It’s another NBA Friday, and we’ve got a large 12-game slate today. It’s often hard to narrow down the field of players in a slate this large, but that’s not going to stop me from (heroically) trying. The good thing about a slate this big is that there will always be some solid value plays to fill in around the studs. Let’s check it out:
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Guards
John Wall (WAS): $9,700 vs. CLE
This is a pretty good spot for John Wall here against the Cavs, who have been absolutely terrible on defense this year so far. This game should be played at a relatively fast pace and Cleveland has the second worst team defensive rating in the league, per NBA.com. Wall is typically pretty safe for cash games, although he has had a couple “floor” games recently, scoring 34.9 DK points against the Kings and 34.1 DK points against the Lakers. I expect his floor in this game to be around 45 DK points, with a ceiling of 55-60 points. Wall feels like a safe cash play, and a viable GPP play tonight.
Kyle Kuzma (LAL): $4,700 vs. BKN
Kyle Kuzma has quietly been playing around 25-30 minutes per night (although this sometimes varies, he has played as few as 19 minutes and as many as 33 so far this season), and he has hit 5x value on DraftKings in four of the last six games. I love this spot for Kuzma here against Brooklyn, who is giving up 118 points per game. With a 225 O/U, this game should be played at a lightning fast pace, and we need exposure this game. As long as Kuzma gets 25+ minutes, he should have no problem hitting value, with a good chance to go over 30 DK points. He is viable in cash and GPP lineups tonight, although he will probably be highly owned, so I prefer using him in cash tonight.
It’s another NBA Friday, and we’ve got a large 12-game slate today. It’s often hard to narrow down the field of players in a slate this large, but that’s not going to stop me from (heroically) trying. The good thing about a slate this big is that there will always be some solid value plays to fill in around the studs. Let’s check it out:
Create Optimal DraftKings lineups using our DFS Lineup Optimizer tool
Guards
John Wall (WAS): $9,700 vs. CLE
This is a pretty good spot for John Wall here against the Cavs, who have been absolutely terrible on defense this year so far. This game should be played at a relatively fast pace and Cleveland has the second worst team defensive rating in the league, per NBA.com. Wall is typically pretty safe for cash games, although he has had a couple “floor” games recently, scoring 34.9 DK points against the Kings and 34.1 DK points against the Lakers. I expect his floor in this game to be around 45 DK points, with a ceiling of 55-60 points. Wall feels like a safe cash play, and a viable GPP play tonight.
Kyle Kuzma (LAL): $4,700 vs. BKN
Kyle Kuzma has quietly been playing around 25-30 minutes per night (although this sometimes varies, he has played as few as 19 minutes and as many as 33 so far this season), and he has hit 5x value on DraftKings in four of the last six games. I love this spot for Kuzma here against Brooklyn, who is giving up 118 points per game. With a 225 O/U, this game should be played at a lightning fast pace, and we need exposure this game. As long as Kuzma gets 25+ minutes, he should have no problem hitting value, with a good chance to go over 30 DK points. He is viable in cash and GPP lineups tonight, although he will probably be highly owned, so I prefer using him in cash tonight.
Donovan Mitchell (UTA): $3,800 vs. TOR
Donovan Mitchell is a GPP-only play tonight. I can’t recommend him in cash lineups because of his inconsistency and the fact that this game has a low 195.5 O/U, but he has scored 32 and 37 DK points in two of his last three games. Mitchell only needs around 20 DK points to exceed value, and his ceiling is in the 30-35 DK point range. In GPPs, Mitchell gives you the opportunity for 10x return at this price, and that is what I want when I’m making a GPP lineup.
Forwards
Aaron Gordon (ORL): $7,300 vs. CHI
Aaron Gordon is having a breakout season. His usage has seen a huge bump this season, and he’s shooting three-pointers at a high percentage. His minutes, usage, and peripheral stats, along with his ability to shoot threes and score in a variety of ways give him a really nice ceiling for GPPs. He should play 30+ minutes tonight, and there are plenty of points and usage to go around as the Magic will be without Elfrid Payton again tonight. Gordon is still not my favorite choice for cash lineups because he is still a bit inconsistent, but I love him for GPPs with that high ceiling.
Domantas Sabonis (IND): $6,300 @ PHI
This might be the easiest recommendation on the slate, as Domantas Sabonis has scored 38, 34, and 44 DK points in his last three games, and has surpassed 30 DK points in five of his last six games. His price is rising accordingly, so he will need 30+ DK points again to hit value, but I think he can do it here. The Sixers are giving up 108 points per game, and both teams like to play at a nice pace, so I’d set a floor for Sabonis around 27 DK points, with a ceiling of 40+ DK points. As long as Sabonis plays 25-30 minutes, and I see no reason why he wouldn’t (barring foul trouble), I love him in this spot. Like Kyle Kuzma above, Sabonis will likely be highly owned tonight, so I prefer him in cash lineups, although he’s certainly viable in GPPs as well.
Centers
DeMarcus Cousins (NOP): $11,500 @ DAL
This price is admittedly a bit restrictive for DeMarcus Cousins, but I like him in this spot for two main reasons: 1.) Cousins’ usage has been off-the-charts this season, and there’s no reason for that to change tonight, and 2.) Dallas is not, I repeat NOT, a good defensive team. Honestly, Cousins is almost priced out for me at $11,500, but I’m willing to jam him into my lineups tonight because I think he’s got a floor of 50 DK points and a sky-high ceiling of 65-70 DK points tonight. Granted, he needs 55+ DK points to even hit value, and that’s why he’s not my first choice for cash game lineups (see: Steven Adams, below), but I like him as a centerpiece for GPPs, if you can get him into your lineup. NOTE: Cousins also has PF eligibility, so it’s viable to go value at center and pay up for Cousins at the PF spot.
Steven Adams (OKC): $6,000 vs. BOS
Steven Adams has been incredibly consistent this year, hitting or exceeding 5x value on DK in 4 of the last five games. I love him for cash lineups because his minutes are safe every night, and he rarely disappoints in terms of production. This game has an unimpressive 204.5 O/U, but that shouldn’t hurt Adams much because he’s going to play 30+ minutes and I can’t see him scoring less than 30 DK points, with a ceiling of 40 DK points. The capped ceiling on Adams makes him less exciting as a GPP play, but I love being able to count on him in cash lineups.
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Jason Biggins is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive and follow him @biggsportsfan
