Friday features a seven-game slate starting at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Let’s dive into some of the top plays on the slate using the FantasyLabs tools and metrics.
Also, don’t forget that for large-field tournaments, you can utilize our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 300 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 NBA Player Models directly for any updates as we get closer to lock.
NBA DFS Point Guard Picks
Stud
Luka Doncic continued his excellence in a 23-point victory over the Suns Wednesday night. Since the end of November, Doncic has scored 30 or more points in 21 of his last 23 games with a 38% usage rate. His last three games have been even more impressive, averaging a triple-double with 33.3 points, 13 rebounds, and 10.7 assists per game. Doncic has the highest projected ceiling by a comfortable margin in our model tonight and is the top pay-up option on the slate.
Kyrie Irving is in danger of missing his second-straight game with a thumb injury. Keep an eye on his status because that would increase the ceiling for Doncic. In the 15 games that Doncic has played without Irving, he has averaged 35.3 points, 10.9 assists, and 8.9 rebounds per game. It is impossible to get away from him tonight, especially if Irving is ruled out.
The early runs of our simulations in our NBA SimLabs Lineup Generator are also very high on Doncic.
Editor’s note: after this article was submitted, Kyrie was ruled out. Check the NBA Models for updated projections.
Value
Doncic has the highest projected Plus/Minus at the point guard position, but Fred VanVleet isn’t far behind. The Rockets point guard has recorded a positive Plus/Minus in six of his last eight games. His only two negative games came on the road against the 76ers and Celtics. In the other six games, which were better matchups, VanVleet averaged 22 points and 9.2 assists per game. In his first season with the Rockets, he is averaging a career and team-high 8.5 assists per game.
Another positive matchup awaits VanVleet tonight against the Hornets, who rank dead last in defensive rating at 120.6. They are allowing 119.8 points and 28.1 assists per game this season, which bodes well for the consistent point guard. Prioritize him on DraftKings, where he is underpriced at $7,700.
He has a 90% Bargain Rating and is a strong mid-range value.
Fast Break
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dominated against weak competition in the Spurs and Trail Blazers, averaging 32.5 points, 10 assists, six rebounds, and 63.3 DraftKings points per game. The Thunder are two-point road underdogs against the Pelicans despite winning 13 of their last 17 games. This matchup is one of three that has a game total of over 240 points. Playing at the seventh-fastest pace in the league, expect an up-tempo game environment. Gilgeous-Alexander is a great contrarian option.
NBA DFS Shooting Guard Picks
Stud
Tied for a slate-high 12 Pro Trends on DraftKings, Donovan Mitchell has the highest projected ceiling at the shooting guard position. Darius Garland and Evan Mobley remain out for the Cavaliers, which has resulted in several ceiling performances for Mitchell. Playing against the Bucks is a rematch from Wednesday, where the Bucks won by double-digit points. Mitchell played 39 minutes in that matchup and finished with 23 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds, and had a 35.4% usage rate.
Unlike years past, the Bucks can be exploited defensively. They are allowing 120.4 points per game this season, which is the sixth-highest in the league. Their perimeter defense since adding Damian Lillard has been non-existent. Continuing to get all of the usage rate and field goal attempts that he can handle, Mitchell is a strong option on this slate in all formats.
Value
Sticking with another Rockets value guard, Jalen Green is simply underpriced across the industry for this matchup. Similar to his last game, when Green’s shot is falling, he will easily pay off his cheap price tag. Green scored 29 points in the Rockets’ six-point loss against the Trail Blazers. He shot 12-for-24 from the field and had a 32.4% usage rate. It was also the first game where Green failed to record a single rebound. He has upside, especially when he is shooting 50% from the field.
Opponents are shooting 49.9% from the field and a league-high 40.1% from behind the arc against the Hornets this season. This matchup sets up perfectly for the Rockets sharpshooter. Green’s field goal attempts and usage rate have been climbing ever since he complained about his role. He is averaging 17.4 points per game, which is the second-highest on the team.
Fast Break
If Kyrie Irving is able to suit up, he looks like a fantastic option on this seven-game slate. He is a cheaper way to get exposure to the Mavericks offense, which is implied for 123.5 points tonight. Irving had back-to-back poor games but went on an absolute tear at the beginning of January. In a seven-game stretch, Irving averaged 34.3 points per game while shooting 50% from the field. The Hawks rank 26th in defensive rating and fifth in pace. This is a great spot for Irving if he can play.
Editor’s note: after this article was submitted, Kyrie was ruled out. Check the NBA Models for updated projections.
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NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
Kawhi Leonard leads a weak small forward position with limited pay-up options. Leonard is coming off his second triple-double in his career, where he recorded 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists while shooting 11-for-16 from the field. He will now face his former team in the Raptors, whom he has dominated in his last six appearances. During that time with the Clippers, Leonard is averaging over 20 points per game while shooting 53.3% from the field and 50% from behind the arc.
Priced under $9,000 on DraftKings and FanDuel, he has 12 Pro Trends on both sites. Given his defensive skill set, he looks a little better on FanDuel, where he is projected for around 15% ownership. The Clippers have won 11 of their last 13 games and are 7.5-point road favorites.
Leonard’s consistency makes him a good cash game play on FanDuel.
Value
After an incredible run in the NBA Finals last season, Bruce Brown has since been traded twice and is now on the Raptors. In his first three games since joining the team, Brown has averaged double-digit points per game and is shooting 56.5% from the field. He has only played 22.7 minutes per night, but expect that to rise with Raptors’ point guard Immanuel Quickley out of the lineup. Our model has Brown projected to play around 31 minutes, making him one of the best values on the slate.
Brown is projected to be the most popular play on FanDuel at 50% and is the fourth-highest owned on DraftKings. Despite a difficult matchup against the Clippers, he will likely start and get a ton of opportunity on his new team. Brown can stuff the stat sheet in a variety of ways and will need to do so to keep the Raptors competitive. He is a great play in all formats.
Fast Break
Sticking with the Raptors, Scottie Barnes is an incredible play on DraftKings. He is $1,100 cheaper on DraftKings than FanDuel and has point guard and small forward eligibility, making it easier to fit him into any lineup build. Barnes has a 94% Bargain Rating and has nearly 60 DraftKings points in two of his last three games. He is another pay-up small forward who has elite defensive stats. Scoring comes and goes with Barnes, but he is a triple-double threat with a very high ceiling.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been dominant recently, regardless of who the head coach is. He has recorded back-to-back games with over 80 DraftKings points and has a triple-double in each contest. In those two games, Giannis is averaging 33 points, 17.5 rebounds, and 10 assists per game. He will get a rematch against a Cavaliers team that he just humiliated. Outside of Doncic, Giannis clearly has the second-highest projected ceiling on the slate for both DraftKings and FanDuel.
The Cavaliers’ paint defense is lacking without Evan Mobley on the floor. In his two meetings against the Cavaliers this season, Giannis has been averaging 34.5 points, 17 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game while shooting 65.2% from the field. He has a triple-double in three of his last four games, and even in this tough matchup on paper, Giannis looks unstoppable.
Value
With Trae Young and Clint Capela questionable and De’Andre Hunter already ruled out, the Hawks are desperately looking for scoring. Saddiq Bey stepped up in the last game, finishing with 18 points and seven rebounds in only 27 minutes. He would have played much more, but the Hawks got beat by 22 points against the Warriors. Bey has the highest projected Plus/Minus at the power forward position on DraftKings. At $5,100, Bey is projected to be the highest-owned on the slate.
Over half of Bey’s field goal attempts have come from long distance this season. This matchup bodes well for him, with the Mavericks allowing the 10th-most 3-point attempts per game while playing at the 10th-fastest pace in the league. He has also pulled down a career-high 6.4 rebounds per game, and the Mavericks rank 29th in rebounding percentage at 47.3%.
Fast Break
Priced under $8,000 on both sites, Zion Williamson is one of the best mid-range options on the slate. It feels like only a matter of time until Williamson puts down the beignets and has a ceiling game. He has recorded a positive Plus/Minus in four of his last five games on FanDuel, where he is projected for nearly 40% ownership tonight. Williamson should dominate this smaller Thunder frontcourt, who ranks 28th in rebounding percentage. This is a great opportunity for Williamson tonight.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
Another slate without Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic means we get another chance to roster “Baby Jokic” Alperen Sengun. Sengun has recorded a positive Plus/Minus in six consecutive games, averaging 24.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 53.2 DraftKings points per game during that time. Sengun’s salary on FanDuel has risen to nearly $10,000, but he remains a fantastic value on DraftKings at $8,600, where he has a 95% bargain rating with 12 pro trends.
The matchup against the weak Hornets frontcourt makes this spot look even better for Sengun. They are still without starting center Mark Williams and have allowed 52.8 points per game in the paint. The Hornets rank 26th in rebounding percentage and 27th in assists allowed per game. Sengun has a good chance of recording his second triple-double in his last three games.
Value
Jarrett Allen leads all centers with the highest projected Plus/Minus on FanDuel and the second-highest on DraftKings behind Sengun. With Evan Mobley out, Allen gets another opportunity to put up a ceiling performance. In his 21 games without Mobley this season, Allen is averaging a massive double-double with 16 points and 11.9 rebounds per game. Despite being a center, Allen’s usage rate has jumped up to 18.9% without Mobley. He is the Cavaliers’ second option to Mitchell.
For a team with such a stout defensive frontcourt, Allen has had no trouble in this matchup against the Bucks this season. In his three games in this spot, Allen is averaging 24 points and 12.3 rebounds per game while shooting 66.7% from the field. Allen has captured a double-double in 13 straight games and should have no trouble getting another one in this matchup.
Fast Break
Pascal Siakam had looked fine in his first three games with the Pacers but finally erupted for a ceiling game against the 76ers of all teams. Siakam led the way with a 26-point, 13-rebound, 10-assist triple-double while shooting 9-for-13 from the field. It was the second time that Siakam has exceeded 60 DraftKings points this season. Playing in one of the best game environments on the slate without Tyrese Haliburton, Siakam is worth getting exposure to on both DraftKings and FanDuel.
