Thursday's NBA schedule is slightly busier than usual, with there being a total of eight games for FanDuel players to pick their rosters from. Of course the headliner, in regards to both raw skill and fantasy stats, is the third meeting of the season between Oklahoma City and Houston, with Russell Westbrook ($12,400) and James Harden ($12,000) being the star attractions. Westbrook (30.9 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 10.5 apg) is still averaging a triple-double, and Harden (28.4 ppg, 11.9 apg, 8.2 rpg) isn't that far off from doing the same. Westbrook averaged 28.5 points, 9.5 assists and 8.5 rebounds per game in the first two meetings between the two teams, with Harden countering with 17.0 points, 12.5 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game.
It should be noted that Harden hasn't shot well against the Thunder, making just 25.6 percent of his attempts from the field and 18.8 percent of his three-pointers. And as is the case on nearly every night that Westbrook and Harden play, supplementary options for each team are worthy of consideration for FanDuel rosters. Houston guard Eric Gordon ($5,800) has been sensational this season, and on the other side players such as Victor Oladipo ($5,900) and Steven Adams ($5,600) tend to benefit from Westbrook's excellence. Here are our FanDuel picks for Thursday's action, using the rules of a nine-player roster and a $60,000 salary cap. (Getty)
PG: Kemba Walker, Charlotte
Opponent: at San Antonio
Price: $7,600
With fellow starting guard Nicolas Batum sidelined with a knee injury, and Batum's replacements (Marco Belinelli and Jeremy Lamb) not being particularly consistent with their production, even more responsibility falls upon Walker's shoulders Saturday night. In the first meeting between the Hornets and Spurs this season, a five-point San Antonio victory, Walker accounted for 26 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, shooting 9-for-16 from the field. While he could be defended by Kawhi Leonard at some point, Walker should still have another productive night. (Getty)
PG: D'Angelo Russell, Los Angeles Lakers
Opponent: vs. Portland
Price: $6,700
Since struggling mightily in a loss to Utah December 27, Russell has surpassed his FanDuel season average (27.5 ppg) in each of his last six games. In Sunday's win over over Orlando Russell tallied 17 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals, with his overall stat line working out to 43.2 FanDuel points. Portland's had some issues defensively this season, and if he can be more efficient than he was in the first meeting between the two teams (22 points on 6-for-18 shooting) Russell could be in line for a good night. (Getty)
SG: Eric Gordon, Houston
Opponent: vs. Oklahoma City
Price: $5,800
With the James Harden and the Rockets taking on Russell Westbrook and the Thunder, the question is which supplementary players stand to benefit from the exploits of their teams' respective stars. One option is Gordon, who's averaging 17.7 points, 2.9 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game off the bench for one of the NBA's best offensive teams. Gordon has scored in double figures in ten straight games, most recently dropping 31 on Washington, and there has even been some conversation as to whether or not he should be an All-Star this season. (Getty)
SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Detroit
Opponent: vs. Charlotte
Price: $5,700
With 29 FanDuel points or more in four of his last six games, Caldwell-Pope has been productive of late from a fantasy standpoint. Thursday's matchup with the Hornets is a tough one given the defensive abilities of the Charlotte wings, but it's a game where Caldwell-Pope can still be effective. Caldwell-Pope is averaging 12.5 points, 6.5 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game against the Hornets this season, scoring 39.9 FanDuel points in the first meeting November 29. (Getty)
SF: Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio
Opponent: at Denver
Price: $8,500
After missing two games due to illness last week, Leonard is back in the thick of things for the Spurs as they visit the Nuggets Thursday night. In San Antonio's blowout win over the Raptors on Tuesday, Leonard accounted for 42.8 FanDuel points, the fourth time in his last five games that he's surpassed his season average of 39.0 FanDuel points per game. While Denver's starting lineup changes have resulted in better cohesion for them, Leonard is still a tough matchup for Mike Malone's team. (Getty)
SF: Wilson Chandler, Denver
Opponent: vs. San Antonio
Price: $5,600
Speaking of that matchup between the Spurs and Nuggets, there's the question of which forward Kawhi Leonard is more likely to defend: Danilo Gallinari or Wilson Chandler? Whichever one isn't defended by "The Claw" could potentially pose a matchup problem for San Antonio's starting power forward, and the bet here is that Chandler will be the beneficiary. Chandler's been up and down of late with his production, but after tallying just 18.3 FanDuel points against the Kings he could be in line for a bounce-back performance if the trend continues. (Getty)
PF: Julius Randle, Los Angeles Lakers
Opponent: at San Antonio
Price: $6,600
Two nights after getting whipped at home by Portland, the Lakers hit the road for two games beginning with one in San Antonio. Randle didn't shoot his best from the field in the first meeting between the two teams this season, making six of his 13 attempts, but he finish with nine rebounds and seven assists to go along with the 13 points scored. And up until Tuesday's loss, Randle was on a streak of five straight games with at at least 30 FanDuel points scored. (Getty)
PF: Tobias Harris, Detroit
Opponent: vs. Atlanta
Price: $6,000
Harris has tallied more than 26.7 FanDuel points (his season average) in seven of the last eight games for the Pistons. And he's been solid against the Hawks this year, averaging 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in two games while shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from three. Harris has been a better offensive player off the bench, averaging 21.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game with an offensive rating of 121, but that doesn't mean he's been a bad offensive player while in the starting lineup. Defensively he'll have his work cut out for him in defending Paul Millsap, but Harris is good enough to score a few points himself in that matchup. (Getty)
C: Myles Turner, Indiana
Opponent: vs. Brooklyn
Price: $6,700
After a stretch of four consecutive games in which he failed to score at least 30 FanDuel points, Turner has surpassed that mark in each of the last two games. In his most recent outing, a five-point win over Detroit, Turner accounted for 17 points, seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Turner has been solid in Indiana's two prior meetings with the Nets this season, averaging 14.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game. (Getty)
FanDuel NBA Lineup Picks, Advice & Analysis for January 5