It’s Friday night and we have ten game slate over on DraftKings tonight. There are several injuries that are going to drastically alter the slate tonight, as players like Anthony Davis, Otto Porter, and Brandon Ingram will all be out tonight. Due to this, we need to take advantage of several players that see positive boosts with these players off the floor. A majority of the players in today’s advice article are directly impacted by these injuries and offer a great way to get exposure to these hurting teams.
With this in mind, I have focused on identifying my two favorite plays at each position that can give us an edge in tournaments on tonight’s slate.
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Guards
Jrue Holiday (NOP): $8,500 vs. WAS
With Anthony Davis out of the lineup for the Pelicans tonight, there is only one rule. Friends do not let friends fade Jrue Holiday. His price tag is sitting at $8,500, but this situation is way too good to pass up – even on a ten game slate. If we take Davis off the floor, Holiday has a 40.4% usage rate and averages 1.83 FD points per minute – albeit in 20.3 minutes of action. But still, 40.4%! On top of that, Holiday’s form has been great over the past three games, averaging 49.2 DK points – this all came with Davis in the lineup. One more time – do not fade Holiday here.
It’s Friday night and we have ten game slate over on DraftKings tonight. There are several injuries that are going to drastically alter the slate tonight, as players like Anthony Davis, Otto Porter, and Brandon Ingram will all be out tonight. Due to this, we need to take advantage of several players that see positive boosts with these players off the floor. A majority of the players in today’s advice article are directly impacted by these injuries and offer a great way to get exposure to these hurting teams.
With this in mind, I have focused on identifying my two favorite plays at each position that can give us an edge in tournaments on tonight’s slate.
Create Optimal DraftKings lineups using our DFS Lineup Optimizer tool
Guards
Jrue Holiday (NOP): $8,500 vs. WAS
With Anthony Davis out of the lineup for the Pelicans tonight, there is only one rule. Friends do not let friends fade Jrue Holiday. His price tag is sitting at $8,500, but this situation is way too good to pass up – even on a ten game slate. If we take Davis off the floor, Holiday has a 40.4% usage rate and averages 1.83 FD points per minute – albeit in 20.3 minutes of action. But still, 40.4%! On top of that, Holiday’s form has been great over the past three games, averaging 49.2 DK points – this all came with Davis in the lineup. One more time – do not fade Holiday here.
Lonzo Ball (LAL): $7,600 at DEN
Ball’s price has slowly started to rise, but he continues to be in strong form with Brandon Ingram off the floor. Over the past three games without Ingram, Ball has averaged 36.9 DK points per game that include stats in every category. He also has a great matchup, as the Nuggets are ranked 24th in DK points allowed to PGs this season – which accounts for Jamal Murray‘s horrendous DRPM ranking (91st out of 100 PGs). In a game that should be played at a fairly quick pace, Ball should be a great tournament option against a Nuggets defense that ranks 26th in defensive efficiency this season.
Forwards
Nikola Mirotic (NOP): $7,000 vs. WAS
Anthony Davis‘ injury really shakes up the Pelicans’ lineup and because of this Mirotic stands out as a solid play tonight. In the 23.8 minutes Mirotic has played without Davis on the floor over the past two weeks, he has averaged 1.45 DK points per minute and a 27.7% usage rate. Mirotic also comes into this game in strong form, averaging 37.0 DK points per game over the past three. He will be heavily involved on the offensive end tonight and should be in line for a big fantasy stat line to go along with it.
Jonathan Isaac (ORL): $3,300 at SAC
Aaron Gordon (concussion) and Evan Fournier (sprained MCL) will both be out of the Magic lineup on Friday. With two high usage starters sitting out, there should be a ton of extra opportunity to go around for the Magic. Due to this, Isaac will be a great play, assuming he shifts into the starting lineup against a weak Kings team. On the season, the Kings are ranked 28th in DK points allowed to PFs and 28th in defensive efficiency rating. Both of these stats are definitively not very good. While Isaac hasn’t had the opportunity to produce robust fantasy stat lines in his first four games back from injury, he simply hasn’t had the chance to perform with Gordon in the lineup. That will change in tonight’s contest.
Centers
Nikola Vucevic (ORL): $8,300 at SAC
As I mentioned with Jonathan Isaac, the Magic are going to be extremely short-handed without Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon in the lineup. Vucevic comes at a steep price tag tonight, but his recent play has certainly warranted this. Vuc is coming off a 53.5 DK point performance against the Lakers on Wednesday and has averaged 42.5 DK points over the past four games. The Kings are also ranked 29th in DK points allowed to centers this season and rank 26th in rebounding percentage. With Gordon out, Vucevic has massive double-double upside in tonight’s contest.
Paul Millsap (DEN): $6,200 vs. LAL
At his $6,200 price tag, Millsap still seems too cheap on DraftKings. With five games under his belt since his return from a wrist injury, Millsap is seeing minutes in the high 20s and has already flashed upside – putting up 34.75 DK points in 27 minutes against the Grizzlies last Friday. The Lakers are ranked 19th in DK points allowed to PFs this season and also play at the fastest pace in the NBA. This combination should lead to a ton of opportunities for Millsap to produce. In a game that features a massive 229.5 total, Millsap is a strong value and a great way to get exposure to the Nuggets’ side of the ball.
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Jay Brancato is an NBA and PGA fantasy contributor for FantasyPros. You can follow him on Twitter @jay_brancato.