On Friday night, the NBA has seven games on the schedule, and all seven are included on the DraftKings main slate that tips off at 7:00 p.m. ET. The NBA TV spotlight game is a fun Western Conference matchup between the Suns and Timberwolves, but that’s not the only interesting game in the mix. There are strong options to consider for your NBS DFS lineups from across the slate, and the three options highlighted in this post make good options if you are stacking multiple players from the same team.
Of the 14 teams in action, the Cavs and Jazz are playing for the second day in a row on Friday while the Nets are the only team with a turnaround for another game on Saturday. Be sure to check back on the daily injury report before tip-off and adjust your lineup if needed.
The NBA DFS main slate includes a variety of contests and pay-out structures on DraftKings, headlined by the NBA $150K Fadeaway [$50K to 1st].
Denver Nuggets vs. Utah Jazz
The Nuggets host the Jazz in the matchup with the highest over/under on the board on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Jazz could rest players on the second game of their back-to-back, but whether they do or not, it should be a good matchup for the Nuggets to attack. Over the last 15 games, the Jazz lead the NBA in pace and have given up the third-most points per game while going just 1-14. The Nuggets have scored the third-most points in the NBA this season, and they looked good on Wednesday, scoring 127 points to defeat the Bucks.
Core Plays: The big difference in that game for Denver was the return of Nikola Jokic ($12,300), who dropped a casual 39-point triple-double in his first game in 11 days and finished with 71 fantasy points. Jokic is one of several Nuggets listed as probable for Friday, but the team may be without Jamal Murray ($8,500; hamstring, questionable). If Murray is out, Russell Westbrook ($7,400) would be a good play along with Michael Porter Jr. ($6,900). MPJ broke out of a shooting mini-slump on Wednesday and racked up 51 fantasy points on 23 points and 10 boards.
Value Options: The Nuggets are all pretty priced up since they were carrying more work with Jokic out, but Peyton Watson ($4,700) is still a good play under $5,000 since has been excellent lately with 26+ fantasy points in three straight. If Murray is out, Jalen Pickett ($3,200) could also get enough minutes to be a decent value option.
New York Knicks at Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks will be without Damian Lillard and possibly Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,500; foot, questionable) as they host the Knicks. New York will be without Jalen Brunson (ankle), Miles McBride (groin) and Cameron Payne (ankle), leaving lots of usage available against the Bucks, who gave up 127 points to the Nuggets on Wednesday in the absence of Dame and Giannis.
Core Plays: Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,200) has over 60 fantasy points in each of his last two games with a triple-double on Tuesday against Dallas and a 34-point double-double Wednesday against the Clippers. He has a very high ceiling, especially if Giannis is out. OG Anunoby ($7,000) and Mikal Bridges ($6,800) have also had big games while helping to fill in while Brunson is out. Anunoby has been a little more consistent lately, but both have very high ceilings. Josh Hart ($8,100) could be more involved as a point forward too due to all the injuries in the backcourt.
Value Options: Without so many point guards, Tyler Kolek ($3,200) and Delon Wright ($3,000) could get plenty of minutes. Kolek has handed out an impressive 24 assists in his last three games despite playing under 20 minutes in each contest. He hasn’t scored many points but has still posted 23.25, 18.75 and 11.25 fantasy points. With more work, he could be a bargain at just over the minimum salary. Mitchell Robinson ($3,400) and Precious Achiuwa ($3,500) are splitting time as backups behind KAT and not playing large enough roles to be reliable if both are available.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Golden State Warriors
The Pelicans have been grounded this season by injuries. They’ve lost Dejounte Murray (Achilles), Herb Jones (shoulder) and Trey Murphy (shoulder) for the season and will also be without CJ McCollum (foot) and Zion Williamson (back) on Friday. For those keeping score at home, that’s basically their entire best starting five. The leftover group is affordable and set for plenty of usage, though, so there’s definitely some value potential in building around a Pelicans stack for NBA DFS this Friday.
Core Plays: The most expensive options are Jose Alvarado ($5,100) and Kelly Olynyk ($5,800). Kelly O. had 44.25 fantasy points on Monday against the Sixers and Alvarado has 26+ fantasy points in each of his last two games. Bruce Brown ($4,800) will also help fil the gaps but has been boom or bust from a fantasy perspective.
Value Options: Rookie center Yves Missi ($4,500) had 30+ fantasy points in three of his last four games and fell just one rebound short of a double-double on Monday when he totaled 32.25 fantasy points. Jordan Hawkins ($4,500; ankle) was off to a busy start but left with an ankle injury after 24 minutes. He isn’t on the injury report, though, so he should be good to go against the Warriors. Karlo Matkovic ($4,200) should continue to get good minutes, and Elfrid Payton ($3,200) is another top NBA DFS value after going off for 39 fantasy points and 14 assists in just 25 minutes on Monday. He’s only on a 10-day contract, but he runs the offense so well that he’s an exceptional play under $4,000 this Friday.
