The weekend is here, which means a five-game, ten-team featured NBA DFS slate on Friday. Superstars are somewhat hard to come by tonight; Cade Cunningham ($10,900) is the only player that has a five-digit price tag. Regardless, that means there’s several lower-cost names that could come in handy this evening. Here are three bargains to consider this evening for your fantasy basketball lineups.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $200K Friday 8’s [$50K to 1st]
C Marvin Bagley, Dallas Maverics vs. CLE ($4,400)
An afterthought during the Anthony Davis trade, Marvin Bagley has been eating up minutes in Dallas. On a team with next to nothing in its front court, the veteran has enjoyed a boost in playing time. Through ten outings with his new club, Bagley has recorded 11.0 points, 8.4 rebounds and 0.9 blocks. During that time, he’s averaging nearly 23 minutes per game. Other than Daniel Gafford ($5,200), the Mavericks don’t have any reliable big men. As a result, the day-to-day floor for production is fairly high for this veteran.
A Cavaliers squad equipped with Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley ($8,200) doesn’t seem like a great matchup. However, center Jarrett Allen (knee) isn’t going to suit up tonight. It’s not as if Cleveland has much depth down low, with backup Thomas Bryant ($3,900) likely to get the start on Friday. Bagley has tallied at least 20.0 fantasy points in six of his last seven contests. A reasonably high floor makes the former first-round pick someone worth strong consideration this evening.
C Thomas Bryant, Cleveland Cavaliers at DAL ($3,900)
Speaking of Thomas Bryant, the ninth-year pro has enjoyed a minutes boost in Allen’s absence. He’s logged 14+ minutes in five of his last seven matchups. That doesn’t sound like much, but the score-first center can do some damage in a hurry. After all, he’s shooting a respectable 34% from three-point range this season. With defenses locked in on Cleveland’s numerous offensive weapons, there will always be open shots in the corner for Bryant.
It helps that Friday’s matchup is advantageous for every Cavaliers front court player. The Mavericks are giving up the third-most rebounds (55.5) and most points in the paint (55.5) per game to opponents. In addition, Dallas has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to centers this season. Bryant has reached 20.0+ fantasy points in three of his last six appearances. That’s all he’ll need to do tonight in order to deliver value at $3,900.
SG/SF Kevin Huerter, Detroit Pistons vs. MEM ($3,700)
The Pistons have been hit by the injury bug lately, losing both Caris LeVert (wrist) and Ausar Thompson (ankle). Without those two, Detroit is looking especially vulnerable on the wings. That means more work should be in store for midseason acquisition Kevin Huerter. The former Bulls sharpshooter has been uncharacteristically inefficient lately. Over his last three outings, Red Velvet has gone a combined 11-of-34 from the field (32.3%) and 4-of-19 from three-point range (21%).
Fortunately for the Pistons, this evening presents an opportune matchup with an abysmal defensive unit. The Grizzlies have been human turnstiles over the past few weeks. Post-All-Star break, they’ve recorded the NBA’s fifth-worst defensive rating (119.5). In addition, Memphis has surrendered the seventh-most three-pointers made per game this season (13.9). Huerter has been busy, if nothing else; he took 19 shots during Thursday’s game vs. Philadelphia. Similar usage, with better looks from deep, should lead to an even better fantasy performance tonight.
