We've almost made it to the weekend, everyone! We have a small three-game slate on Thursday but don't let that fool you, this slate is pretty juicy. All three games feature total's of 210 or higher and each team have some very nice plays. There are some players that I may not mention here that are in play and I will try to keep you guys in the loop on the forums leading up to lock on who they are. You can follow me on Twitter @The_Real_Grande and ask me any questions about the slate. I'm happy to help. 

 

Cleveland Cavaliers @ Toronto Raptors

Total: 218.5 / Spread: -3 CLE

 

Cleveland Cavaliers

Elite Play(s): LeBron James (DK/FD) - On any given slate, King James can go off for 70 DK points and win those who roster him a lot of money. This slate is no different, especially with only three games on tap. On these shorter slates, sometimes we’re looking for guaranteed points and nothing is more guaranteed than James at this point in time. The Raptors are first in the league against small-forwards, but LeBron James is essentially matchup proof, so it doesn’t bother me all that much.

Kevin Love (DK/FD) - Love should have a really nice advantage from the opening tip as he’ll draw Jonas Valanciunas defense and J-Val has posted a -0.5 DBPM so far this season. Love is way to quick for him and I’m not sure Valanciunas will be able to follow him out to the perimeter much. Love burned EVERYONE horribly last time out as he had just three points and two rebounds. The Cavs are also playing slightly up in pace in this spot, so everyone should receive a nice little bump offensively.

Secondary Option(s): Isaiah Thomas (FD) - I know Thomas’ minutes haven’t been where we want them yet, but his price has dipped back down to just 5.4K on FanDuel. If Kyle Lowry sits, Thomas will have an easier time with Delon Wright and Fred VanVleet. Thomas was at 19 minutes before his ejection last game and was clearly on his way to surpassing the 21 he played the game prior. He could see up to 25 in this spot and if that’s the case, 5.4K is too cheap for his scoring upside alone. Thomas could be a sneaky play on FD where you have to roster two point-guards.

Jae Crowder (DK/FD) - This feels like a game where a lot of smaller players will be on the court at once and we will get a lot of Crowder and Jeff Green at the four. Green is $500 more expensive on both DK and FD with similar upside. Crowder flashed his upside just a few games ago going for 31 DK points, which at 3.9K is smashing value.

Fade City: Everyone else - The Cavs don’t have much intrigue for DFS purposes outside of the names I mentioned. Dwyane Wade could be interesting, but he’s a fade in my eyes unless you have 4.8K left and he just fits your lineups.

 

Toronto Raptors

Elite Play(s): DeMar DeRozan (DK) - With or without Kyle Lowry, Derozan is an elite play tonight. The Cavs are terrible defensively as they rank 29th in defensive efficiency this year. Without Kyle Lowry who is currently questionable, DeRozan has a 43.1-percent USG rate and averages 1.49 points per minute that he’s on the floor for. He’s someone you want to pair LeBron James with in practically every build you make.

Delon Wright (FD/DK) - Generally I would turn his FanDuel price tag of 5.7K down, but with Lowry more doubtful than questionable and the lack of solid point-guard options, Wright is someone we should put our faith in. He’s averaging an extremely solid 0.82 fantasy points per minute with Lowry off of the floor and is just safe if he draws the start. He scored 32 DK points last game -- a game in which he started -- against one of the better defending backcourts in the NBA in the Miami Heat. If he can put together a stat line like that against them, he should have no problem against the team ranking 21st against the position.

Norman Powell (DK/FD) - Serge Ibaka is set to sit this game out due to a one-game suspension for fighting with Heat forward, James Johnson, so we should expect Powell to see a big boost in playing time in this spot. I’ve already mentioned we could see a lot of smaller lineups on the floor and that means the Raptors could deploy a lot of Normal Powell. Powell saw a big uptick in playing time against the Heat when Ibaka was thrown out as his minute count crept up to 24. If Powell can somehow hover around 30, I can envision seeing him in a winning tournament lineup.

Secondary Option(s): Fred VanVleet (FD/DK) - We figured we’d see more VanVleet with Lowry out than we did last game, but we get to turn the page on that contest tonight. He should see into the 20’s in minutes unlike last game and he should be fine value against a crappy Cavs defense. He’s a way to differentiate yourself at PG on FanDuel as almost everyone will be on his teammate tonight barring Lowry is ruled out.

Toronto Big Men - It’s hard to project who will see all of the run, but Jonas Valanciunas obviously has the most upside. That said, we’ve been talking about it this entire breakdown that the two teams could get into a track meet and want all guards and forwards on the floor which would axe Valanciunas from the rotation. He could also get extended run and mash the Cleveland front court because they have nobody that can match him in size. Lucas Nogueira has seemingly hopped in front of Jakob Poeltl in terms of rotations, so take that for what it’s worth. Cleveland ranks 22nd in rebounding, so all three of these dudes can grab 10-plus boards given the run and opportunity.


 

Los Angeles Clippers @ Sacramento Kings

Total: 211 / Spread: -1.5 LAC

 

Los Angeles Clippers

Elite Play(s): DeAndre Jordan (DK/FD) - Despite disappointing against the Warriors last night, Jordan has gone for 50-plus DK points in two of his last four contests. He now matches up against a Kings team ranking last in defensive efficiency, 26th in DvP versus centers and 28th in rebounding. Jordan was well on his way to having a monster game against this team the last time they met out as he went for 13 points and 15 rebounds in just 26 minutes, but the Clippers blew them out and didn’t need Jordan in the fourth. This spread tells me this contest should be a good one and that Jordan should see a full complement of minutes, putting him in play in almost any and every scenario.

Lou Williams (DK/FD) - If you haven’t already heard, Williams scored a career-high 50 points and helped the Clippers beat the Warriors in the regular season for the first time in three years. Williams is right back in a great spot again as he takes on the Kings, a team he’s averaging 37 DK points against this season. I normally don’t like jump shooters on the second legs of back-to-backs, but Williams can score in many different ways and doesn’t have to rely on jump shots to score. Elite play tonight.

Tyrone Wallace (FD/DK) - Wallace is a great value play on both DraftKings and FanDuel on Thursday but I prefer him on FD. He went for 22 actual points while grabbing six rebound and dishing out four assists in just his third professional game. Wallace is going to get another big workload with C.J. Williams, Milos Teodosic, and Austin Rivers already ruled out. Wallace is going to be popular on just a three game slate due to recency bias, but he’s worth the roster spot.

Secondary Option(s): Jawun Williams (FD) - Despite the fact that Tyrone Wallace was more productive, Williams still saw 36 minutes against the Warriors Wednesday. He shot just 3-for-12 but the fact he took 12 shots is very encouraging. He’s now taken 11-plus shots in three straight games and with the Clippers guard rotation decimated by injuries, that same scenario is likely again tonight. Williams is a solid play on this slate, but I won’t call him elite.

 

Sacramento Kings

Elite Play(s): Willie Cauley-Stein (DK) - Cauley-Stein has played two really solid games against the Clippers this year and there’s no reason to think he won’t go for a third in this spot. In just 25 minutes the last time the two teams met, he scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds on his way to a 37.25 DK point night. The lanky big man gets to play in a slightly faster environment than normal which is a spot I love to use him in.

Secondary Option(s): Zach Randolph (FD) - Despite his shooting woes of late, Randolph should feast in this one. Blake Griffin is questionable and the Clippers are playing undersized at power-forward without him. The Kings are not playing in a back-to-back which is always nice because we know they’re not afraid to unleash him for big minutes if they have to. If he can find his shot early, the low-owned Randolph could put together a big, crooked number.

De'Aaron Fox (DK/FD) - There is no doubt that Fox is in the best groove of his young career right now as he’s gone for 27.75 DK points or more in four straight games. Three of them have been without George Hill and Hill is expected to return and that’s the only reason he’s not considered elite. Fox’s minutes should stay around the 30 marker, we’ve just seen Hill cut into Fox’s usage this season and a four game stretch isn’t going to change that.

 

San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Total: 211 / Spread: -2.5 SA

 

San Antonio Spurs

Elite Play(s): Kyle Anderson (DK/FD) - Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green and Tony Parker will all miss this contest putting Anderson firmly in play for all formats. I never suggest cash games on less than a five game slate, but Anderson’s almost as safe as it gets. He contributes across the board and despite his price bump, he should hit value with ease. I’ve already mentioned it once over the course of this write-up; sometimes on small slates, safety is what we need. He’s taken no more than four shots in three straight games and has notched 20-plus DK points in each contest. He should get a slight usage bump with the aforementioned guys missing this game, so the upside is there.

LaMarcus Aldridge (DK) - FanDuel is really making it hard to fit LMA on a small-slate with someone like LeBron James a lock in all our lineups, but DK has him priced perfectly. The Lakers rank 24th against power-forwards this year and the Spurs are playing way up in pace in this spot. Aldridge gets all the usage he can handle with Leonard, Gay, Green and Parker off the court. His USG sits at 34.2-percent and he’s averaging 1.4 DK points per minute in this spot. He’s an elite play and you should try fitting him into each and every one of your lineups Thursday.

Pau Gasol (FD/DK) - The price point on Gasol across the board is wonderful and something we should look to take advantage of. I love Gasol in this spot because the Spurs aren’t playing a back-to-back so he should be unleashed upwards of 30 minutes and he has the revenge factor in this spot. Oh, he gets Julius Randle defense and Randle is significantly smaller than Gasol and Gasol should have no issues shooting over him and grabbing plenty of rebounds. Because of his recent struggles people may be off of him, but we shouldn’t be.

Secondary Play(s): Dejounte Murray & Patty Mills (DK/FD) - It’s truly impossible to gauge a Gregg Popovich rotation so both point-guards are in play here. Mills seems like the safer of the two as he’s seen 26 minutes plus in back-to-back games while Murray has seen less than 21 in both of those same contests. That said, Murray is clearly the guy with the upside as he put up a 7/6/6 line in 18 minutes last time out so if he were to get extended run, we could see a 40 bomb.

Davis Bertans (FD/DK) - Bertans would have been an elite option if he were still priced under 4K, but at 4.5K on both sites it makes you at least think. He’s seen 27 minutes in four straight games, however, and seems like the biggest beneficiary to all of the Spurs injuries. Bertans is lightning in a bottle and he’s a very talented scorer as evident in simply watching him on the floor. He has an elite matchup in an uptempo game and by the time the optimal lineups come out he could be a guy that is in 100-percent of my lineups. I love the Spurs tonight and boy does that scare the shit out of me.

 

Los Angeles Lakers

Elite Option(s): Lonzo Ball (DK/FD) - As much as I love the Spurs side of things, the Lakers are intriguing in their own right. Ball is the top play from this team in my opinion as the Spurs are missing their top two individual defenders in Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. Ball saw 37 minutes last contest so the restrictions have been lifted. He’s also been crashing the boards hard of late hitting double-figures in two straight. He showed he has 50 point upside even when he scores five actual points. Ball is in a nice spot to put up a big number.

Brandon Ingram (FD) - I love the price point on Ingram across the board here and he’s generally the one guy on this team that’s under owned. Ingram has been significantly better at home this year, scoring four more real points per game and averaging six more DK points than he does on the road. He’s going to go overlooked, as I mentioned, and this seems like a spot we could see him play close to 40 minutes and potentially score a fantasy point per minute.

Secondary Play(s): Julius Randle (FD) - Because of how locked in he is right now, Randle’s price has spiked to 6.7K on FanDuel and 6.5K on DraftKings, but Luke Walton’s rotation’s are too unpredictable to trust him as an elite option. The matchup isn’t the best, either, so don’t be afraid the fade Randle here. You could, however, be a little contrarian and roster him in this spot because I can’t see many people wanting to play anybody against the Spurs.