After a huge, 11-game slate Wednesday, the player pool has been more than halved for tonight’s five-gamer. As always, we’ll name values, studs, and fades for the day’s DFS festivities. Let’s get right to it!

Create FanDuel lineups using our DFS Lineup Optimizer tool

Value Plays

Point Guard

__________

• Melton scored 18.9 FD points in just 15 minutes in his first game back Tuesday. His minutes should ramp up tonight, and he’s worth a look.
• Mills erupted with 27 points Tuesday, the second time he’s hit that figure across his last six games. Mills is logging minutes in the low 20’s and getting plenty of work on offense. If you’re looking for a flyer with some scoring upside, Mills makes a nice value.

Shooting Guard

__________

• Beasley has seen at least 37 minutes in each of his last two games, averaging 38 FD points in the process. Tonight’s matchup with Portland is one to attack, with a projected over/under of 232.5.

Small Forward

__________

• Anderson has had a couple of “down” games leading up to Thursday’s matchup with Cleveland, but he’s still averaged better than 30 FD points this season, eclipsing 40 points twice. He has nightly double-double potential.
• Hardaway is logging better than 30 minutes across his last four games, and he just erupted for a season-high 30 points Monday against Houston. The scoring upside is there to exceed value at this price.
• Okoro saw 28 minutes and re-entered the starting lineup Tuesday against Orlando after a five-game absence. Okoro managed just 10 points and two dimes, but he’s seeing plenty of opportunity, and the matchup is friendly.

Power Forward

__________

• Clarke gets a great matchup with Cleveland’s frontcourt tonight, and he should continue to see minutes in the high 20’s. There’s 30-point upside here.
• McGee has been a huge lift off the bench for Cleveland this season, averaging 1.3 FD points per minute in just 17 minutes per contest. He’s got 30-point upside, and he’s worth a flyer if you’re looking to save some coin.
• As mentioned above, Minnesota/Portland is a matchup to target tonight, and Hernangomez has clearly taken over a starting role for the Wolves. He scored a season-high 46.6 points Tuesday against Denver, and his price is very much affordable at just $4.2K.

Center

__________

• Allen drew his first start of the season Tuesday and turned 31 minutes into 57.1 points in a tough matchup with Rudy Gobert and Co. After the huge night, Allen is expected to start against Philly tonight, making him a value at just $6.3K.
• Nurkic hasn’t been himself this season, but he’s coming off a 36.2 FD-point performance against Chicago on Tuesday. He’s got a great chance to build on that production tonight in a great spot against Minnesota.

Studs Worth Their Salary

• Kyrie Irving (BKN) $10,000: Irving’s price has crept way up to five figures, but it’s understandable given his 54 FD point average across his last two games. With Kevin Durant still out of action, expect Irving to handle a huge workload and live up to his lofty salary.
• C.J. McCollum (POR) $9,000: McCollum has started the season on an absolute tear, averaging 46 FD points per game. Playing an exploitable defense in a game with a high over/under, McCollum is a stud to get into lineups.
• Jonas Valanciunas (MEM) $6,500: Cleveland has been a matchup to attack for big men, and JV is worth a look at his modest price point.

Notable Players to Fade

• Andre Drummond (CLE) $9,200: Drummond hasn’t eclipsed 40 FD points in any of his last four contests, and despite a favorable matchup with Memphis, I’m more inclined to spend my money elsewhere, especially with so many quality options available at center.
• Damian Lillard (POR) $9,200: Lillard hasn’t been as productive as McCollum this season, but his price is still $200 more expensive. I’d rather pay for CJM at SG and pay an extra $800 at PG for Kyrie Irving. Lillard is a fade tonight.
• Jamal Murray (DEN) $7,600: After back-to-back huge games, Murray came crashing back to earth with 16.7 FD points against Minnesota on Tuesday. He’s been highly inconsistent thus far, and with Michael Porter Jr. back in action, offensive opportunities could be harder to come by in this one.

Create FanDuel lineups using our DFS Lineup Optimizer tool

Beyond our daily fantasy basketball content, be sure to check out our Daily Fantasy Basketball Tools. From our Lineup Optimizer – which allows you to build winning DFS lineups in seconds for Cash and GPP contests – to our DFS Cheat Sheets – that helps you get a quick read on the day’s players – we’ve got you covered this fantasy basketball season.