NBA Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 12/7/17

If you're new to daily fantasy basketball -- maybe you started your DFS journey during the MLB or NFL seasons, or maybe basketball is your sport and this will be your first year giving it a shot -- you're in for a treat. The NBA scene changes hugely on a week-to-week, day-to-day, and -- depending on injury news -- even a minute-to-minute basis, making every slate a unique one that requires an ever-changing approach.

With so much changing so quickly, we're here with plenty of tools to help you out. We have daily projections, a matchup heat map, a lineup optimizer, and a ton of other great resources to help give you an edge.

We'll also be coming at you with this primer every day, breaking down a few of the day's top plays at each price point.

Let's take a look at who you should target on today's slate.

Best of the Best

Russell Westbrook (FanDuel Price: $11,500): Westbrook is already one of the highest-usage player in the NBA, ranking sixth with a 33.3% usage rate, but his volume could get really crazy tonight with Paul George on the sidelines. Westbrook has a 31.4% usage rate when George is on the floor this year, but in his 246 played without George, that jumps to a truly absurd 48.2% clip. He has been on an absolute tear recently, with 60-plus FanDuel points in five of his last eight, and he also draws a matchup with a Brooklyn Nets team that is allowing top-six fantasy production to point guards. This all comes together to make Westbrook a pretty safe bet to be Thursday's top fantasy producer.