Bryan Armetta breaks down Thursday’s three-game featured NBA slate to find two undervalued players to slot into your lineups.
A three-game slate is on tap tonight across the NBA. Even with only six teams in action, there’s still plenty of star power taking the floor. Still, building a winning fantasy basketball lineup takes more than just big names.
Which under the radar picks should managers consider on Thursday? Here are two targets worth consideration this evening in DFS and season-long fantasy basketball formats.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $300K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st]
SF Ace Bailey, Utah Jazz vs. ATL ($4,800)
The Jazz picked Ace Bailey fifth overall during last summer’s NBA Draft, a selection seen as a steal by many fans and pundits. However, the 19-year-old has gotten off to a rocky start. Through 11 games, the wing is averaging 7.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists. The Rutgers alum has been fairly inefficient, notching 38/27/93 shooting splits. However, Utah’s rookie has begun to live up to his massive potential. Over Bailey’s last three outings, he’s tallied a combined 42 points and 17 rebounds. That’s despite playing no more than 28 minutes in any of his appearances.
Following his career-best 20-point showing on Tuesday, Ace enters tonight with some confidence. The Jazz will welcome a Hawks team on the second leg of a road back-to-back. In addition, Atlanta has surrendered the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards. Several of Utah’s front court players will miss this contest, including Taylor Hendricks (hamstring) and Kyle Anderson (back). That should open up even more minutes for Bailey. It’s only a matter of time until the highly touted prospect begins putting it all together.
PF/C Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Indiana Pacers at PHX ($4,300)
The center position has been a major headache for Indiana thus far. With Myles Turner in Milwaukee, the Pacers have been forced to get creative. Isaiah Jackson ($4,900), Jay Huff ($4,000) and Tony Bradley ($3,700) have all taken turns down low. Another name thrown into the mix recently is Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. The power forward has only made six starts, averaging just over 18 minutes during that time. However, his usage has gradually increased this month. The 25-year-old earned his first start of the season on Tuesday, logging 22 minutes vs. the Jazz.
Robinson-Earl’s greatest attribute is his ability on the glass. This season, he’s averaged a whopping 12.6 rebounds per 36 minutes. Even if he only plays half of the game, JRE has the ability to snag double-digit boards. That’s especially true against tonight’s opponents, the Suns; they’ve allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to power forwards. Robinson-Earl has tallied 29+ fantasy points in two of his last four contests. There’s no reason to think he can’t deliver a similar performance against Phoenix on Thursday.