Stan Son provides his thoughts and insights for Friday’s NBA slate.
There are seven games on Friday’s slate. No teams are on the second leg of a back-to-back. BOS, CHA, CLE, DEN, MIN, OKC, POR, SAC and TOR all play on Saturday, though.
As for injuries, Brandon Miller, Karl-Anthony Towns, Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Zach LaVine, Jalen Smith, Andrew Nembhard, Myles Turner, Jordan Hawkins, Yves Missi and Daniel Theis are questionable. Immanuel Quickley is doubtful. Scottie Barnes and CJ McCollum are out. Keep track of all the pertinent injury updates at DK Live.
The Banchero and Wagner injuries are interesting. If both are out, their replacements are going to be cheap and many will likely flock to them, but I don’t think they would garner high usage rates and the matchup with Cleveland isn’t a good one. If anything, I’d give a boost to the Cavaliers players because the defense for Orlando would take a hit.
DraftKings Sportsbook has BOS as the biggest favorite at -11.5 over CHA. The tighest spreads are BKN -2 over CHI and IND -2.5 over NO. There are three games with a total of at least 230: BOS/CHA (233), SAC/ATL (237.5) and IND/NO (236.5). There are three games with a total below 220: ORL/CLE (217.5), NY/DET (217.5) and CHI/BKN (217). Log into DK Sportsbook for the updates.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $350K Friday 8’s [$100K to 1st]
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Guard
Stud
Dennis Schroder, Brooklyn Nets vs. Chicago Bulls ($6,800) – Schroder has been on quite the tear recently. Over the last three games, he’s averaged 30 points and 9.3 assists while shooting 61% from the field. He’s not going to continue that hot shooting, especially since the Bulls have been one of the better defensive teams in the league so far this season, posting the fifth-best defensive efficiency rating. That said, the Bulls are playing at the fastest pace in the league, so that should mitigate some of the loss in efficiency. Schroder has gone for 51.5 FPTS in each of the last two games and finished with 46.5 the game prior. The most likely outcome is he lands somewhere in the 30s, but the game environment and recent form increase the probabilities of another ceiling game.
Other Options – Trae Young ($10,200), De’Aaron Fox ($8,600), Jaylen Brown ($8,500), Jalen Brunson ($8,400), Brandon Ingram ($8,300), Tyrese Haliburton ($8,000), Cam Thomas ($7,200), Josh Giddey ($6,900), Derrick White ($6,700), Austin Reaves ($6,100)
Value
Jose Alvarado, New Orleans Pelicans vs. Indiana Pacers ($4,600) – With Dejounte Murray and CJ McCollum out on Wednesday, Alvarado played 35 minutes and contributed 16 points, four assists, two blocks, a steal and four treys. Both Murray and McCollum are out for Friday as well.
Other Options – Mikal Bridges ($6,000), Gradey Dick ($5,500), Davion Mitchell ($5,400), Payton Pritchard ($5,000), Ziaire Williams ($3,900)
Forward
Stud
RJ Barrett, Toronto Raptors vs. Los Angeles Lakers ($7,200) – With Scottie Barnes out for a few weeks and Immanuel Quickley doubtful, Barrett becomes the alpha for the Raptors offense. On Wednesday, he garnered a 32% usage rate and went for 31 points, eight assists, two steals and four treys, good for 52.5 FPTS. The Lakers are 22nd in defensive efficiency, as the focus has been more on offense.
Other Options – Jayson Tatum ($10,000), Zion Williamson ($8,700), Jaylen Brown ($8,500), Brandon Ingram ($8,300), Pascal Siakam ($7,600), Cam Thomas ($7,200)
Value
David Roddy, Atlanta Hawks vs. Sacramento Kings ($4,200) – With Dyson Daniels out on Wednesday, Roddy received the start and played 32 minutes. He went 5-of-10 from the field and finished with 17 points, four rebounds, an assist and two steals. The ceiling isn’t high, but the floor is relatively high. In the first two games of the season, Roddy only played 19 and 20 minutes but still exceeded 20 FPTS.
Other Options – Josh Hart ($5,900), Gradey Dick ($5,500), Rui Hachimura ($5,300), Obi Toppin ($4,700), Zaccharie Risacher ($4,500), Jonathan Mogbo ($4,500), Aaron Nesmith ($4,300), Jalen Wilson ($4,000)
Center
Stud
Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers at Toronto Raptors ($10,600) – Davis has always been one of the best fantasy players because of his ability to dominate at both ends of the floor. The only issue has been health. Well, with JJ Redick at the helm now, Davis has leveled up. After having a usage rate in the 27 to 28 percent range, he’s at 31.6% this season and is averaging 30.6 points per game. Davis has gone for over 54 FPTS in four of five games with a high of 71.5. He finished with 44.75 in the most recent contest because he didn’t play the full complement of minutes due to a blowout.
Other Options – Domantas Sabonis ($9,600), Zion Williamson ($8,700), Nikola Vucevic ($7,700), Jarrett Allen ($7,100), Jalen Duren ($6,100)
Value
Moritz Wagner, Orlando Magic at Cleveland Cavaliers ($3,900) – With the Cavaliers playing double-bigs, and Banchero and Franz Wagner questionable, I think there’s a chance Moritz gets over 20 minutes in this one, maybe more. When he’s on the court, Mortiz is very effective, averaging 1.09 FPTS per minute. It’s just that he’s usually relegated to around 15 to 16 minutes per contest.
Other Options – Nic Claxton ($6,000), Obi Toppin ($4,700), Isaiah Jackson ($4,500) if Myles Turner is out, Jonathan Mogbo ($4,500)
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $350K Friday 8’s [$100K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is sontzu) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
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