Friday features a seven-game main slate starting at 7 p.m. ET.
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 lineups.
You can also use our SimLabs Lineup Generator, a tool that creates the most user-friendly lineup generation process.
Note: Projections and Leverage Scores/Ratings may change throughout the day after this article is posted. The NBA DFS landscape changes quickly.
Consult the NBA Player Models directly for any updates as we get closer to lock.
NBA DFS Point Guard Picks
Stud
The Spurs are ahead of schedule. They were not necessarily expected to contend for a championship this season, but three wins over the Thunder in a two-week stretch have changed that perception. They’re currently in second place in the Western Conference standings, and they look like a real threat come playoff time as long as they’re healthy.
The Spurs are going to be without a couple of key players on Friday. Victor Wembanyama and Devin Vassell have both been ruled out, which opens up some additional opportunities for the rest of the roster.
De’Aaron Fox should be one of the biggest beneficiaries. He’s increased his usage rate to greater than 30% with both players off the floor this season, resulting in an average of 1.35 DraftKings points per minute. That represents a sizable increase from his average of 1.12 DraftKings points per minute over the past month.
Fox is also priced at a discount at $7,000, resulting in a Bargain Rating of 99%. He ranks third at point guard in projected Plus/Minus, while his 10 Pro Trends rank first.
Value
The Bulls are still playing without Josh Giddey and Coby White, which keeps Tre Jones squarely on the DFS radar. Jones has been an elite per-minute producer for most of the season, and he’s averaged 1.10 DraftKings points per minute over the past month. He saw 27.1 minutes in his last outing, and he responded with 42.0 DraftKings points.
While that performance is a bit of an outlier, he should still be able to pay off his $5,100 price tag. Jones is projected for another 28.5 minutes on Friday, and he’s averaged a Plus/Minus of +6.53 in seven games with a comparable salary and minute projection as a member of the Bulls (per the Trends tool). He’s another player who is priced at a massive discount on DraftKings, with his current salary resulting in a 98% Bargain Rating.
Fast Break
Jamal Murray’s first game since the injury to Nikola Jokic wasn’t particularly exciting. He finished with 42.75 DraftKings points and a -4.26 Plus/Minus, and he didn’t see nearly the spike in usage that we were hoping for. Still, it was just one game, and Murray has plenty of room for improvement moving forward. He was just 6-18 from the field in his last contest, so even if he doesn’t see much more volume, he could still be more efficient vs. the Cavaliers.
Jordan Poole turned in another quality outing for the Pelicans on Wednesday. He finished with 34.75 DraftKings points in just 26.2 minutes, and he’s scored at least 34.75 in three of his past four games. His price tag is still sitting at $5,100, and he has an excellent ceiling for that figure. The game between the Pelicans and Blazers also stands out as one of the best of the day for fantasy purposes, ranking second on the slate with a 244.5-point total.
Don’t forget to check out our NBA SimLabs Lineup Generator to create advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation:
NBA DFS Shooting Guard Picks
Stud
The Cavaliers are getting healthier, and it will hopefully allow them to turn around a disappointing season. They’re currently sitting at 19-16 and eighth place in the East, which is a far cry from the team that won 64 games last season.
Regardless of who else has been in the lineup, Donovan Mitchell remains the Cavaliers’ clear-cut No. 1 option. He’s having arguably the best season of his career, averaging 29.7 points while shooting just under 50% from the field. He’s coming off a huge performance in his last outing, tallying 64.5 DraftKings points vs. the Suns in less than 30 minutes of playing time. Overall, he leads all of Friday’s shooting guards with an average of 1.40 DraftKings points per minute over the past month.
Mitchell and the Cavaliers have plenty of offensive upside on Friday. They’re taking on a depleted Nuggets squad, and they lead all teams with a 127.0 implied team total. Mitchell has the top ceiling projection at shooting guard by a comfortable margin, yet he’s projected for just 15% ownership.
Value
Dylan Harper is another potential option for the Spurs. His role has been a bit inconsistent in his rookie season, but he’s typically been productive when he’s been on the floor. He’s averaged 1.06 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, and he should pick up a few additional minutes with the Spurs a bit shorthanded on Friday. He’s currently projected for 26 minutes in our NBA Models, and he leads all guards in projected Plus/Minus.
Fast Break
Bruce Brown also stands out as a solid value target. He’s even cheaper than Harper at $4,300, and he’s projected for more minutes on Friday’s slate. Brown hasn’t been quite as productive as Harper on a per-minute basis, but he has the potential to return value through sheer volume. In addition to Jokic, the Nuggets are also going to be without Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, Cameron Johnson, and Jonas Valanciunas vs. the Cavaliers. That leaves a bunch of minutes and shot attempts for the rest of the roster.
If you want to go even cheaper at SG, Drake Powell has some appeal for the Nets. He’s priced at just $3,200, and he’s coming off 25.3 minutes in his last outing. He’s projected for 26 minutes on Friday’s slate, and players with comparable salaries and minute projections have historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +3.23. The Nets are going to be without their top two offensive options in Michael Porter Jr. and Cam Thomas, so someone on the roster is going to have to pick up the slack.
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NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
Brandon Miller is starting to get rolling for the Hornets. He’s poured in at least 31 points in back-to-back games, and that has unsurprisingly led to some strong fantasy performances. He’s back to playing a full workload on a nightly basis, so he’s a player whose stock is clearly on the rise.
Miller has averaged 1.10 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, and he’s projected for 35 minutes Friday vs. the Bucks. If he sees that much playing time, he should be able to provide excellent value at just $7,000. Miller has posted a positive Plus/Minus in four of his past five outings with at least 35 minutes of court time, and he’s had at least 53.5 DraftKings points in three of them.
Value
Zaire Williams stands out as one of the top options for the Nets on Friday. He’s priced at the absolute minimum, but he’s projected for 31 minutes in our NBA Models. That’s not something you see very often. Min-priced players have unsurprisingly delivered massive value with a comparable minute projection, averaging a Plus/Minus of +7.43.
Williams leads the position in projected Plus/Minus, and fourth in that metric for the entire slate. The only three superior options are also Nets, so they stand out as a clear team to target on Friday.
Fast Break
Keldon Johnson’s role has been tough to pin down this season. Over his past five games, he’s played 22.2, 17.0, 24.5, 17.8, and 31.3 minutes. That’s a pretty wide spread. He’s been very productive when on the floor recently, averaging 1.14 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, so he’s been able to deliver excellent value when he plays towards the high end of his minute range. His minutes should be more secure with Wembanyama out of the lineup on Friday, making him an excellent option at $4,700.
Kevin Huerter is coming off 28.5 DraftKings points in his last outing, and he should continue to see a boost in value with Giddey and White out of the lineup. He’s averaged 0.90 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, and he played just under 30 minutes on Wednesday. He’s projected for another 29.5 minutes Friday vs the Magic, so he’s still in play at $4,900.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
Injuries have unfortunately been the defining aspect of Zion Williamson’s NBA career to date. However, he’s appeared in nine straight games for the Pelicans, and he’s started each of the past two. The team is still being careful with his playing time – he’s been capped at around 30 minutes recently – but he’s at least been able to get on the court.
The minute restriction hasn’t limited Williamson’s effectiveness. He’s chipped in at least 31 points in back-to-back games, and he’s had at least 40.0 DraftKings points in three of his past four. He’s averaged 1.40 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, so he’s still capable of doing serious damage when he’s on the floor.
Williamson remains priced at a discount for Friday’s matchup vs. the Blazers. His $7,500 salary comes with an 86% Bargain Rating, and he should be able to pay off that figure pretty comfortably. He ranks third at the position in projected Plus/Minus, and he has an excellent ceiling for his price tag as well.
Value
Noah Clowney should be the Nets’ top source of offense on Friday night. He’s seen a team-high +5.15% usage bump with Thomas and Porter off the floor this season, and he leads the squad with a 26.28% usage rate in that split. Clowney is also projected for 34 minutes on Friday’s slate, which represents a pretty significant increase.
Clowney has also been effective with his minutes in recent games. He’s averaged 0.97 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, and he has the potential to be even better with Thomas and Porter out of the picture. He leads all power forwards in projected Plus/Minus in an elite matchup vs. the Wizards.
Fast Break
Harrison Barnes is another excellent value option on Friday. He’s very affordable at just $3,800, and he’s projected for 32 minutes in our NBA Models. Barnes has also seen a slight bump in production with Wembanyama and Vassell off the floor this season, averaging 0.76 DraftKings points per minute. He leads the position in Sim Labs optimal lineup rate, and it exceeds his projected ownership by nearly 10%.
Peyton Watson is going to have to become a much bigger part of the Nuggets’ offense moving forward. He’s one of their top options at the moment, and he had a 29.3% usage rate across 36 minutes in their last outing. He responded with 38.0 DraftKings points, and his 19 field goal attempts were tied for his second-most this season.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
Center is a far weaker position than usual on Friday’s slate, at least at the top of the pricing spectrum. Karl-Anthony Towns is the only player priced above $7,500, and he’s officially questionable with an illness. If he’s unable to suit up, it would leave no real stud worth considering.
However, if Towns is able to go, he would be an interesting tournament option. The Knicks draw one of the best matchups of the day vs. the Hawks, and their 126.75 implied team total ranks second on the slate. Towns hasn’t been quite as effective as usual of late, averaging 1.38 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, but he still has the clear top ceiling projection at the position. He’s also still capable of erupting for big performances, scoring at least 58.25 DraftKings points in two of his past five games. One of those outings was against the Hawks, so it’s a matchup he can definitely take advantage of.
Value
Day’Ron Sharpe might be the best of the Nets’ value targets on Friday. In addition to Porter and Thomas, the Nets will also be without Nic Claxton vs. the Wizards. It should lead to some extra playing time for Sharpe, which is an extremely appealing proposition. He’s been dominant when on the floor over the past month, racking up an average of 1.40 DraftKings points per minute.
Sharpe is currently projected for 29 minutes in our NBA Models, and it’s hard not to love him at $3,700 with the potential for that much playing time. The matchup vs. the Wizards is also ideal, giving Sharpe an Opponent Plus/Minus of +3.27. That’s the fourth-best mark at the position, and he leads the entire slate in projected Plus/Minus.
Fast Break
Jalen Smith put together a big game for the Bulls in their last outing, finishing with 14 points, 14 rebounds, and 40.5 DraftKings points in 26.3 minutes. It was his third straight game with a positive Plus/Minus, and he should continue to see a boost in value for the shorthanded Bulls. Zach Collins will join Giddey and White on the sidelines on Friday, which should keep Smith’s role in the frontcourt very secure. He’s averaged 1.1 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, and he’s projected for 26 minutes vs. the Magic.
Luke Kornet is another fantastic value target at the position. He should see a nice bump in playing time sans Wembanyama, and he’s averaged a respectable 0.97 DraftKings points per minute over the past month. His $4,000 salary comes with a 99% Bargain Rating, making him one of the best pure values at the position.
Pictured: De’Aaron Fox
Photo Credit: Imagn
