned earlier. |
| C | Greg Monroe | WAS@ PHX | $4800 | -- | $4900 | If Tyson Chandler sits in this spot, Monroe becomes an intriguing option. He scores and rebounds well still, even at this stage of his career, we just can't trust the minutes because of how sporadic they've been. |
| C | Rudy Gobert | HOU@ UTA | $7600 | -- | $6200 | Gobert already saw 27 minutes in just his second game back so if were to get up to 30 on Thursday, at $6.2K he could be a steal. He's worth a shot in GPPs especially if we get news on an uptick in minutes. |