Point Guard
We have just a five game slate tonight, so I’m going to format my article a little bit differently. Point guard is pretty straightforward, and honestly the slate as a whole is with LeBron James out for the Lakers, everyone’s focus will be on the Lakers/Kings game with a big 231 O/U. Lonzo Ball is set to be the lock at point guard, as the offense will funnel through him more. I will note that De’Aaron Fox has a huge history against Ball dating back to college, and locking him in with Lonzo will be my go-to build tonight. In tournaments I love looking at a red hot Kyrie Irving, and Damian Lillard against the Warriors is great for tournaments as well.
My Pool
1. Lonzo Ball
2. De’Aaron Fox
3. Kyrie Irving
4. Damian Lillard
5. Emmanuel Mudiay
Shooting Guard
Shooting guard is full of solid mid tier options tonight, and one glaring value play in Josh Hart who will move into the starting lineup for LeBron James. Hart will be a lock in all formats for me at his price, and the second guy I’m looking at is Khris Middleton. I love his matchup with the New York Knicks defense, and game-log watchers will be off him given his struggles on Christmas Day, despite him making only two shots.
My Pool
1. Josh Hart
2. Khris Middleton
3. James Harden (GPP)
4. Buddy Hield
5. CJ McCollum
Small Forward
With value at other positions, small forward sticks out as a spot to spend up on Thursday night even without LeBron James available. Giannis has torched the Knicks three times already this season, and I was all over him on Christmas Day. I’m going right back to him tonight as my top overall play on this slate, and Kevin Durant is a viable pivot in tournaments. The main focus will be on Brandon Ingram without LeBron James, who stands as the Laker with the most positive increase with James off the floor.
My Pool
1. Giannis Anteokounmpo
2. Brandon Ingram
3. Kevin Durant
4. Nemanja Bjelica
5. Lance Stephenson
Power Forward
Power forward is pretty lackluster, with Kyle Kuzma sticking out as the top option by far. Outside of him, we have Draymond Green who has struggled recently but does own an elite history against this Blazers team, and then an array of mid tier options. On FanDuel, this sticks out as a potential punt position where we lock in Kuzma and someone min-priced.
My Pool
1. Kyle Kuzma
2. Draymond Green
3. Noah Vonleh
4. Jayson Tatum (GPP)
Center
Center is pretty interesting on this slate, as there are some viable spend-ups in Joel Embiid and Rudy Gobert, but they stick out more for tournaments than cash games for me. My favorite option right now is actually Enes Kanter, whose price has fallen to a territory where he can comfortably beat value even if he isn’t having a great game. Willie Cauley-Stein and Ivica Zubac are both viable in the game of the night, and Kevon Looney would come in as the top overall value play.
My Pool
1. Enes Kanter (value)
2. Joel Embiid
3. Rudy Gobert
3. Willie Cauley-Stein
4. Ivica Zubac
UPDATE: With Kanter not starting I’m bumping him down
Written by Ben Hossler (Follow @BenHossler on Twitter)
