Friday features a six-game main slate starting at 7:30 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
Tyrese Maxey has ascended into superstardom for the 76ers this season. He’s been a very good player for the past couple of seasons, but he’s now among the best point guards in the league. He’s averaging 32.2 points and 7.5 assists per game, and no one in basketball is carrying a larger workload. Maxey leads the league with an average of 39.9 minutes per contest, and he’s responded with an average of 1.37 DraftKings points per minute.
Maxey could have to do even more than usual for the 76ers on Friday. The team is currently pretty shorthanded, with V.J. Edgecombe, Joel Embiid, and Kelly Oubre already ruled out and Paul George currently listed as questionable. Maxey has increased his production to 1.45 DraftKings points per minute with Edgecombe, Embiid, and Oubre off the floor this season.
Ultimately, Maxey leads the position in ceiling projection, and he ranks second in that department for the entire slate. He also has the fifth-highest optimal lineup rate in Sim Labs, so he’s an excellent building block for your lineups.
Value
The are a few fantastic value options to consider in the backcourt, and T.J. McConnell stands out as one of the best. He’s always been an elite per-minute producer, and this year has been no exception. He’s averaged 1.24 DraftKings points per minute, which is as good as you’ll see in his price range.
McConnell was playing limited minutes in his return to the lineup, but the Pacers have ramped him up a bit recently. He’s played at least 22.4 minutes in back-to-back outings, and he’s responded with 30.25 and 32.75 DraftKings points.
McConnell is projected for another 22 minutes on this slate, and he is simply far too cheap if he’s going to play that much. His salary comes with a 92% Bargain Rating on DraftKings, and McConnell has historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +3.77 with a comparable salary and minute projection (per the Trends tool).
Fast Break
The Nets really only have two NBA-caliber scorers on their roster – Cam Thomas and Michael Porter Jr. – and both players will be sidelined on Friday. That opens up plenty of opportunities for the rest of the roster. Egor Demin has played well recently, posting a positive Plus/Minus in three of his past four games, and he’s averaged 0.86 DraftKings points per minute for the year. He’s projected for right around 30 minutes in our NBA Models, which should be enough for him to pay off his $4,100 salary.
Jalen Suggs has posted a positive Plus/Minus in nine straight games, thanks mostly to his elite efficiency. He’s not playing a ton of minutes for the Magic, but he’s averaged 1.24 DraftKings points per minute. However, Suggs has gotten to at least 31.8 minutes in two of his past four games, and he has the upside for a similar workload on Friday. With Paolo Banchero still out of the lineup, Suggs also has the potential to be more efficient than usual. He’ll have to navigate a brutal matchup vs. the Pistons, but Suggs is too cheap based on his recent production.
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
McConnell is far from the only option for the Pacers on this slate. They’re still extremely thin, and they draw an awesome matchup vs. the Wizards on Friday. They rank second on the slate in implied team total, so they’re a team with plenty of targets.
Bennedict Mathurin stands out as one of their best pay-up options. He has the third-highest ceiling projection at shooting guard, and he’s gotten his chance to shine for the team this season. He’s averaged better than a fantasy point per minute, and he’s logged at least 34 minutes in three of his past four games.
Mathurin is coming off back-to-back subpar performances, but he was just 8-28 from the field in those outings. With some better shooting luck, he should be able to get back to the level he was at in his first three contests, when he averaged 38.5 DraftKings points.
Value
Tyrese Martin stands out as the strongest value of the day, and it’s not particularly close. His optimal lineup rate in Sim Labs is better than 63.5%. He’s expected to garner plenty of ownership (46.4%), but that’s still the largest discrepancy of the day.
Martin has been a fantastic per-minute producer this season, and he’s unsurprisingly been better with Porter and Thomas off the floor. He’s seen a +3.83% bump to his usage rate in that scenario, resulting in an average of 0.95 DraftKings points per minute.
Martin should also see a nice uptick in playing time. He’s currently projected for 30.5 minutes in our NBA Models, which represents a massive increase from his average of 21.4 minutes per game. He’s also dirt cheap at $3,600 with eligibility in both backcourt spots, so it’s hard to imagine fading him on this slate.
Fast Break
The Knicks are still playing without OG Anunoby and Landry Shamet, which should keep Miles McBride firmly in their rotation. He’s currently projected for 32 minutes at just $4,800, and players with comparable salaries and minute projections have historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +2.22. McBride logged more than 39 minutes in the team’s last game, and he responded with 32.75 DraftKings points.
Coby White is currently questionable for the Bulls, but he’d be an interesting pay-up option if he’s able to suit up. The Bulls are squaring off with the Hornets, and they own the top implied team total on the slate. White has also been fantastic in his four games this season, averaging 1.29 DraftKings points per minute. He’s eclipsed 40 DraftKings points in three of four outings, so he has solid upside for his $7,500 price tag.
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NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
Small forward is typically one of the toughest positions to pay up for, and it looks grimmer than usual on Friday. Franz Wagner is the only player priced above $6,800, and he stands out as a poor value in a tough matchup vs. the Pistons.
Still, Wagner has the clear top ceiling projection at the position, and he’s put together some big games with Banchero out of the lineup. The Mavericks have played in back-to-back blowouts, but the last time he saw more than 27.7 minutes, he torched the Knicks for 56.5 DraftKings points.
Overall, Wagner leads the team with a +3.12% usage bump with Banchero off the floor. He has the top optimal rate at the position among players priced above $4,400, and there is certainly a scenario where he ends up in a winning GPP lineup.
Value
Justin Champagnie has seen a few more minutes for the Wizards recently, and that could be the case again on Friday. They’re currently playing without Tre Johnson and Corey Kispert, while Kyshawn George is listed as questionable.
Champagnie is currently projected for 21 minutes in our NBA Models, and he’s averaged a solid 0.88 DraftKings points per minute for the year. He doesn’t bring the biggest ceiling to the table, but he’s a safe bet to pay off his $3,400 price tag.
Fast Break
Drake Powell is another potential cheap target at the position. Like the rest of his teammates, he should benefit from Porter joining Thomas on the sidelines on Friday. Powell is also coming off one of the best games of his rookie season in his last outing, racking up 26.0 DraftKings points in 23.9 minutes vs. the Knicks. He’s projected for 25 minutes on Friday, so another solid showing is possible.
Josh Hart was struggling to earn minutes with the Knicks at full strength this season, but he’s seen a solid uptick in responsibilities of late. He’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in five of his past six games, and he’s eclipsed 40 DraftKings points in three of his past four. Hart is an outstanding per-minute producer who can rack up points in a variety of ways, and his workload should be safe with the Knicks playing a bit shorthanded.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
The Hawks got off to a slow start this season, but they’ve rattled off wins in seven of their past 10 games. Jalen Johnson has been a big reason why. He’s become one of the best producers for fantasy purposes, posting a positive Plus/Minus in eight of his past nine games. He’s a nightly triple-double threat, and he’s averaged 1.46 DraftKings points per minute.
Johnson leads the position with 13 Pro Trends, and he ranks second in optimal lineup rate. He stands out as a better value than the other high-priced options (Giannis Antetokounmpo and Karl-Anthony Towns), making him the best combination of value and upside.
Value
Noah Clowney is another elite target for the Nets on Friday. He’s seen a huge uptick in responsibilities of late, logging at least 37.1 minutes in three straight games. He’s scored at least 30.75 DraftKings points in all three of those contests, including more than 40 in his last game.
Clowney has averaged 0.85 DraftKings points per minute for the year, and that figure increases to 0.93 with Porter and Thomas off the floor. He’s seen a +7.49% usage bump in that split, so he’s been one of the team’s offensive focal points.
Clowney is conservatively projected for 33 minutes on this slate, and he still stands out as the clear best option at the position. If he can get closer to 37 minutes – like he has in the past three games – the sky is the limit.
Fast Break
Jerace Walker is coming off back-to-back big games for the Pacers, scoring 33.25 DraftKings points vs. the Raptors and 35.0 vs. the Pistons. If he can do that against those teams, who both rank in the top five in defensive efficiency, there’s no reason he can’t do it again vs. the Wizards. He has excellent upside for his $4,300 salary, and he can also be used at small forward.
Father Time is undefeated. Khris Middleton is far from the same player he was in his prime, but he’s still capable of putting together some big performances. Just look at what he did in his last game. He racked up 41.75 DraftKings points in a win vs. the Hawks, so he still has a decent ceiling.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
Now that the Pistons have gotten healthier in the frontcourt, Jalen Duren is back to being capped at around 30 minutes per night. That’s not ideal for fantasy purposes, but Duren makes up for it with elite efficiency. He’s averaged 1.40 DraftKings points per minute for the year, so he can still pay off his salary with “just” 30 minutes. He has the top projected ceiling and optimal lineup rate at center, yet he’s projected for less than 14% ownership. That makes him an excellent tournament target.
Value
Jay Huff has posted a positive Plus/Minus in four straight games for the Pacers, and he should be able to do it again on Friday. He’s currently projected for 22 minutes, and Huff has averaged 1.08 DraftKings points per minute.
There’s also a chance that Huff plays a bit more than that: he’s logged at least 26 minutes in three of his past four games. He leads the position in projected Plus/Minus in a solid matchup vs. the Wizards.
Fast Break
Ryan Kalkbrenner stands out as one of the best pure values at center. He’s priced at just $4,100 on DraftKings, resulting in a 98% Bargain Rating. Kalkbrenner isn’t an elite per-minute producer, but his average of 0.91 DraftKings points per minute is more than good enough at his current salary. He’s projected for 26.5 minutes in our NBA Models, and players with comparable salaries and minute projections have historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +2.24.
Andre Drummond should continue to start at center with Embiid out of the lineup. He’s coming off back-to-back disappointing games, but he posted a positive Plus/Minus in five straight before those outings. He’s not quite as dominant as he was in his prime, but he’s still averaged 1.03 DraftKings points per minute for the year and is projected for 32 minutes vs. the Nets.
Pictured: Tyrese Maxey
Photo Credit: Imagn
