It’s Friday night and we have an eleven-game slate over on DraftKings tonight. There are a few games with some massive totals that will be important to have exposure to such as the Timberwolves-Rockets, Mavericks-Lakers, and Clippers-Suns. However, with a large number of games on tonight’s slate, it is important to try to avoid some of the chalk plays in order to look for an edge in tournaments.
With this in mind, I have focused on identifying my two favorite plays, regardless of price, at each position that can give us an edge in tournaments on tonight’s slate.
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Guards
Devin Booker (PHX): $8,000 vs. LAC
In three February games prior to the All-Star Break, Booker put up 37.2 DK points and continued to dominate the usage in the Suns’ offense. Although his price is sitting at $8,000, this actually represents a $1,000 discount on what we were paying for Booker in mid-January. Tonight, Booker gets to face off against a Clippers defense that ranks 26th in DK points allowed to shooting guards and is playing in the second half of a back-to-back set. This game should also have a ton of points, as the Suns and Clippers both rank inside the top 10 in the NBA in pace. In a large slate, this is a spot where Booker could go largely overlooked which makes him an excellent tournament option.
It’s Friday night and we have an eleven-game slate over on DraftKings tonight. There are a few games with some massive totals that will be important to have exposure to such as the Timberwolves-Rockets, Mavericks-Lakers, and Clippers-Suns. However, with a large number of games on tonight’s slate, it is important to try to avoid some of the chalk plays in order to look for an edge in tournaments.
With this in mind, I have focused on identifying my two favorite plays, regardless of price, at each position that can give us an edge in tournaments on tonight’s slate.
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Guards
Devin Booker (PHX): $8,000 vs. LAC
In three February games prior to the All-Star Break, Booker put up 37.2 DK points and continued to dominate the usage in the Suns’ offense. Although his price is sitting at $8,000, this actually represents a $1,000 discount on what we were paying for Booker in mid-January. Tonight, Booker gets to face off against a Clippers defense that ranks 26th in DK points allowed to shooting guards and is playing in the second half of a back-to-back set. This game should also have a ton of points, as the Suns and Clippers both rank inside the top 10 in the NBA in pace. In a large slate, this is a spot where Booker could go largely overlooked which makes him an excellent tournament option.
Goran Dragic (MIA): $6,300 at NOP
Dragic has been pretty volatile in DFS over the past few weeks but he offers a ton of upside in a pace up spot in New Orleans. The Pelicans play at the second fastest place in the NBA and they have given up the eighth most DK points to point guards this season. Dragic has been hot and cold recently, but he has actually flashed 45+ DK point upside twice in the past six games while averaging 35.6 DK points. At a price tag of only $6,300, Dragic is an excellent mid-range play in large field tournaments in a dream matchup.
Forwards
Nikola Mirotic (NOP): $6,600 vs. MIA
Mirotic stands out as a solid play on Friday night despite having a difficult matchup against the Heat. In three games prior to the All-Star break, Mirotic put up an average of 46.3 DK points and pulled down 11.7 rebounds per game. In terms of the matchup, the Heat have given up the third fewest DK points to PFs this season but they find themselves on the road and in a pace up spot. Mirotic has really flourished alongside Anthony Davis in his brief time with the Pelicans and the combination of James Johnson and Bam Adebayo should have trouble defending Mirotic on the perimeter in this game. Mirotic a great play to fire up and it is safe to ignore the tougher matchup here.
LaMarcus Aldridge (SAS): $7,700 at DEN
Aldridge’s price spiked up to $8,400 prior to the All-Star Break but oddly enough, his price dipped down to $7,700 despite being in good form over the past three games, putting up 46.1 DK points per game. Denver is ranked 16th in DK points allowed to PFs and they are also ranked 22nd in defensive efficiency rating overall. The Spurs are expected to get Rudy Gay back for tonight’s matchup, but this shouldn’t be a cause for concern. In the 441.7 minutes that they have played together this season, Aldridge has a 29.0% usage rate and averages 1.18 DK points per minute. LaMarcus Aldridge will remain the focal point of the offense for San Antonio. He is a strong tournament option at a discounted price point.
Centers
Julius Randle (LAL): $7,300 vs. DAL
Since the beginning of February, Randle has seen consistent minutes and has been rewarding DFS players with big stats lines. While has price has continued to increase, Randle’s price tag is still playable based on his recent production, as he has averaged 36.4 DK points across seven games in the month of February. The Mavericks have given up the 10th most DK points to power forwards this season and, more importantly, they are ranked dead last in rebounding percentage. Randle has big-time double-double upside in a great matchup in tonight’s game.
Mason Plumlee (DEN): $4,300 vs. SAS
On the cheaper end of the spectrum, Mason Plumlee is playing in his first game since January 29th. Prior to his injury, Plumlee had been in great form and had averaged 28.7 DK points over a four-game stretch. While time was almost a month ago, Plumlee’s discounted price tag outweighs his potential production. The Spurs are a tough opponent, ranking first in defensive efficiency rating, but the Nuggets will need Plumlee’s defensive ability in what should be a closely contested game. He should carry minimal ownership in tournaments and has the upside to return 7x on his cheap salary.
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Jay Brancato is an NBA and PGA fantasy contributor for FantasyPros. You can follow him on Twitter @jay_brancato.