DraftKings’ main slate for Friday includes the first six games of the night. The NBA Player Models are the base of our NBA product here at FantasyLabs. They house our projections for each player, but that’s just the beginning of what you’ll find inside. You’ll also find our Trends and On/Off tool, Vegas Dashboard, and so much more.
Let’s dive into our models for NBA DFS, going position by position, looking at guys with some of the best projections and players standing out as values with our predictive Projected Plus/Minus metric.
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 teams.
You can also use our SimLabs Lineup Generator, a tool that creates the most user-friendly lineup generation process.
Note: Projections, Ownership projections, and Leverage Scores/Ratings may change throughout the day as news comes out after this article is posted. Consult the Player Models directly for any updates.
NBA DFS Point Guard Picks
Top Ceiling: Damian Lillard at San Antonio Spurs – $9,000
Moving Khirs Middleton to the bench has been a huge boost for Lillard. With Middleton coming off the bench for the last eight, Lillard has produced 48.2 DraftKings PPG and has exceeded 50 DraftKings points in five of them. During this span, Lillard has shot 50% from the floor and 41.2% from beyond the arc while knocking down 3.2 3-pointers a night.
The guard posted 45.25 DraftKings points vs. the Spurs earlier this month, and San Antonio ranks 22nd in defensive efficiency this season. This game presents the highest total on the slate tonight (234 points), and the Bucks are only favored by 2.5 points. This is the best contest to target on Friday, and Lillard is one of the best ways to gain access. In spreads of five points or less this season, the veteran is scoring 49 DraftKings PPG across 10 contests (via the Trends Tool).
Top Value: Coby White at Toronto Raptors – $5,900
White (ankle) was limited in his first start back from a four-game absence Wednesday, but he should get back to his normal workload tonight, especially with no game tomorrow for the Bulls. Our ShotQuality projections are forecasting him for 32 minutes, which is plenty of time for him to out-produce this depressed salary with Zach LaVine (personal) out.
With LaVine inactive this season, White is amassing 34.1 DraftKings PPG (six games) with a team-high 27.4% usage rate, which is a +3.9 percentage point lift from his average, via the On/Off Tool. Toronto has been stout defensively recently, ranking seventh in defensive rating this month, but White should score a minimum of 30 DraftKings points.
Don’t forget to check out our NBA SimLabs Lineup Generator to create advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation:
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NBA DFS Shooting Guard Picks
Top Ceiling: Jamal Murray at Philadelphia 76ers – $7,500
Murray has really come alive recently, scoring 42 DraftKings points vs. the Bulls and then 52.25 DraftKings vs. the Knicks. Up next for the Nuggets on this East Coast road trip is the 76ers, who continue to be without both Joel Embiid (knee) and Paul George (finger). Philadelphia has won four games in a row, but they still rank third-to-last in defensive rating this month, and the Nuggets carry the second-highest implied team total on the slate (121.5 points).
Murray is supplying 41 DraftKings PPG when playing behind an implied team total of at least 120 points this season (seven games), and being able to roster him as a shooting guard is something that needs to be taken advantage of.
Top Value: Malik Beasley vs. Dallas Mavericks – $5,100
With Jaden Ivey (leg) still sidelined, Beasley has scored over 30 DraftKings points in three straight games. While the veteran comes off the bench, he acts as the Pistons’ main shooting guard with Ivey on the shelf. Beasley has averaged 30 DraftKings points in 30 minutes per game with a 23.7% usage rate in 16 games without Ivey this season.
The Mavericks are a subpar matchup – they rank 13th in defensive efficiency – but Beasley is just too cheap for his current role and is a strong option if looking to pay down at shooting guard.
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NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Top Ceiling: Jaylen Brown at New Orleans Pelicans – $7,800
Brown was named to his fourth All-Star team last night, and the reigning NBA Finals MVP is a great target in this strong matchup vs. the Pelicans, who rank 28th in defensive efficiency. He’s surpassed 40 DraftKings points in three straight games, and the Celtics are tied with the Nuggets for the top implied team total on the slate.
Brown is scoring 1.2 DraftKings PPM with a 29.2% usage rate this season and has amassed 41.6 DraftKings PPG when playing behind an implied team total of 120 points or greater (20 games).
Top Value: Kawhi Leonard at Charlotte Hornets – $6,900
The Clippers have been ramping up Leonard, and he needs to be rostered tonight at this affordable salary, as we likely won’t see him this cheap again for the rest of the season. Leonard’s playing time has increased in each of the last three games, peaking at 29 minutes this past Wednesday vs. the Spurs. With that workload, the two-time NBA Finals MVP went off for a season-high 47.5 DraftKings points while shooting 58% from the field.
Leonard has seen a usage rate of over 30% in back-to-back games, and the Clippers should continue to run their offense through him against the very shorthanded Hornets. Leonard has a ceiling over 40 DraftKings points and likely will continue to be overlooked. In DraftKings’ main GPP on Wednesday, Leonard was only rostered by 1.4% of the field.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Top Ceiling: Giannis Antetokounmpo at San Antonio Spurs – $11,500
Antetokounmpo is the No. 1 play on the slate in this elite setting vs. the Spurs. As noted above, this game presents the highest total on the board (234 points), and the Bucks are only favored by 2.5 points. Antetokounmpo is scoring a massive 1.7 DraftKings PPM with a 37% usage rate this season, and he has produced 63.6 DraftKings PPG in his last four matchups with Victor Wembanyama.
In our ShotQuality projections, Antetokounmpo brings the highest ceiling on the slate and he is the No. 1 power forward value available.
Top Value: Aaron Gordon at Philadelphia 76ers – $4,400
After coming off the bench for the previous eight games, Gordon was reinserted into the Nuggets’ starting lineup Wednesday vs. the Knicks and responded with 23.5 DraftKings points in 30.5 minutes. The veteran is scoring 27 DraftKings PPG as a starter this season, and his salary is clearly too cheap as long as he’s in that role.
Going against this depleted 76ers team, Gordon should exceed 5x value with ease and is a great way to attack the Nuggets’ massive 121.5-point implied team total. In the one game that Gordon has started and Denver has seen an implied team total of at least 120 points, he finished with 33 DraftKings points vs. the Pelicans.

NBA DFS Center Picks
Top Ceiling: Kristaps Porzings at New Orleans Pelicans – $7,000
Porzingis was unstoppable vs. the Bulls on Wednesday, going off for a season-high 63.25 DraftKings points while shooting 8-of-14 from beyond the arc. Now, the big man gets an even better matchup vs. the Pelicans, who are the best possible spots for a center. The Pelicans rank 28th in defensive efficiency and are giving up the second-most rebounds and second-most points in the paint per game.
For some perspective on how strong of a matchup this truly is for a center, the Pelicans have surrendered over 50 DraftKings points to Jakob Poeltl and Daniel Gafford in their last two games. Porzingis is a better player than both Poeltl and Gafford, so Porzingis is vastly underpriced for his potential in this gorgeous spot. Plus, with the Celtics essentially at full strength – only Sam Hauser (hip) is questionable – Porzingis shouldn’t be overly popular. On Wednesday night vs. the Bulls, Porzingis was only rostered by 4% of the field in DraftKings’ main GPP.
Top Value: Paul Reed vs. Dallas Mavericks – $3,000
Reed is an elite punt play with Isaiah Stewart suspended tonight. With the veteran missing, Reed slides into the Pistons backup center role behind Jalen Duren. Stewart has missed four games this season, and Reed has contributed 23 DraftKings points in 16 minutes per game off the bench in those tilts.
Reed is providing 1.2 DraftKings PPM this season, so more than 20 DraftKings points is a realistic expectation for the productive big man, which would be an outstanding return relative to his bare minimum salary.