We have a modest seven-game slate on the hardwood in the NBA on Friday night. Despite the limited number of games, there is plenty of intrigue including a couple of teams, Rockets and Bulls, that are without one or more of their marquee players which opens up more usage and minutes for others. Uncoincidentally, those two teams fill up a large portion of my DraftKings recommendations on Friday’s slate.
Note that some of the stats referenced in this article are my custom DvP calculations that combine both season and last five games data along with blending similar positions production allowed together.
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One Stud
Giannis Antetokounmpo (SF/PF – MIL): $11,700 @ MIN
There is enough value available on Friday’s slate to pay up for one of the high-priced studs and feel okay with your lineup. That said, to get there you will need to sacrifice one or two of the “core plays” to get there. The one stud I’m paying up for is Giannis. He has been sensational to start the season with four straight games of at least 25 points and 15 rebounds while also throwing in 6.8 assists per night. The Bucks face the Timberwolves in the game with the tightest Vegas line on the slate and one of the highest totals. Let’s get freaky!
We have a modest seven-game slate on the hardwood in the NBA on Friday night. Despite the limited number of games, there is plenty of intrigue including a couple of teams, Rockets and Bulls, that are without one or more of their marquee players which opens up more usage and minutes for others. Uncoincidentally, those two teams fill up a large portion of my DraftKings recommendations on Friday’s slate.
Note that some of the stats referenced in this article are my custom DvP calculations that combine both season and last five games data along with blending similar positions production allowed together.
Create Optimal DraftKings lineups using our DFS Lineup Optimizer tool
One Stud
Giannis Antetokounmpo (SF/PF – MIL): $11,700 @ MIN
There is enough value available on Friday’s slate to pay up for one of the high-priced studs and feel okay with your lineup. That said, to get there you will need to sacrifice one or two of the “core plays” to get there. The one stud I’m paying up for is Giannis. He has been sensational to start the season with four straight games of at least 25 points and 15 rebounds while also throwing in 6.8 assists per night. The Bucks face the Timberwolves in the game with the tightest Vegas line on the slate and one of the highest totals. Let’s get freaky!
Core Plays
Chris Paul (PG – HOU): $9,200 vs. LAC
James Harden will miss at least the next couple of games for the Rockets with a hamstring strain. Luckily for the Rockets, they get Paul back off his suspension on Friday night for their matchup with the Clippers. Over the last season-plus, Paul has witnessed a 6.0 percent usage bump with Harden off the floor which translated into over nine more DraftKings points per game in nine games without Harden last season.
Karl-Anthony Towns (C – MIN): $8,000 vs. MIL
Towns has seen his price dip significantly since the start of the season as he has posted modest numbers with just 16.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per night. However, his salary has gotten to the point where it is time to roster him, especially in a favorable matchup against the Bucks that have allowed the eighth most points and eighth most rebounds to opposing big men so far this season. Towns is still logging big minutes and his blow up game will come soon.
Zach LaVine (PG/SG – CHI): $7,900 @ CHA
The Bulls have been ravaged by injuries with three key players, Kris Dunn, Bobby Portis and Lauri Markkanen all out for extended time. This leaves LaVine as the primary scoring option remaining and he has not disappointed with four straight games with 30 or more points to begin the season. His will continue to see high minutes, shot volume and overall usage and his price is very reasonable while giving you multi-position eligibility.
Jabari Parker (SF/PF – CHI): $5,500 @ CHA
With the recent loss of Portis in addition to the Markkanen injury, Jabari will be looked at to fill the void on offense and on the boards. Parker played a season-high 31 minutes in the last game which Portis left early and proceeded to finish with a near double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds in a game that he attempted the fewest shots all season. Look for his shot volume to bump back up into the mid-teens on Friday to go along with the increase in minutes and rebounds. He has legitimate upside of 20 points and 10 rebounds on a nightly basis moving forward.
Carmelo Anthony (SF/PF – HOU): $4,900 vs. LAC
With Harden out, Carmelo will also need to help pick up the scoring slack. He played a season-high 39 minutes against the Jazz on Wednesday and put up his best game of the year with 22 points and seven rebounds. He has a 6.4 percent usage increase with Harden off the court this season. More minutes, more usage and a salary under $5,000, sign me up!
Value Plays
Cameron Payne (PG/SG – CHI): $4,600 @ CHA
Payne rounds out the trio of Bulls on parade in Friday’s lineup advice. Payne had his best game of the season on Wednesday against the same Hornets team that he will face on Friday when he dropped seven three-pointers on his way to 21 points, five rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes. He might not be able to keep up the three-point pace, but his minutes should remain in the low-30s with Dunn out which gives him a solid floor to reach value on his inexpensive salary while possessing the upside as he showed on Wednesday.
Justin Jackson (SF – SAC): $3,600 vs. WAS
Jackson entered the starting lineup for the Kings in their previous game while playing a season-high 37 minutes against the Grizzlies. Jackson pulled down a season-high 11 rebounds to produce 23 DraftKings points even on a poor shooting night. Jackson has exceeded 21 DraftKings points in three straight games and if he draws another start on Friday against the Wizards he should have a safe 20 DK point floor while providing some upside if he can get his shot to fall. All for the low-low price of just $3,600. I prefer Jackson over Gerald Green (below) for cash games as long as Jackson starts.
Gerald Green (SG/SF – HOU): $3,400 vs. LAC
Green is a cheap risk/reward option on Friday night. He should get some extra minutes in the Rockets rotation with Harden out, but he is a very streaky player. He saw his highest minute total of the season in the last game but also produced his lowest DraftKings points total since the opener when he only played 10 minutes. I’d recommend only rostering two of three Rockets on this list and only playing Green as one of them if you want to find a way to pay up for Antetokounmpo.
Brad Richter is a correspondent at FantasyPros and a contributor at DailyOverlay and GoingFor2. For more from Brad, you can view his archive or follow him @RotoPilot.
