Friday features an eight-game slate starting at 7:30 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
Trae Young and the Hawks will have a chance to get revenge on the Pacers after getting run out of the gym 150-116 in their meeting last Friday night. In that contest, Young recorded a season-low 27.5 DraftKings points. He scored 13 points while shooting an abysmal 4-for-18 from the field and 1-for-11 from behind the arc. Ignore that outlier performance. With Tyrese Haliburton out for the Pacers, the Hawks are 5.5-point favorites with the highest implied total on the slate at 128.5 points.
Pay-up options are limited on this eight-game slate. Young is the only player priced over $10,000 on FanDuel and has the second-highest salary on DraftKings at $9,900. Playing in the best game environment, he has a great chance to record another ceiling game. He has a double-double in 11 of his last 14 games and the highest projected ceiling at this position.
Value
Priced under $8,000 on DraftKings, Fred VanVleet is one of the best values on the slate. He has recorded 50+ DraftKings points in back-to-back games and in four of his last seven contests. In his first season with the Rockets, the veteran point guard is averaging 17.6 points and a career-high 8.5 assists per game. Over the last two games, VanVleet has been much more aggressive offensively, with a 25.3% usage rate. He has attempted 20.5 field goals and 14 3-point attempts per game.
The Rockets are 7.5-point road favorites against the Pistons, who are still playing without Cade Cunningham. The Pistons continue to be one of the best matchups for opposing players. They rank 28th in defensive rating while allowing 123 points per game, which is the fourth-highest in the league. This is a fantastic spot to take VanVleet at relatively low ownership.
Fast Break
Tyrese Maxey finally displayed his ceiling without Joel Embiid in the last game. He recorded a near triple-double with 35 points, nine assists, eight rebounds, and four steals. Maxey was extremely aggressive, attempting 29 field goals, and had a 34.5% usage rate. With Embiid off the floor this season, He continues to lead the team with a +5.46% usage rate. In a positive matchup against the Kings, Maxey will have another opportunity to showcase his ceiling without Embiid on the floor tonight.
Keeping Tre Jones in the Spurs starting lineup creates another value point guard worth getting exposure to. Prioritize Jones on FanDuel at his cheap $5,600 salary, which is resulting in a 95% Bargain Rating. Jones will be a popular value play in a great matchup against the Hornets, who hemorrhage fantasy points to opposing players. Jones has averaged 15.7 points per game while shooting 19-for-30 from the field since moving into the Spurs starting lineup. He is simply too cheap on FanDuel.
NBA DFS Shooting Guard Picks
Stud
After a difficult four-game road stretch that ended with an overtime loss to the Celtics, the Timberwolves return home in a favorable matchup against the Trail Blazers. They are a slate-high 15.5-point home favorite in what should be a walk in the park. Anthony Edwards leads the team with a career-high 26.3 points per game and will have no trouble filling it up in this spot. He is projected for around 15% ownership across the industry and is reasonably priced on DraftKings and FanDuel.
Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert is in danger of missing his second-straight game with a hip injury. If he is out, that will open more driving lanes for Edwards, who averages double-digit points per game on drives alone. The Trail Blazers are allowing the third-most points in the paint with 56.7 per game. Edwards could catch a few bodies on posters tonight.
Value
Another Rockets value worth getting exposure to on tonight’s slate is shooting guard Jalen Green. Priced in the mid-range, he has the second-highest projected Plus/Minus on DraftKings and the third-highest on FanDuel. Projected for a slate-high 40% ownership on DraftKings, Green is a cheap way to get exposure to a Rockets offense implied for 117 points.
In the Rockets’ last game against the Pistons earlier this month, where they won 136-113, Green scored 22 points while shooting 5-for-9 from behind the arc. If he plays his projected 32 minutes, he has a great chance to end up in the optimal lineup tonight. Normally a scoring-dependent fantasy producer, Green has averaged seven assists per game in his last two contests. His shot still needs to fall, but the Pistons are allowing opponents to shoot 49.6% from the field this season.
Fast Break
Priced under $5,000 on DraftKings and FanDuel, Luke Kennard is another shooting guard value who looks phenomenal in this spot. With Ja Morant out for the season, the Grizzlies desperately need Kennard’s scoring. The sharpshooter from Duke has started the last two games and is shooting 6-for-7 from downtown. The Clippers present all sorts of problems defensively, but Kennard’s price tag mitigates the risk. He has the highest projected ownership on FanDuel tonight.
Anfernee Simons is coming off an awful showing against the Thunder last night, scoring only 14 points on 4-for-13 shooting. The Trail Blazers got boat-raced 139-77, so they should be well-rested for this second leg of their back-to-back. It won’t get much easier against a stout Timberwolves defense, but Simons has displayed a ceiling and is one of the few Trail Blazers players worth getting exposure to. With point guard and shooting guard eligibility, Simons can fit into multiple lineup builds.
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NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
Speaking of the Clippers, Paul George is coming off one of his best games of the season Wednesday night. He shot 12-for-22 from the field and finished with 29 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. His consistency makes him a strong cash game option, especially at his reasonable price tag on both DraftKings and FanDuel. George has seen a dip in his peripheral stats this year but is still leading the Clippers in usage rate at 27.1% and averaging 23.4 points per game.
Deciding between him and Kawhi Leonard is quite easy in this spot. George is a better cash game play due to his salary and projected ownership, while Leonard is the better tournament option with his sub-5% projected ownership.
Both George and Leonard have displayed a ceiling worth getting exposure to, and this matchup against the Grizzlies is positive.
Value
Coming off a 32-point, 10-rebound double-double, Tobias Harris will be a popular mid-range value option again tonight. With no Joel Embiid, Harris takes on a much larger role offensively. With Embiid off the floor, he has a +4.04% usage rate and a +5.23 DraftKings Plus/Minus. He has averaged 19.9 points per game in the eight games without Embiid this season and has scored 20+ points in six of his last eight games. He has a positive Plus/Minus in all six of those games.
Harris is simply playing too well to be priced this cheap. The Kings play at an above-average pace with a below-average defensive rating. Opponents are shooting 48.6% against them, which is the eighth-highest mark in the league. This is an exploitable matchup for Harris, who is attempting 17 field goal attempts per game this season without Embiid in the lineup.
Fast Break
DeMar DeRozan‘s salary on DraftKings has plummeted to $7,100, which is resulting in a 91% Bargain Rating. Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic are healthy, but this price drop seems excessive. DeRozan leads the DraftKings slate with 12 Pro Trends, and his small forward and power forward dual eligibility makes him easy to fit into all lineup builds. The Bulls are three-point home favorites against a Warriors team that has been a mess recently. Prioritize DeRozan on DraftKings tonight.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
Paolo Banchero finally had a poor game against the league’s top defensive team. The Magic lost 113-92 against the Timberwolves, and Banchero only had 18 points while shooting 8-for-22 from the field. He recorded a positive Plus/Minus in his 10 previous games while averaging 29.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 52.2 DraftKings points per game over that time. Even in a very difficult matchup against the Heat, Banchero has the highest projected ceiling at this position.
He has been the main factor in the Magic’s success this season. He leads the team in points, rebounds, and assists while averaging a career-high across the board. In his only game against the Heat this season, Banchero struggled, shooting 2-for-12 from the field, but did record a near triple-double with 10 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. There are a limited amount of forward options on this slate, which immediately puts him in the conversation of the highest-owned.
Value
Jalen Johnson continues to impress for the Hawks and is the main reason why Tobias Harris isn’t drawing as much ownership on this slate. Harris and Johnson are priced exactly the same on DraftKings and similar on FanDuel, with positive matchups across the board. Johnson is coming off another ceiling performance with 25 points, 16 rebounds, and seven assists. Since coming back from injury Johnson is averaging a double-double with 18.1 points and 11.3 rebounds per game.
This is another great matchup for him to showcase his skillset with how bad the Pacers are defensively. They rank 26th in defensive rating and 24th in rebounding percentage. It would be shocking at this point if Johnson didn’t record a double-double with how well he has played recently. Similar to Harris, Johnson is a great mid-range value on both sites tonight.
Fast Break
Victor Wembanyana recorded his first triple-double in his career last game in the Spurs 22-point victory against the Pistons. He finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists despite playing only 21 minutes. It was also the first game in which Wembanyama failed to record a single block or steal. He will be a contrarian pay-up option due to his limited playing time, but Wembanyama has a ceiling in this spot. The Hornets are a fantasy-friendly defense that ranks 29th in defensive rating.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
Domantas Sabonis is once again the best center on the slate by far. In the King’s blowout victory Wednesday night, Sabonis only played 28 minutes but still recorded a near triple-double with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists. In what should be a much more competitive matchup, Sabonis has the highest projected ceiling in our NBA Models.
Sabonis will draw a matchup against a Joel Embiid-less 76ers frontcourt that has allowed 60 points per game in the paint in their last three games. Despite being one of the few pay-up options on the slate, He is projected for less than 10% ownership on DraftKings. Due to his recent play and this matchup, that is a mistake. He is the best play on the slate, and playing him with Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris makes for a fantastic correlation.
Don’t overthink it, roster Sabonis.
Value
Alperen Sengun vs. Jalen Duren is going to be a sensational matchup of two of the best young big men in the league. Sengun has by far the highest Projected Plus/Minus on the slate and the second-highest projected ownership for both DraftKings and FanDuel tonight. He is a staple in cash games and an incredible tournament play. Priced under $9,000, he has taken his game to the next level. In his last 11 games, Sengun has averaged 25.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.
Duren has shown a tendency to get into foul trouble like he did in their last meeting. He had five fouls and played only 22 minutes, and Sengun took full advantage, finishing with 26 points and nine rebounds. It is impossible to get away from him in this matchup at this price tag. The Rockets, in order for priority, likely rank Sengun, Green, and then VanVleet.
Fast Break
Nikola Vucevic has put up back-to-back big games against the Rockets and Hornets, averaging 19.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. Since coming to the Bulls, Vucevic has dominated this matchup against Warriors starting center Kevon Looney. In their four meetings, Vucevic has averaged 26.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game while shooting 60.8% from the field. In his last game in this matchup, Vucevic erupted for 43 points and 13 rebounds. Another great spot for the big man.
Don’t forget about Bam Adebayo, who is a strong center option, with Jimmy Butler doubtful to play. Adebayo is doing his best to keep the Heat’s season afloat, with Butler likely sitting out his 14th game this season. Adebayo has recorded a double-double in eight of his last nine games while averaging 22.2 points and 12 rebounds per game over that time. The Magic have been a great defense this season, but he is a simple way to get different from the Sengun chalk tonight.
