Fantasy basketball tips and NBA betting picks for Thursday

ESPN's fantasy basketball and basketball betting tips cheat sheet is your pregame destination for basketball betting predictions and our best intel and data, featuring ESPN's proprietary Basketball Power Index (BPI) to help you make smart fantasy and wagering decisions. NBA game odds for Feb. 16 are provided by Caesars Sportsbook, and fantasy advice is based on ESPN 10-team leagues.

As teams prepare for travel and fuller weekend schedules, Thursday's often present fantasy managers with smaller slates. Tonight is no exception, with just six teams in action.

Running a simple projection model, we find Josh Okogie of the Phoenix Suns, who is a free agent in 95% of ESPN leagues, stands out as a prominent value. Okogie recently rejoined the rotation after the team's blockbuster move for Kevin Durant and has averaged 35.3 minutes and 20.3 points, 5.3 boards, and two steals across his last three games.

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In tonight's tilt between the Washington Wizards and Minnesota Timberwolves, Daniel Gafford should get back above 20 minutes in a game that could see his elite block rate surface. Taurean Prince and Kyle Anderson are doing a bit of everything for the Wolves lately, while the recently acquired Mike Conley is a major DFS value at just $5,200 on DraftKings against a porous Washington perimeter defense. Rostering a backcourt of say Conley and Okogie could allow you to afford Giannis Antetokounmpo in lineups this evening.

For those in weekly head-to-head leagues, securing extra games played during a light night can prove pivotal, as you can separate from the competition based on sheer volume. For both