NBA Thursday Early Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for January 1, 2026
Last updated: Dec 31, 2025, 7:57PM | Published: Dec 31, 2025, 7:57AM
Draftstars Australia's NBA Thursday Early DFS contest commences at 7:10am AEDT on January 1, 2026, and Fantasy Insider has crunched the numbers for every player on the slate to help you make winning line-ups.
A handy Draftstars cheat sheet is a must for NBA fantasy players. This DFS preview is designed to help you build your fantasy teams for Draftstars' NBA contests and improve your season-long fantasy line-ups on Thursday and beyond.
Featured NBA Games
Draftstars' NBA Thursday Early slate includes the following match-ups:
- Indiana Pacers vs Orlando Magic
- Cleveland Cavaliers vs Phoenix Suns
- Atlanta Hawks vs Minnesota Timberwolves
Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, uses the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to produce some of the strongest DFS projections in the world.
With the best NBA fantasy insights and DFS strategies from Fantasy Insider, you're set to win in more NBA fantasy contests.
Cheat Sheet and Projections
We have reviewed every player from every team to help you make the best selections on Thursday's slate.
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Jalen Johnson (ATL, PF) | $21,720 | 56.8 | 2.6 |
| Value | Dyson Daniels (ATL, SG/SF) | $12,180 | 37.6 | 3.1 |
| Fade | Kristaps Porziņģis (ATL, C) | $13,790 | 23.6 | 1.7 |
| Cheapie | Vít Krejčí (ATL, SF/SG) | $7,300 | 21.4 | 2.9 |
According to Fantasy Insider's DFS model, our "stud" is the highest projected scorer across the slate, while "value" picks provide the most "bang for your buck," meaning they're expected to perform well relative to their salary.
Conversely, a "fade" is a player considered to offer lower value for money, based on their expected score relative to their salary. For those needing to stay under the salary cap, "cheapie" options refer to the best value players at lower price points not already mentioned.
In fantasy sports, understanding value—assessing a player's potential output against their salary—is crucial, as players scoring high relative to their cost are key in crafting the optimal line-up.
The "Pts/$1K" metric shows the predicted points for every $1,000 of a player's salary. A higher number indicates better value, making it easier to spot players who could outperform their cost.
Positional Breakdown
PG (Point Guard)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Anthony Edwards (MIN) | $18,450 | 49.8 | 2.7 |
| Value | Anthony Edwards (MIN) | $18,450 | 49.8 | 2.7 |
| Fade | Jalen Suggs (ORL) | $13,760 | 26.5 | 1.9 |
| Cheapie | Craig Porter (CLE) | $6,000 | 14.3 | 2.4 |
SG (Shooting Guard)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Anthony Edwards (MIN) | $18,450 | 49.8 | 2.7 |
| Value | Dyson Daniels (ATL) | $12,180 | 37.6 | 3.1 |
| Fade | Anthony Black (ORL) | $15,790 | 32.9 | 2.1 |
| Cheapie | Vít Krejčí (ATL) | $7,300 | 21.4 | 2.9 |
SF (Small Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Dyson Daniels (ATL) | $12,180 | 37.6 | 3.1 |
| Value | Dyson Daniels (ATL) | $12,180 | 37.6 | 3.1 |
| Fade | Aaron Nesmith (IND) | $10,720 | 24.8 | 2.3 |
| Cheapie | Vít Krejčí (ATL) | $7,300 | 21.4 | 2.9 |
PF (Power Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Jalen Johnson (ATL) | $21,720 | 56.8 | 2.6 |
| Value | Zaccharie Risacher (ATL) | $7,660 | 21.6 | 2.8 |
| Fade | Pascal Siakam (IND) | $15,560 | 34.8 | 2.2 |
| Cheapie | Royce O'Neale (PHX) | $9,390 | 26.4 | 2.8 |
C (Center)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Evan Mobley (CLE) | $15,720 | 37 | 2.4 |
| Value | Jay Huff (IND) | $8,300 | 21.8 | 2.6 |
| Fade | Kristaps Porziņģis (ATL) | $13,790 | 23.6 | 1.7 |
| Cheapie | Goga Bitadze (ORL) | $6,800 | 16.7 | 2.5 |
Conclusion
In DFS, creating an optimal line-up requires understanding key concepts and metrics. When building your NBA Thursday Early teams, consider starting with a value player like Dyson Daniels. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Jalen Johnson is a strong option. If you're looking for budget-friendly choices to free up salary cap for more studs, explore our cheapie options, including Vít Krejčí.
On the other hand, according to our model, Kristaps Porziņģis is one of the worst value options on the slate, suggesting you might want to limit exposure to him if entering multiple line-ups.
Ready to go? Draftstars' NBA Thursday Early slate closes at 7:10am AEDT on Thursday. ENTER NOW!
As with all NBA DFS contests, whether you start with our studs or build around our value picks, leveraging Fantasy Insider's data-driven NBA fantasy news and strategies, combined with your own research, can enhance your chances of winning in the NBA Thursday Early contest. The unique insights here can give you an edge when you make your NBA DFS line-ups.
For the latest projections and optimised NBA Thursday Early line-ups, check out the Fantasy Insider Cruncher on Draftstars! It's free to use when you're logged in.
Please note that if you use our DFS tips for betting purposes, ensure you gamble responsibly and keep track of your money. For free and confidential support, call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.
