Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) brings the ball up court in the first half during an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
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Opponent - SAC
Proj Pts FD - 57.54 DK - 57.96
We’ve got a pretty fun Thursday slate of games and one of the most entertaining tilts could come between the Kings and Thunder. The game has the highest over/under (244) of the slate by a wide margin and when it comes to scoring, this could be the spot. Of course, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the main attraction here, averaging 30.4 points and 6.2 assists on the season along with 3.7 steals + blocks.
The defensive stats give him a high ceiling on FanDuel with the minutes among the best in the league when games are close. This is likely where to start cash game builds in the upper tier and he could see a lot of ownership on both sites even with the understanding that he’s very expensive.
Opponent - UTA
Proj Pts FD - 48 DK - 52.4
One caveat I have with Anfernee Simons on this slate is that running him in cash games is under the assumption that Malcolm Brogdon continues to sit out. If that’s the case then Simons has an incredibly high floor. He’s averaged 37 minutes a game since returning from injury and in that stretch is putting up 32 points and 5.3 assists while taking close to 24 shots a contest. The usage is nuts and the minutes are there. The price hasn’t caught up really and he’s taking on a very weak Utah Jazz defensive unit.
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 28.69 DK - 31.61
Jordan Clarkson and Keyonte George are both out and that’s going to likely mean all of the minutes for Colin Sexton on Thursday. He started Wednesday’s game against the Knicks and led the team in shots with 18. Sexton finished with a team-high 26 points while adding in seven assists. Considering how short the Jazz are in guard depth and how many shot attempts are out of the lineup right now, this is a smash spot for Sexton who will likely see a lot of ownership.
Keep an eye on Kris Dunn (FD 4400 DK 4300) who could join the starting lineup with Keyonte George and Jordan Clarkson out.
Opponent - MIA
Proj Pts FD - 43.1 DK - 44.71
The Bulls are still without Zach Lavine, and over the last five games it’s been a lot about DeMar DeRozan in this offense. He’s playing a ton of minutes and taking 21 shots per game in that stretch. It was a down game against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, but even with that DDR is averaging 25.6 points and 7.8 rebounds over the five-game stretch without Lavine. Things get a bit easier here against a beat-up Miami Heat team without Bam Adebayo. Plus, Miami could sit other guys, seeing as how they are on the second leg of the back-to-back on Thursday.
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 32.05 DK - 34.11
What we said with Colin Sexton applies to Talen Horton-Tucker as well here. The Jazz are without some guards and it stands to reason that THT joins the starting lineup in this game against the Blazers. When Keyonte George went down on Wednesday against the Knicks, THT came in and played 24 minutes off the bench.
He took the second-most shots on the team with 14 and finished with 15 points, four rebounds, and three assists. He’s not priced at all like a starter if that’s where he lands in this game against the Blazers. I suspect he is one of the higher-owned players on the slate.
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 32.07 DK - 35.08
The Utah Jazz seem fully in the tank and I say that even knowing they beat the Knicks on Wednesday. But they’ve deal with injuries, mess around with minutes and lineups, and are tough to trust on a night-to-night basis. All that said, I still think we can run a few of them in cash games because of the context.
Kelly Olynyk got the start on Wednesday even with Walker Kessler back, finishing with a complete line of nine points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. He has a very high floor as long as the minutes are at least in the mid-20s, and facing a weaker Portland team would definitely help that.
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 25.14 DK - 27.41
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 29.54 DK - 31.68
The Heat could be missing some key pieces for tonight’s game against Chicago. For starters, Bam Adebayo is already out and Orlando Robinson will stick in the starting lineup. Plus, on the back-to-back we could see them sit guys like Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry, and Kevin Love as well.
If all of that happens, then guys like Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Orlando Robinson would stand to see a lot of minutes. Both of them have performed very well on a per-minute basis this season when it comes to fantasy scoring. Jaquez is coming off a 17/8/6 game against the Hornets, seeing 16 shots in the process.
Robinson got buzzed off his minutes but has shown double-double upside in the past, and I’d feel much better about him if the aforementioned older Heat guys were all sitting.
Strongly consider Karl-Anthony Towns (FD 8500 DK 9000) if Anthony Edwards sits again.
Duop Reath (FD 4600 DK 4500) and Jabari Walker (FD 4500 DK 4900) are in play if Deandre Ayton sits again.
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