Friday features a nine-game slate starting at 7 p.m. ET.
Also, don’t forget that for large-field tournaments, you can utilize our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 150 lineups, or use our Lineup Builder if you like to hand-build your lineups.
Note: Projections and Leverages Scores/Ratings may change throughout the day after this article is posted. The NBA DFS landscape changes quickly. Consult the Player Models directly for any updates as we get closer to lock.
Point Guard
Stud
Luka Doncic got off to a slow start this season, but he has started to look like the Doncic of old. He’s increased his fantasy production to 1.50 FanDuel points per minute over the past month, and he’s posted an average Plus/Minus of +5.19 over his past 10 games on FanDuel. That includes a 48.8 FanDuel point performance in his last game despite playing less than 27.5 minutes.
Doncic has the potential for a monster game on Friday. He’s taking on the Pelicans, who rank dead last in defensive efficiency this season, and the Mavericks’ implied team total of 112.0 trails only the Nets’ mark of 115.0. The Mavericks have also listed Kristaps Porzingis as questionable, and Doncic would see a slight uptick in usage if he’s ruled out.
Value
Cameron Payne saw a massive boost in usage yesterday with Devin Booker out of the lineup. He didn’t see a ton of additional minutes – he played 21.4 minutes off the bench – but his usage rate of 40.3% was easily his top mark of the year. He ultimately finished with 31.5 DraftKings points, making him an excellent value at just $4,100.
Despite that performance, his price tag has actually dropped to $3,700 for Friday’s matchup vs. the Warriors. It results in a Bargain Rating of 93%.
Fast Break
Kyle Lowry was a major disappointment in his last game, but he was limited to just 28.2 minutes in a blowout loss. He still figures to benefit from the absences of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, making him an interesting buy-low option. He’s particularly appealing at just $6,500 on FanDuel. His price tag comes with a Bargain Rating of 97%, and Lowry has historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +4.76 with a comparable price tag (per the Trends tool).
The Pacers are another team dealing with some key injuries at the moment. T.J. McConnell and Justin Holiday might not be the biggest names, but they’ve averaged a combined 52.3 minutes per game this season. Malcolm Brogdon could see a few additional minutes in their absence, and he’s already been an excellent option of late. He’s scored at least 35.8 FanDuel points in five of his past six games, and his $7,800 salary on FanDuel comes with a Bargain Rating of 92%.
Shooting Guard
Stud
Tyler Herro is poised for a monster game on Friday. He started the Heat’s last game in place of Butler, and he posted a usage rate of 35.5% over 36.5 minutes. He ultimately had a poor performance – he shot just 9-23 from the field and 2-7 from 3-point range – but he’s averaged 1.11 DraftKings points per minute with Butler and Adebayo off the court. He’s an elite bounce-back candidate on Friday’s slate.
Value
The Pacers have a few intriguing shooting guard options on Friday. Caris LeVert and Chris Duarte both figure to see a bump in playing time given their current injury situation, and both players are capable on a per-minute basis. Duarte makes more sense on DraftKings at $4,400, while LeVert stands out as the better value on FanDuel at $4,800.
Fast Break
Paul George got the night off in the Clippers’ last game, but he is expected to return to the lineup Friday vs. the Lakers. George has been among the league leaders in usage this season, but his fantasy results have been on the decline. However, he’s made just 38.7% of his field goal attempts and 25.9% of his 3-pointers over his previous six games, so perhaps some rest will help him rediscover his jump shot. He’s underpriced on FanDuel, where his $9,200 salary comes with a Bargain Rating of 96%.
Landry Shamet logged nearly 31.3 minutes yesterday, so he’s going to be an important part of the Suns’ rotation without Booker. He’s currently projected for 31 minutes in our NBA Models, and players with comparable salaries and minute projections have historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +3.39.
Small Forward
Stud
Kevin Durant has carried one of the largest workloads in basketball to start the season. He’s played at least 37.1 minutes in each of his past five games, and he’s averaged 1.31 FanDuel points per minute this season. No one at the position has averaged more fantasy points per minute, and only Mikal Bridges is projected for more minutes. That’s a nice combination.
Durant is also in an excellent spot on Friday. The Nets lead the slate in implied team total, and Durant owns an Opponent Plus/Minus of +2.19 on FanDuel.
Value
Terrence Ross has gotten off to a disastrous start this season, but he’s started to show some signs of life. He’s played at least 23.1 minutes back-to-back games, and he racked up 22.5 DraftKings points in his last outing. Ross has historically been a solid per-minute producer, so there’s no reason to continue to expect him to struggle. He’s dirt-cheap at just $3,100 on DraftKings, and his role should be secure with Jalen Suggs and E’Twuan Moore out of the lineup.
Fast Break
Josh Hart is currently questionable, but he’s worth consideration if he’s able to suit up. He’s an absolute monster in the peripheral categories, and that was on full display in his last outing. He finished with just four points scored, but that didn’t stop him from racking up 35.0 DraftKings points. On nights where he scores, he has excellent upside for his price tag.
Cameron Johnson drew the start in place of Booker yesterday, and he racked up 32.2 FanDuel points in 27.1 minutes. I wouldn’t expect a repeat performance on Friday – he shot 7-11 from the field and 4-6 from 3-point range – but he’s undoubtedly underpriced at just $3,900 on FanDuel.
Power Forward
Stud
Jayson Tatum has gotten very pricy of late, but his price tag has come back to reality a bit on FanDuel. He’s priced at $9,500 for tonight’s matchup vs. the Jazz, and while that’s a tough matchup, Tatum should benefit from the absence of Jaylen Brown. Tatum has increased his usage rate to 33.6% with Brown off the court this season, and he’s averaged 1.25 FanDuel points per minute in that situation.
Value
Oshae Brissett hasn’t been a big part of the Pacers’ rotation this season, but he should be in their plans on Friday. That makes him an interesting option at the absolute minimum on DraftKings. He’s averaged 0.87 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, and he logged nearly 18 minutes in his last outing. That’s not much, but it should be enough for Brissett to have some fantasy relevance.
Fast Break
Wendell Carter Jr. has played really well for the Magic recently. That’s not exactly surprising. His playing time is up – he’s logged at least 31.5 minutes in four of his past five games – and WCJ has averaged 1.11 DraftKings points per minute this season. We have him projected for a similar workload on Friday, and he’s in an excellent spot vs. the Rockets.
The Hawks could provide a bit more fantasy value than usual on Friday. Cam Reddish is doubtful, and Bogdan Bogdanovic remains out of the lineup with an ankle injury. Danilo Gallinari is a potential beneficiary. He’s coming off nearly 29.3 minutes in his last outing, and Gallo has historically been an excellent per-minute fantasy producer. He’s currently projected for 30 minutes in our NBA Models, and he’s averaged a Plus/Minus of +2.96 with a comparable minute projection.
Center
Stud
Joel Embiid is starting to heat up. He’s increased his fantasy production to 1.53 DraftKings points per minute, and he’s coming off 56.5 DraftKings points in his last contest. The 76ers also have the potential to be without Tobias Harris on Friday. He isn’t currently on the injury report, but he was reportedly not at the team’s morning shootaround. That will be a situation to monitor throughout the day.
If Harris is ruled out, Embiid becomes one of the top studs on the slate. He’s been a monster with Harris and Ben Simmons off the court since the start of last year, averaging 1.80 DraftKings points per minute.
Value
Dwight Howard isn’t the same player that he was in his prime, but he’s still capable of getting the job done. He’s averaged 1.13 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, and he racked up 35.1 minutes in his last outing. He’s not expected to see nearly the same number of minutes on today’s slate, but he doesn’t need to at his current salary. Howard is priced at just $3,600 on DraftKings, resulting in a Bargain Rating of 97%.
Fast Break
Carter has gotten most of the attention for the Magic recently, but don’t forget about Mo Bamba. He’s a better pure value than Carter on DraftKings, where his $6,400 salary comes with a Bargain Rating of 86%. He’s averaged 1.09 DraftKings points per minute this season, and he’s currently projected for 30 minutes in our NBA Models.
Jonas Valanciunas stands out on FanDuel, where his $8,200 salary comes with a Bargain Rating of 96%. Valanciunas is coming off a dreadful 14.5 FanDuel point performance in his last game, but he racked up 66.5 FanDuel points in his previous outing.
