Friday features a six-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 Thunder have cooled off a bit since their torrid start of the season, but they remain the consensus No. 1 team in basketball. They have one of the deepest rosters in the league, but they’ll be a bit thinner than usual on Friday. Jalen Williams, Ajay Mitchell, Alex Caruso, and Isaiah Hartenstein have all been ruled out, while Aaron Wiggins is listed as questionable.
The Thunder have more than enough firepower to overcome those absences, but they’re going to have to lean a bit more on their biggest superstar. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is putting together another fantastic season. He’s averaging 32.0 points per game while shooting 55.5% from the field, and he’s done it in just 33.3 minutes per game. The Thunder have played in so many blowouts that SGA hasn’t been asked to play in the fourth quarter all that often.
For fantasy purposes, Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 1.42 DraftKings points per minute over the past month. With all of the four currently unavailable members of the Thunder off the floor this season, he’s averaged a ridiculous 1.87 DraftKings points per minute.
Gilgeous-Alexander leads the position in ceiling projection by a wide margin, and he has massive upside as long as this contest vs. the Pacers stays competitive. That’s a big question mark – the Thunder are still listed as 16-point favorites – but the Thunder rank third on the slate in implied team total.
Value
The Pelicans are a bit of a mess at the moment, which has made it difficult to get a feel for their players. Jeremiah Fears has had a wide range of outcomes recently. He’s played as many as 31.3 minutes and as few as 10.4 minutes over his past five games.
Still, Fears has generally been productive when he’s been on the floor. He’s averaged 0.97 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, and he’s currently projected for 24 minutes in our NBA Models. That should be enough for him to return value in a solid matchup vs. the Grizzlies. Memphis ranks 10th in pace this season, and Fears leads all point guards with an Opponent Plus/Minus of +1.35.
Fast Break
The Celtics have been one of the biggest surprises in the NBA this season. Despite playing without Jayson Tatum, they have the second-best record and best Net Rating in the Eastern Conference. Payton Pritchard has taken on a larger role for the team this season, and it’s resulted in some big performances. He’s coming off three straight games with a negative Plus/Minus, but he’s an excellent bounce-back candidate vs. the Nets. Brooklyn ranks 26th in defensive efficiency this season, and Pritchard leads all point guards in projected Plus/Minus.
The Suns have been another awesome story this season, improving despite losing Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal this offseason. Collin Gillespie has taken on a much larger role, and he’s had a massive breakout. He’s averaged 1.06 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, and he had more than 40 DraftKings points vs. the Nets two games ago. He draws a matchup vs. the Hawks on Friday, who have played at the second-fastest pace this season.
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 have had a brutal start to the year, looking almost nothing like the team that won 64 games last season. However, Donovan Mitchell is certainly not to blame. He’s averaging a career-best 28.9 points per game while shooting 48.3% from the field and 38.2% from 3-point range. His rebound and assist numbers are also up compared to last season, so he’s managed to keep the team afloat.
The Cavaliers are going to be without Darius Garland once again on Friday, leaving Mitchell as the team’s clear-cut top option. Mitchell has already played plenty without Garland this season, and he’s averaged 1.34 DraftKings points per minute in that split.
Mitchell has the top raw projections at the position by a pretty wide margin, and he has plenty of offensive upside vs. the Kings. The Cavaliers have the second-highest implied team total on the slate, with Sacramento ranking 28th in defensive efficiency for the year.
Value
The Grizzlies stand out as one of the strongest teams to target on this slate. The lead all teams in implied team total, and they’re going to be a bit shorthanded. They’ve already ruled out Ja Morant, Santi Aldama, and Zach Edey, so there should be plenty of opportunities for the rest of the roster to rack up points.
Cedric Coward stands out as one of their best options. He’s had an incredible rookie season, and he’s increased his production to 1.23 DraftKings points per minute over the past month. He’s only projected for 27.5 minutes in our NBA Models, but that should be more than enough to pay off his $5,400 salary. His price tag comes with an 86% Bargain Rating on DraftKings, and he leads all shooting guards in terms of projected Plus/Minus.
Fast Break
While Coward gets the edge in projected Plus/Minus, Cam Spencer has the top optimal lineup rate in the Grizzlies’ backcourt. He’s popping in the Sim Labs optimal lineup more than 63% of the time, thanks in part to the fact that he has eligibility at both guard spots. He hasn’t been quite as productive as Coward on a per-minute basis, but his 1.06 DraftKings points per minute over the past month is still an excellent figure. He’s also projected for a bit more playing time than Coward, so he’s another elite value target.
Grayson Allen has been awesome for the Suns of late. He’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in five of his past six games, and he’s had more than 35 DraftKings points in three of them. His usage rate is up to 25.7% across his nine January contests, so he’s taken on a significantly larger offensive role for the team over that time frame. He stands out as an undervalued option per Sim Labs, with his optimal lineup rate exceeding his projected ownership by a decent amount.
Be sure to check out all the pick’ems Sleeper has to offer with our Sleeper promo code.
NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
If you’re paying up at small forward on Friday, Jaylen Brown is really your only option. He leads the position in median and ceiling projection by more than 10 points, and he has the top optimal lineup rate at the position among players priced above $5,600.
Brown has been forced to take on a larger role for the Celtics sans Tatum this season, and he has passed the test with flying colors. He’s averaging career highs in points (29.8) and assists (4.8) per game, and he’s also averaging nearly a full rebound more than he did last year (6.7). Brown should receive some down-ballot MVP consideration for the work he’s done for the Celtics, and a first-team All-NBA nod is also possible.
Brown has turned in three straight games with more than 50 DraftKings points, and he’s averaged 1.37 DraftKings points per minute over the past month. He has the potential to do some damage vs. the Nets, and the fact that the game is being played in Brooklyn should help keep things competitive.
Value
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is another potential value target for the Grizzlies. KCP hasn’t been asked to play quite as much this year as in previous seasons, but he’s made up for it with superior efficiency. He’s averaged 1.00 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, which is lightyears better than his mark with the Magic last season. He’s currently projected for 20 minutes vs. the Pelicans, and he doesn’t need to do much to pay off his $3,600 salary.
Fast Break
Michael Porter Jr. has been extremely productive for the Nets this season. In fact, he’s probably been too good. The team is clearly tanking, so don’t be surprised if they move Porter or eventually shut him down with a phantom injury. Still, as long as he’s on the floor for the Nets, he’s in consideration for fantasy purposes. He’s cooled off a bit recently, but he’s still averaged 1.27 DraftKings points per minute over the past month. Porter’s salary has also dipped nearly $1,000 over the past few games, making him a solid buy-low option.
The Pacers have been a shell of themselves without Tyrese Haliburton this season, and they’re currently without Bennedict Mathurin as well. Someone has to score the ball in the interim, and Aaron Nesmith stands out as one of the most logical options. He hasn’t done a ton of that recently, posting a negative Plus/Minus in six straight games, but that’s caused his salary to drop by $900 from its peak. He’s another potential buy-low target.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
Zion Williamson remains one of the most enigmatic players in basketball. He’s still capable of dominating when available, but that hasn’t been particularly often since entering the NBA. He’s played 30 games so far this season, which is somehow tied for his third-most since entering the league seven years ago.
Williamson is coming off less than 15 minutes in his last outing, but he’s already been listed as available for Friday’s game vs. the Grizzlies. Hopefully, that was just an outlier performance. Williamson had been closer to 30 minutes in his previous outings, including 33.2 minutes vs. the Pacers last Friday.
If Williamson can get back to that level, he has the potential for a big showing vs. the Grizzlies. He’s still capable of racking up fantasy points at an elite rate, averaging 1.25 DraftKings points per minute over the past month.
Value
With the Thunder a bit shorthanded, Kenrich Williams should get a much larger workload than usual on Friday. Williams will occasionally pick up a DNP when the team is at full strength, but he’s currently projected for 23 minutes in our NBA Models. That’s not a ton, but it’s enough for Williams to potentially return value: he’s historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +2.78 with a comparable salary and minute projection (per the Trends tool).
Williams played 28 minutes in his last outing and responded with 31.5 minutes. He had 36.5 DraftKings points in a game with 29 minutes a few weeks ago, so Williams is capable of filling it up when he gets an opportunity.
Fast Break
Vince Williams and GG Jackson stand out as potential value options at PF for the Grizzlies. Both players are projected for comparable workloads, with Williams getting a slight edge in that department. He’s also been a bit better on a per-minute basis over the past month, though he is a bit more expensive. Williams ultimately has the edge in terms of projected Plus/Minus, while Jackson stands out with the superior optimal lineup rate.
Paying up for Jaren Jackson Jr. is another possibility for Memphis. He hasn’t had his best season, but he did go off for 30 points three games ago. He still has one of the higher ceilings for his price range, and he leads all power forwards in terms of optimal lineup rate on Friday’s slate.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
Onyeka Okongwu has been balling for the Hawks recently. He’s increased his production to 1.21 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, and he’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in six of his past 10 games. He’s displayed a pretty massive ceiling over that time frame, going for at least 46.5 DraftKings points in four of those contests.
Okongwu has seen a nice spike in playing time with Kristaps Porzingis out of the lineup, and he’s projected for another 33.5 minutes on Friday’s slate. Only Jackson has a better optimal lineup rate among high-priced centers.
Value
Jaylin Williams has historically put together some huge performances when he’s gotten the opportunity to play extended minutes, and that could be the case on Friday. He’s currently projected for 24 minutes, making him a very appealing option at just $3,700. He’s averaged 1.14 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, so he doesn’t need a ton of playing time to potentially return value. Williams ultimately ranks first on the entire slate in projected Plus/Minus, so he’s one of the strongest values of the day.
Fast Break
Jock Landale is another outstanding value option. He checks in just slightly behind Williams in terms of projected Plus/Minus, despite being nearly $2,000 more expensive. He’s been a fantastic source of value with Edey out of the lineup for the Grizzlies of late, and he’s expected to see another 27.5 minutes Friday vs. the Pelicans. Landale has averaged 1.11 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, and pairing him with Williams should be a popular strategy.
Finally, don’t sleep on Mark Williams. The Suns have been pretty careful with his minutes for most of the year, but they’re starting to let him run a bit more in recent games. He’s gotten to at least 29 minutes in two of his past five outings, and he’s scored at least 35.0 DraftKings points in both. He’s not projected for quite as many minutes on Friday (25), but he definitely has upside for his price tag.
Pictured: Donovan Mitchell
Photo Credit: Imagn
