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There are only five games on the schedule Thursday, but there is still a lot of uncertainty with regards to the starting lineups. Kyrie Irving and LeBron James will probably rest, with Kevin Love likely joining them. That opens up a lot of minutes and shots in Cleveland, and we are facing similar situations with Aaron Gordon and Evan Turner out. In all of those cases, multiple players stand to benefit, but I will give the extra edge to whoever cracks the starting lineup.
Point Guard
Russell Westbrook struggled from the field in his only game against the Cavaliers this season, but he still managed a triple-double and he only turned the ball over four times. It would probably be better for Westbrook if Kyrie Irving plays, but at this point, I’m not sure if anyone can slow him down.
I am interested to see if the Cavaliers start Kay Felder or if they start Kyle Korver with DeAndre Liggins starting at point guard. I would feel better about Felder if he got the start, but he is worth a shot either way. The last time Kyrie Irving and LeBron James both sat, Felder had 14 points, three rebounds and four assists in 23 minutes.
Much has been made lately of Isaiah Thomas being the worst defender in the NBA, and I like Damian Lillard to take advantage, especially considering Portland is at home with a day off while Boston plays the second of a back-to-back. It also doesn’t hurt that Lillard is much cheaper than Thomas.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $Y |
| Kay Felder | CLE | A | OKC | 32 | 10.4 | 70% | 0.2 | 4.5 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 41% | 22.79% | 8.5 | 9.1 | 8.7 | $3,500 | $3,000 | $10 |
| Russell Westbrook | OKC | H | CLE | 53 | 34.7 | 83% | 2.2 | 30.9 | 10.5 | 10.2 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 5.4 | 42% | 41.88% | 57.3 | 61.7 | 58.4 | $12,500 | $12,700 | $62 |
| Damian Lillard | POR | H | BOS | 48 | 35.8 | 90% | 2.6 | 26 | 4.8 | 5.8 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 2.6 | 44% | 30.75% | 40 | 42.8 | 41.3 | $8,500 | $8,900 | $43 |
Shooting Guard
Aaron Gordon is out Thursday with a bone bruise, and the best guess here is C.J. Watson would start at shooting guard with Evan Fournier sliding to small forward. Watson is averaging 11.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.2 steals as a starter this season, and his price is really low on DraftKings.
On the one hand, I’m not sure Kyle Korver will get any open shots with all of the playmakers out. On the other hand, who else is going to get shots for Cleveland? Korver has taken at least nine shots in four consecutive games, and at the very least, that streak should continue.
With Iman Shumpert joining Irving and LeBron on the bench, DeAndre Liggins will almost certainly have to play heavy minutes. Like Felder, Liggins is extremely risky but he has pretty decent upside.
I suspect DeAndre Liggins will spend most of his time guarding Russell Westbrook, which should leave Victor Oladipo defended by the likes of Kyle Korver or Richard Jefferson. Oladipo is a solid option if you can afford him.
With Evan Turner out with a broken hand, I expect Allen Crabbe to pick up much of Turner’s playing time, with the rest going to Moe Harkless. Crabbe is capable of scoring 20+ on any given night, especially if he is playing 30 minutes.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $Y |
| C.J. Watson | ORL | H | PHI | 42 | 16.4 | 85% | 0.5 | 4.3 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 0 | 0.6 | 38% | 13.09% | 9.5 | 10.2 | 9.8 | $4,100 | $3,200 | $10 |
| Kyle Korver | CLE | A | OKC | 32 | 27.9 | 89% | 2 | 9.5 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 44% | 14.53% | 17.4 | 19.1 | 18.4 | $3,700 | $3,900 | $10 |
| DeAndre Liggins | CLE | A | OKC | 42 | 14.7 | 66% | 0.4 | 2.9 | 1.6 | 1 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 38% | 11.01% | 7.8 | 8.5 | 8 | $3,500 | $3,000 | $10 |
| Victor Oladipo | OKC | H | CLE | 44 | 33.9 | 74% | 1.9 | 16 | 4.4 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 1.6 | 44% | 21.01% | 26.8 | 28.8 | 27.8 | $6,400 | $5,900 | $22 |
| Allen Crabbe | POR | H | BOS | 53 | 28.5 | 87% | 1.5 | 10.6 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 46% | 15.03% | 16.4 | 17.8 | 17.2 | $3,500 | $4,200 | $10 |
Small Forward
With LeBron James out, Gordon Hayward is pretty easily the class of the small forward position. Hayward is averaging 19.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists against the Mavericks.
Harrison Barnes is a clear step below Gordon Hayward, but he is just as safe. Barnes has scored at least 12 points in eight straight games, and he contributes consistently in rebounds, assists and steals as well.
Moe Harkless is averaging 11.5 points and 4.9 rebounds as a starter this season. Harkless will almost certainly return to the starting lineup after Evan Turner broke his hand Tuesday.
Mario Hezonja is risky, especially when you can pay just a little bit more for Moe Harkless, but Hezonja probably has more upside, especially if he starts Thursday.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $Y |
| Mario Hezonja | ORL | H | PHI | 37 | 10.1 | 77% | 0.5 | 3.6 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 35% | 21.50% | 6.5 | 7.3 | 6.8 | $3,500 | $3,400 | $10 |
| Gordon Hayward | UTA | A | DAL | 46 | 34.5 | 87% | 1.9 | 22.1 | 5.8 | 3.5 | 1 | 0.3 | 2 | 47% | 27.60% | 34.9 | 37.1 | 35.8 | $8,000 | $7,300 | $33 |
| Harrison Barnes | DAL | H | UTA | 52 | 35.8 | 85% | 1 | 20.2 | 5.3 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 1.3 | 48% | 26.42% | 29.8 | 31.2 | 30.3 | $6,400 | $6,000 | $28 |
| Moe Harkless | POR | H | BOS | 49 | 29.1 | 67% | 1 | 10.6 | 4.6 | 1 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 48% | 16.39% | 20.4 | 21.7 | 20.9 | $3,800 | $4,000 | $10 |
Power Forward
Only two teams have allowed more rebounds than the 76ers this season, and that isn’t about to improve with Joel Embiid and Richaun Holmes out. Ibaka should have his way against the likes of Jahlil Okafor, Ersan Ilyasova and Dario Saric.
Channing Frye is averaging 11.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 0.7 blocks and 1.0 steals as a starter this season. Fyre is a pretty safe bet to lead Cleveland in shots along with Kyle Korver, and Frye could pick up the slack on the boards as well.
Marvin Williams and Ersan Ilyasova have remarkably similar numbers over the last two weeks, which is why I was surprised to see Williams was cheaper. Williams is a great value on Yahoo, but he is worth playing elsewhere as well. Williams has at least 10 points in eight straight games.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $Y |
| Serge Ibaka | ORL | H | PHI | 53 | 30.6 | 84% | 1.5 | 15.2 | 6.9 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 49% | 21.13% | 28.3 | 30 | 29 | $6,000 | $6,800 | $27 |
| Channing Frye | CLE | A | OKC | 44 | 18.2 | 82% | 2 | 9.1 | 3.5 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 44% | 20.06% | 15.4 | 16.9 | 16.4 | $4,300 | $3,400 | $11 |
| Marvin Williams | CHA | H | HOU | 46 | 27.9 | 84% | 1.8 | 11.3 | 5.6 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 41% | 17.91% | 21.6 | 23.1 | 22.5 | $5,400 | $5,100 | $15 |
Center
Jahlil Okafor has played at least 22 minutes in five consecutive games, averaging 15.2 points and 5.2 rebounds over that span. He doesn’t play enough or rebound enough to be a great GPP play, but Okafor is pretty safe with Joel Embiid out. Okafor is a safe, cheap option at center.
Everything I wrote about Serge Ibaka applies to Nikola Vucevic. Jahlil Okafor has shown no interest in playing defense this season, and Vucevic could easily get his fifth double-double in his last seven games. Vucevic is averaging 18.0 points, 12.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists against the 76ers this season.
I prefer Vucevic to Rudy Gobert, except on DraftKings where Gobert inexplicably costs $1000 less. Gobert isn’t quite the double-double machine he was in December and January, but he is still averaging 14.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.0 blocks over his last five games.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $Y |
| Jahlil Okafor | PHI | A | ORL | 36 | 23.2 | 62% | 0 | 11.8 | 4.9 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 1 | 1.4 | 52% | 23.14% | 20.6 | 21.6 | 20.6 | $4,600 | $4,400 | $12 |
| Nikola Vucevic | ORL | H | PHI | 51 | 28.4 | 62% | 0.3 | 14 | 9.9 | 2.9 | 0.9 | 1 | 1.6 | 48% | 24.45% | 32.4 | 33.8 | 32.5 | $7,400 | $7,700 | $26 |
| Rudy Gobert | UTA | A | DAL | 53 | 33.6 | 66% | 0 | 12.9 | 12.6 | 1 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 1.8 | 65% | 15.81% | 34.3 | 35.8 | 34.3 | $8,000 | $6,700 | $31 |