This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Thursday's slate only features three games, but several of the best daily game options will be taking the floor, and there are plenty of reliable complementary options out there to round out your lineups. Houston and Dallas are both playing the second half of back-to-back sets, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James will be squaring off, and Phoenix is looking to keep their faint playoff hopes alive in Golden State. Injuries to Draymond Green, Donatas Motiejunas, and Alex Len have opened up several value plays at the power forward and center spots tonight, allowing you to roster some high-end options at other positions.
Thursday's Value Plays
Point Guard
Rajon Rondo, DAL, $6,200: It's no secret that the Rondo experiment in Dallas hasn't quite lived up to expectations, but his March numbers were an improvement over his previous two months, and he opened April with a double-double going against Russell Westbrook. Rondo averaged 9.8 points, 6.9 assists, and 4.9 rebounds per game in 13 March games, compared to 7.6 points, 5.1 assists, and 4.3 rebounds in 20 combined games in January and February (Rondo only appeared in five February games due to a facial fracture). He draws a favorable matchup Thursday as he doesn't have to go up against Patrick Beverley (hand). Instead, he'll be going up against a combination of Jason Terry and Pablo Prigioni. If you're not going with Stephen Curry and Kyrie Irving at your point guard spots Thursday, Rondo is a good mid-priced option.
Other Suggestions: Mario Chalmers, MIA, $4,500 - Dwyane Wade went back to the team hotel with an illness and might be out tonight, which would push Chalmers into the lineup.
Shooting Guard
Klay Thompson, GSW, $7,200: Shooting guard isn't particularly deep Thursday, with only about five or six usable options. Thompson is a safe bet. He is averaging 23.5 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.5 rebounds against Phoenix this season. There isn't any indication at this point that coach Steve Kerr is going to rest his starters tonight, so Thompson should be out there for his usual allotment of minutes. Thompson has rounded back into form since coming back from a sprained ankle, knocking down at least three treys in his last three games.
Small Forward
Trevor Ariza, HOU, $6,400: Ariza has been uber consistent since the break and is averaging 15.8 points, 7,6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.8 steals over his last 10 games. His rebounding against Dallas has been weaker overall, averaging 3.7 boards in three games, but Dallas' rebounding margin bottomed out from -1.6 in February to -5.4 in March (both league-worst marks) so it wouldn't be surprising if Ariza pulled down five or six rebounds tonight. The only time Ariza had less than 25 FanDuel points in his last 10 outings, he was sick. Ariza is arguably the second best small forward going Thursday behind LeBron James, and he only costs $6,400.
Power Forward
David Lee, GSW,$4,500: Lee got the start at power forward Tuesday with Draymond Green sidelined with a shin injury. It looks like Green is going to sit out again tonight, which means another start for Lee. RotoWire's value projection ((Fantasy Points/Salary)*1000) for Lee tonight is at 5.39, which is the third highest behind Michael Beasley (who I'm avoiding) and Brandan Wright. Lee went for 17 points and seven rebounds as the starter Tuesday and should be able to match that production against the Suns, assuming Green sits again.
Terrence Jones, HOU, $6,400: Jones had a big game Wednesday after missing Houston's previous six with a collapsed lung. He put up 16 points, seven rebounds, and a ridiculous seven blocks to finish with 42.9 FD points. Granted, he was going against a Sacramento frontcourt that is allowing the second most FD points to opposing power forwards over the last five games and seventh most over the last 10. Still, Dallas isn't exactly stingy against opposing forwards either (5th most FD points over the last 10), so Jones should be able to put up solid numbers again tonight. 42 FanDuel points is well above what you should be expecting out of Jones on a given night, but he should be able to provide a nice return on his $6,400 price tag.
Other suggestions: Amar'e Stoudemire, DAL, $3,800 vs HOU
Center
Brandan Wright, PHO, $4,600: There's a huge drop-off after Hassan Whiteside ($7,900) at center tonight. Dwight Howard carries a $7,500 price tag, which is way too high for a guy that's only going to play 20-25 minutes and is still not 100 percent, and then the salaries drop off by $2K. Wright is going to step into the starting role at center tonight for Alex Len, who is out with a broken nose. In two starts at center this year, Wright has averaged 17.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks. Wright has been under-utilized in Phoenix, but he's a very solid player when he gets the minutes (he has a higher PER than DeAndre Jordan and Enes Kanter). If you don't spring for Whiteside tonight, Wright is a great value play that gives you a ton of flexibility to load your lineup at other positions.
Other Suggestions: Tyson Chandler, DAL, $5,500 vs HOU
