Which players should you build around and which players should you fade in DFS as we tip off Thursday's NBA action? Our experts have the answers.
Players to build around
André Snellings -- Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
Towns has quietly averaged 22.7 points, 13.3 boards, 3.3 assists, 2.3 blocks and 3 steals in his past three games. On Thursday, he faces a Sacramento Kings defense that has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to centers this season.
Renee Miller -- Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors
There are just five games on this slate, but with some very bad defensive teams, which makes for a great slate. There are also plenty of quality value plays tonight, too. (I'm thinking of Jarrett Jack, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Doug McDermott, to name a few.) Durant will be the anchor of my lineups not just because of a positive defense-versus-position matchup, or because the Warriors are big home favorites, but because of how his usage increases when Stephen Curry is out. He's averaging 33 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists per game with 10 blocks in the past three games. I like his floor and ceiling combination best of anyone tonight.
Joe Kaiser -- Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons
The Hawks remain without Dewayne Dedmon, which leaves them thin and undersized in the frontcourt, creating the perfect opportunity for Drummond to come in and put up big scoring and rebounding numbers. As Eric Karabell pointed out in his column on Wednesday, Drummond's minutes are up this season and that also bodes well as long as this game stays relatively close. A 20-point, 15-rebound game is within Drummond's range on Thursday.
Kyle Soppe -- Kristaps Porzingis, New York Knicks
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Porzingis' floor is lower than that of a LeBron James or Durant, but as we saw Tuesday night, his ceiling is comparable and I am therefore rostering him in every plus matchup until his price tag is closer to elite status. The best part about when the Knicks have a juicy matchup? That simply means they will be competitive, whereas the Cavaliers and Warriors could have the result wrapped up after three quarters. Porzingis gets a below-average defense that plays at the second-fastest tempo in the NBA, so KP could be looking at a third straight game with 30 points and five blocks-plus-steals.
Players to fade
André Snellings -- Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons
Drummond is in the midst of a three-game funk, in which he has averaged only 6.3 points, 2.7 assists and 3.3 turnovers along with his usual stellar 14 rebounds per game. Not only is he not scoring, but he hasn't even been getting shot opportunities as he's been short-term phased out of the offense. He should eventually break back out, and today might even be the day because the Hawks' defense is awful against centers, but Drummond has such a high price tag that I'm fading him until he proves that he's himself again.
Renee Miller -- Enes Kanter, New York Knicks
With Porzingis back and healthy, Kanter's usage is down. He's always been a guy who can double-double in seemingly no time at all, but his salary is currently outpacing his production, which is one reason for this fade. The other is that I want either Karl-Anthony Towns or Drummond in my center slot tonight. Another player I'm fading for the exact same reasons is Zach Randolph, who is still priced for Willie Cauley-Stein's absence. There just isn't enough wiggle room in his salary for this slate.
Joe Kaiser -- Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
At this stage in Nowitzki's career it almost hurts to watch him run up and down the court, and he's a big reason why the Mavs are one of the slowest-paced teams in the game this season. In a game against the up-tempo Warriors, who spread the floor as well as run the floor, this is going to be a difficult assignment for Nowitzki, who had just six points on 1-of-8 shooting to go with two rebounds in Tuesday's surprising win over San Antonio.
Kyle Soppe -- Jimmy Butler, Minnesota Timberwolves
I'm a big Butler fan, but the spike in his price due to recent performance is simply too much for my liking. Yes, his 38-point effort on Tuesday night against the 76ers was impressive, but so much so that his stock has risen 26.1 percent in the last 10 days? I'm sorry if I'm not buying his 33 shot attempts as a trend (he was averaging 14.8 per game entering Tuesday night) and with his rebound, assist, block, steal and FTA numbers all down from a year ago ... I'll pass. Now, the numbers aren't down much and this is a great matchup, but you're paying a premium here that doesn't present enough value.
