This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Thursday's two-game slate features two potential closeout games in Milwaukee and San Antonio, which figure to be interesting enough to draw your attention -- even for a short time -- away from pundits going through every possible scenario in which Chip Kelly sells his soul to trade up for Marcus Mariota. It's also worth noting that the minimum price for players is down to $2,000 from $3,500, leaving some players with lowered price tags. It's not the best idea to load your lineup with these new minimum salary guys, but there are a couple possible options to choose from Thursday. Let's take a look.
Thursday Value Plays
Point Guard
Tony Parker, SAS, $4,900: Welp, the age of Derrick Rose costing $6,100 is over, leaving Parker as the best option under $7K. Parker is banged up, but he's still gone for over 20 FanDuel points in the last two games and has played 29 or more minutes in four out of five games this series. If you're looking to save at one of your point guard slots, Parker is a solid option that should be able to hit value in a potential closeout game for the Spurs. If you're feeling extra bold, maybe Patrick Mills ($3,800) might be worth a look, but Parker's cheap price tag and upside make him a solid value play Thursday.
Shooting Guard
J.J Redick, LAC, $4,700: Redick's price has dropped under $5K, but he has played at a higher level than that price tag would indicate. He uncharacteristically did not attempt a single three-pointer in Game 5, the first time he's done that in any game he's played this season. Look for Redick to get back to his usual form Thursday and knock down some three-pointers against the Spurs.
Small Forward
Jared Dudley, MIL, $3,000: With the minimum salary dropping down to $2K it's tempting to stack an even more studs and scrubs type of lineup, and if you're going to go down that road in GPP's, there are much worse options out there than Dudley. His minutes in Game 5 (13) were the second fewest he's played in this series, but he still managed to swipe two steals and put up five points despite a poor shooting effort (1-4 FG). In fact, he's had multiple steals in four consecutive games. If Dudley can stay on the court for even 15 minutes, it should be enough to hit value on the low price tag.
Power Forward
John Henson, MIL, $4,900: Henson has been one of the unsung heroes in the Bucks' push to extend the series to Game 6 after they went down three games to none. He has pulled down 14 rebounds twice and hasn't grabbed less than five boards in any game this series. Henson's strong play in the series has put him into a role where he plays roughly 27 minutes per game, which he should convert into a strong statistical outing again Thursday. Expect solid rebounding numbers with some blocks and scoring mixed in once again Thursday.
Glen Davis, LAC, $2,100: Throwing Big Baby into your lineup isn't done with the expectation that he'll put up big numbers. It's hoping that he'll do enough when he's on the floor to make his price worth it. Well, at just over $2K and coming off his second highest FDP outing of the series (12.8), it's not out of the question for Davis to hit five or six FDP/$1K Thursday. Obviously, there's some risk in rolling Davis out there, and you don't want too many of these new minimum salary guys in your lineup. But among that crop, Davis is a guy with a lower chance of giving you next to no points while also giving your lineup flexibility to really bolster other spots. It'll take some creativity to build a lineup star-heavy enough to warrant using Davis, but it could pay off with the right mix of players.
Center
Joakim Noah, CHI, $6,500: Noah has been a beast on the glass throughout Chicago's series, averaging 12 boards per game heading into Thursday's contest. Whatever hamstring issue Noah had entering the playoffs is clearly behind him as he's played over 30 minutes in each game this series. $6.5K isn't a king's ransom for the second highest priced player at a given position, and Noah is a consistent enough option to consider if you're not going to fork over the $9K it takes to have DeAndre Jordan on your team.
