Happy Friday everyone, I can’t think of a clever introduction today, and since the majority of readers probably just skip right to the picks anyway, let’s just get there sooner. Tonight we’ve got a monster 11-game slate with a ton of viable options at each position. There are a ton of ways to make a unique lineup for GPP purposes tonight, and while there will be some chalk plays, I don’t think there will be many uber-chalk players tonight. As always, be mindful of late injury news and adjust accordingly, as late value is almost certain to open up (particularly in the case of the Orlando Magic; check the status of Aaron Gordon, and if he’s out, both Jonathon Simmons and Nikola Vucevic become very viable plays).
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Guards
Chris Paul (HOU): $8,600 vs. SAS
Happy Friday everyone, I can’t think of a clever introduction today, and since the majority of readers probably just skip right to the picks anyway, let’s just get there sooner. Tonight we’ve got a monster 11-game slate with a ton of viable options at each position. There are a ton of ways to make a unique lineup for GPP purposes tonight, and while there will be some chalk plays, I don’t think there will be many uber-chalk players tonight. As always, be mindful of late injury news and adjust accordingly, as late value is almost certain to open up (particularly in the case of the Orlando Magic; check the status of Aaron Gordon, and if he’s out, both Jonathon Simmons and Nikola Vucevic become very viable plays).
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Guards
Chris Paul (HOU): $8,600 vs. SAS
Paul is getting expensive, but he’s scoring like a player who should be priced in the $9-9.5k range, with an average of 50.3 DK points over his last five games. The Spurs are still reasonably good defensively, but the Rockets are playing so well right now that it’s not enough to deter me from recommending CP3 in cash and GPP lineups.
Lou Williams (LAC): $7,600 @ WAS
I want to roster a guy who is going to take 20+ shots in a relatively fast game (209 O/U) on a team that has very few scoring options. LouWill has averaged 44 DK points over his last five games, with a ceiling game of 51 and a floor game of 33.25. He should be able to get to 40 DK points again tonight, which will exceed his price expectation. He’s also $1,200 cheaper on DK than he is over on FanDuel. I think Lou is viable in cash and GPP games. a highly entertaining player to watch.
Forwards
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (BKN): $5,800 @ TOR
I haven’t played enough RHJ this year. Recently, he’s been remarkably consistent in both minutes and production, averaging almost 37 DK points and 32 minutes over his last five games. In a Brooklyn lineup where the minutes are distributed amongst like 8-9 players, RHJ stands out as the most reliable contributor. In a pace-up game with a 218.5 O/U, I’m comfortable using him in all formats tonight.
DeMarcus Cousins (NOP): $10,800 @ DEN
Another Friday, and another Boogie recommendation. It’s easy to recommend this guy, and I’ve admittedly probably been doing it too much, but tonight he’s in another great spot in a pace-up game (there’s no Vegas line yet, because it’s unclear if Nikola Jokic is going to play tonight) against a bad defensive team in Denver. Boogie actually isn’t my favorite cash play tonight because I could see him producing another game in the 40-50 DK point range (he’s had several of those games lately), which doesn’t kill your lineup but also doesn’t pay off his high salary. His ceiling is just so high (we’ve seen him score 70+ DK points four times this season) that he’s a very viable GPP play against Denver tonight. I slotted Boogie in at forward today because he’s PF-eligible and I think there are other options at the center position tonight.
Centers
DeAndre Jordan (LAC): $7,400 @ WAS
I might have too many Clippers on this list today, but I feel like they’re all priced a little too low. Washington is not a great rebounding team, and there will be plenty of rebounds available in this pace-up game for the Clips. Jordan would be the obvious beneficiary, and he’s $1,100 cheaper on DK than he is over on FanDuel. He started off the season wildly inconsistent, but he’s been much more solid lately, averaging almost 44 DK points over his last five games, with a floor game of 33.75 and a ceiling game of 54.5. I’d project him for around 37-40 DK points tonight, which would exceed value, and I think he’s playing consistently enough to put into both cash and GPP lineups.
Jonas Valanciunas (TOR): $4,900 vs. BKN
I don’t think I’ve played JV a single time this year, and I’m a little uneasy adding him here today. He’s been more productive of late, scoring 37.25 and 43.75 DK points in his previous two games. Of course, looking at his game log will scare most people away, as he’s easily capable of inexplicably producing less than 20 DK points. He’s not a cash recommendation, but if you’re looking to pay up at other positions, I think it’s a decent time to roster JV in a pace-up (218.5 O/U) spot against a very poor defensive and rebounding team.
YOLO Pick of the Night
The last two YOLO picks have hit, so I’d look for tonight’s to be a complete bust, but John Wall (WAS): $8,000 vs LAC is wayyyyy under priced, mostly because no one has any idea how many minutes he is going to play coming off of injury. He played 27 minutes on Wednesday against Memphis, scoring 25.75 DK points, and I think a lot of DFS players will be scared off of him tonight (maybe rightfully so) because of the doubt about minutes. If he gets 30+ minutes, he’s a huge value at $8k, and for that reason, he’s a viable GPP option tonight. Fire him up at your own risk, and do not play him in cash games.
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Jason Biggins is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive and follow him @biggsportsfan.