Bryan Armetta picks his three favorite forwards for Thursday night’s NBA action.
Thursday’s NBA slate only has six teams taking the court, which makes figuring out who to start in season-long fantasy and DFS formats no easy task. Still, there’s plenty of impact players you can slot into your lineups. Here are three forwards I’m looking to back tonight.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $333K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st]
You’ll probably be able to count on your fingers the number of times Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t the top forward on the board, and for good reason. Despite Milwaukee’s early-season struggles, the Greek Freak has done his part with 31.0 points, 12.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game. He has yet to record a game with less than 49 DK fantasy points this year.
To make things even more enticing, Antetokounmpo has dominated this matchup as of late. Over his past six games against the Jazz, Giannis is averaging 27.7 points, 10.0 rebounds and 8.7 assists. Utah’s defense has struggled mightily this season, so there’s no reason not to expect a dominant showing from the former MVP tonight.
Despite all of the fears over his role in the offense, Julius Randle has fit in nicely with the Timberwolves. The three-time All Star has posted a stat line of 21.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists on solid 57.4% shooting from the field. His playmaking and rebounding have always been strong, but the power forward’s increased efficiency could take his game to another level.
The Bulls have been especially vulnerable to forwards this season, allowing the fourth-most DK fantasy points to the position. As a member of the Knicks, Randle put up 23.7 points, 10.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 14 games against Chicago. Something close to those numbers could be in the cards tonight.
Set to play in his first game since October 29th, it’s unclear what kind of production Lauri Markkanen will have tonight. When he’s right, the Finnish power forward is a force to be reckoned with, averaging 24.3 points per game on 48.8% shooting since being traded to Utah in 2022. However, after suffering a back injury that kept him out of three contests, head coach Will Hardy might be hesitant to give the All-Star a full workload.
To make matters worse, Markkanen will have to go up against Antetokounmpo, one of the game’s best defenders. Although they can’t guard anyone on the perimeter, Milwaukee is allowing just 30.4 DK fantasy points to opposing forwards, the second-lowest mark for any team. With all the variables surrounding Markkanen tonight, I’d rather pay up for Giannis or Randle.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $333K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is barmy) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
