Welcome to the Thursday NBA DFS slate. We are inching closer to the All-Star break and are finally seeing some warmer weather. With the NFL wrapping up soon, the NBA should take center stage, where hopefully DraftKings and FanDuel will push bigger contests for casuals to play.
If you’re going to play NBA DFS, you have to keep in mind lineup announcements and stay tuned for late swapping. That is going to be the easiest way to stay ahead of the field and in the money. We have a solid six-game slate tonight, so you shouldn’t have to go too crazy when differentiating your lineups. In the end, it’s about making the right choices and picking your spots, which is why I’m here. Let’s break down the top plays for this slate.
View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet 
NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer
NBA DFS Core Plays
Cade Cunningham (PG – DET)
- DraftKings: $10,200
- FanDuel: $10,600
There are several friendly matchups tonight that will receive a lot of love, and Detroit is one of them. Washington has allowed the second-most points to opponents. Even though they just made some big moves, that poor defense won’t change overnight. Cade Cunningham is dealing with a wrist issue, so double-check nothing has popped up on that end.
The Oklahoma State product has consistently averaged a 31% usage rate and 1.5 fantasy points per minute. He gets a bit of a bump at home. Cunningham hasn’t gone below 45 fantasy points in six straight games, and that can serve as a solid floor for what to expect out of the guard this evening, with a more reasonable projection in the mid 50s.
Jalen Johnson (PF – ATL)
- DraftKings: $10,500
- FanDuel: $11,000
The other team I expect to get a bunch of rostership tonight is the Atlanta Hawks. If there’s any team better to target against than the Washington Wizards when it comes to DFS, it’s the Utah Jazz. No team has allowed more fantasy points against than the Utah Jazz. They have allowed the second-most points to power forwards in their last 15 games.
Jalen Johnson is priced in the five-figure range, but he’s not getting enough love. In the last seven games, he’s exceeded 58 fantasy points, averaging 59 a night over that time frame. The Jazz and Hawks are two of the three fastest-paced teams in the league, hence the near 240-point total. Johnson and his recent 35% usage rate can very well exceed 60 fantasy points tonight. I will be well overweight on the Hwks forward tonight.
Victor Wembanyama (C, PF – SAS)
- DraftKings: $10,000
- FanDuel: $11,600
I know it’s easy to sit here and list the three highest-priced players as the three best plays on the slate. I’ve done it before. But as core plays go, I don’t know if I’ve been more confident in a group of three players than my core today. The first two have supreme plus matchups, while Victor Wembanayama arguably has the highest ceiling on the slate.
The Spurs are playing in the second game of a back-to-back; they did get to face the B-team Thunder last night, so it shouldn’t impact the lineup much. Not only did Dallas move off Anthony Davis, but Daniel Gafford is dealing with an ankle sprain. P.J. Washington Jr is hurt, while Khris Middleton and Marvin Bagley III are just joining the fold.
Dallas has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing centers over their last 30 games, and it’s not like the Spurs had to travel much from San Antonio. Obviously, you can’t get all three core plays in your lineup, but I’ll likely find ways to get at least one in each of my lineups across the board tonight.
NBA DFS Cash Game Targets
Jusuf Nurkic (C – UTA)
- DraftKings: $7,400
- FanDuel: $7,300
While Atlanta will get a lot of rostership tonight, don’t sleep on Utah players. Let me remind you that these are two of the three fastest-paced teams in the NBA, with Atlanta allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing centers over their last 30 games.
With Jaren Jackson Jr. on the move, Jusuf Nurkic should start and get additional minutes and usage tonight. Even at his higher relative price, I wouldn’t be surprised if Nurkic offers the best pure point/cost return on investment (ROI) on the slate.
Immanuel Quickley (PG, SG – TOR)
- DraftKings: $7,000
- FanDuel: $7,300
Another team in a friendly matchup tonight is the Toronto Raptors. They take on the Bulls at home as 8-point favorites due to Chicago’s 25th-ranked defense. Chicago has also been the fourth-fastest team in the league in pace of play, pacing up to Toronto in a big way.
Immanuel Quickley isn’t exactly a massive usage player, but he’s played over 33 minutes in three straight games and should do so tonight. His floor is from the additional opportunity that comes when facing the Bulls, a team that has allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing point guards over their last seven games.
Naji Marshall (SG, SF, PF – DAL)
- DraftKings: $6,500
- FanDuel: $6,600
With Dallas being so active at the trade deadline, they’ve hit an awkward patch where they still need players to fill the 48 minutes of play. The minutes and usage are likely going to condense a bit because of that, and we’ll get to more players later, but for now, I’m on Naji Marshall.
It helps that Marshall has guard/forward eligibility to offer flexibility for roster construction. He’s scored 20+ points in every game since the New Year, which is a decent floor to trust. He projects for around 33 fantasy points tonight, above his average of 27, due to the Mavericks being shorthanded.
NBA DFS GPP Targets
Paolo Banchero (PF, SF – ORL)
- DraftKings: $9,300
- FanDuel: $9,100
The game that will likely get minimal rostership tonight is Brooklyn-Orlando. It features a 214-point total. Brooklyn is one of the slowest-paced teams in the NBA, and it’s not like Orlando is much faster. But the Nets also only rank above the Jazz defensively in recent play, so there are opportunities to exploit here.
In nine of his last 17 games, Paolo Banchero has scored 47+ fantasy points. He’s shown his ability for big spike games, and with a lot of rostership going to the top-heavy plays, I expect the $9,000 range of players to be low-rostered, even more so than with the lower game total in this matchup. Banchero won’t project well, but he is a high-leverage play at home.
LaMelo Ball (PG – CHA)
- DraftKings: $7,800
- FanDuel: $8,000
It’s fascinating to see how this Charlotte team is priced, with LaMelo Ball the highest-priced player while still sub-$8,000. It’s also crazy to think he was above $9,000 at one point this season. With the red “opponent rank” next to Ball’s name tonight, I can’t expect the Hornets guard to get a lot of rostership tonight.
But do you know which team has the best offense over the last 15 games? That’s right, it’s the Charlotte Hornets. Ball might be buzzing tonight because Houston’s defense has dipped out of the top 12 in the same time frame despite being a top-five unit all season. This is a game it seems people are sleeping on, but I love it as a pivot off the higher rostered options.
Jalen Duren (C – DET)
- DraftKings: $7,700
- FanDuel: $7,600
With so many center options, Jalen Duren is falling through the cracks in terms of rostership. But Washington has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing centers, and I don’t expect that to stop now. Detroit will be highly rostered, but Duren is the exception, with the opportunity cost the other centers on the slate offer.
You can still manage two of them in your lineup, and the Pistons big man should see the court for over 28 minutes while managing a 23% usage rate. Duren has the capacity to go above 50 points, even 40+ points could help get your lineup to the promised land if all the dominoes fall right.
NBA DFS Value Plays
Caleb Martin (PF – DAL)
- DraftKings: $4,200
- FanDuel: $4,400
With all the trades and movement across the NBA, there is a lot of weirdness with when players will start up with their new teams. Dallas is one of those squads with Khris Middleton and Marvin Bagley III waiting in the wings, and P.J. Washington Jr. and Daniel Gafford dealing with varying injuries.
This will not only keep Caleb Martin in the starting lineup but boost his playing time even further to around 27 minutes. The Spurs aren’t the friendliest of opponents to face in DFS, so I’d prefer Martin in GPPs, but the opportunity cost is too good to pass up, no matter the matchup. Max Christie is in a similar boat, but I prefer the savings in price Martin offers.
Wendell Carter Jr. (C – ORL)
- DraftKings: $4,900
- FanDuel: $4,800
If you’re looking to punt the center position, how about Wendell Carter Jr? He’s averaged 27 points a night, which is already a good precedent of value at a sub-$5,ooo price tag. The Duke product has averaged 30 minutes a night this season and has produced everything from a 40-point effort to a nine-point fantasy effort in his last three games.
That’s a big reason why I prefer him in GPP lineups tonight. Brooklyn’s defense has ranked second-to-last over their last 15 games. Even with the lower-paced game tonight, Carter has all the opportunity to offer an efficient outing.
Tobias Harris (PF, SF – WSH)
- DraftKings: $5,200
- FanDuel: $5,500
He may be questionable tonight with a hip issue, but assuming he’s good to go, Tobias Harris offers a solid spend-down option in the forward spot tonight. Again, this is one of the easiest matchups you could ask for when playing DFS.
The journeyman forward has been consistently producing with six straight 20+ point efforts. He’s also covered 28 in half of those games, which is right around where I project him tonight at home against the Wizards.
