It’s been a long week of small NBA slates, but things get back to normal for at least a single day on Friday night. There are eight games this evening, with six being featured in DraftKings’ main contests.
Let’s dive in and find some value plays on the hardcourt.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $300K Friday 8’s [$100K to 1st]
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SF/PF Justin Champagnie, Washington Wizards at Cleveland Cavaliers, $4,500
As you might expect from a team that’s 3-19, the Wizards are currently ravaged by injury. Kyle Kumza (ribs), Malcolm Brodgon (hamstring), Corey Kispert (ankle) and Kyshawn George (ankle) will all continue to sit out on Friday. Heck, offseason addition Saddiq Bey has yet to suit up even once in 2024-25. It’s a mess. Still, someone always emerges out of the darkness, and right now that someone seems like Champagnie. The journeyman has started each of Washington’s past two games, averaging 18.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.5 steals. That’s equated out to fantasy performances of 42.5 FPTS and 34.0 FPTS, respectively. Champagnie’s price tag is up $1,000 from when we last saw him on Sunday, but he remains cheap enough to be quite viable with his new and massive role.
PG Vasilije Micic, Charlotte Hornets at Chicago Bulls, $5,100
The news to keep an eye on here is the status of Miles Bridges ($6,000; knee), who has not played in a game since all the way back on November 19. For the season, Bridges owns a 22.5% usage rate and, if he were to return to action, he’d give the Hornets a secondary high-volume scoring option alongside Brandon Miller ($9,000). However, he’d also likely be on some sort of minutes restriction, so I wouldn’t worry about him too much. Keep rolling with Micic. The 30-year-old has thrived in the absence of LaMelo Ball (calf) and Tre Mann (back), producing 12.3 points and 7.2 assists in his six games as a starter in 2024-25. It’s a stretch where Micic has logged at least 30 minutes five times and registered over 34.0 FPTS on three occasions. I’d expect him to flirt with his ceiling again on Friday, as the Bulls lead the league in pace (104.8) and are surrendering the second-most FPTS per contest to opposing point guards. It’s a dream matchup.
PG/SG Andrew Nembhard, Indiana Pacers at Philadelphia 76ers, $4,300
While Nembhard technically returned from a lengthy injury absence at the beginning of December, he was very meticulously eased back into action by Rick Carlisle. However, after logging 30.6 minutes in Indiana’s loss to Charlotte back on Sunday, it appears that the training wheels are finally off — especially with four days to rest in between tilts. Nembhard started the season with a salary over $5,000. By contrast, his price tag on Friday’s slate is his lowest of 2024-25. He’s not a high-usage asset, yet he showcased his ceiling several times last season, particularly in the playoffs. I’ll take a chance on that upside now that’s he’s back to 100% health.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $300K Friday 8’s [$100K to 1st]
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All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
