There is a solid nine-game NBA slate lined up for Friday night. The slate only has four healthy players priced in five figures and you can probably guess who leads the way with the Rockets on the slate. The biggest news on the slate is the depleted Jazz backcourt who will be without all three of their point guards. That should mean a big increase in minutes and usage for the healthy options which begs the question how many Jazz players are too many Jazz players when building your lineups. I have three listed on my recommendations list but there are others that could also be in play. Enjoy another fun NBA DFS slate to start off the weekend!
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
James Harden (PG/SG – HOU): $12,500 vs. CLE
This has to be getting boring to read because it sure is becoming boring to write. Practically every time Harden is on the slate since Chris Paul went down with an injury, he is the headliner for virtually every recommendation list out there. That isn’t going to change on Friday’s slate with the Rockets drawing a very favorable matchup against the Cavaliers who have allowed increased production to SGs in points (+6.2%), rebounds (+5.7%) and assists (+7.7%). Sure, he might get his minutes cut a little bit if they get out to a big lead as Vegas suggests but how do you think they got that big lead to begin with?
There is a solid nine-game NBA slate lined up for Friday night. The slate only has four healthy players priced in five figures and you can probably guess who leads the way with the Rockets on the slate. The biggest news on the slate is the depleted Jazz backcourt who will be without all three of their point guards. That should mean a big increase in minutes and usage for the healthy options which begs the question how many Jazz players are too many Jazz players when building your lineups. I have three listed on my recommendations list but there are others that could also be in play. Enjoy another fun NBA DFS slate to start off the weekend!
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
James Harden (PG/SG – HOU): $12,500 vs. CLE
This has to be getting boring to read because it sure is becoming boring to write. Practically every time Harden is on the slate since Chris Paul went down with an injury, he is the headliner for virtually every recommendation list out there. That isn’t going to change on Friday’s slate with the Rockets drawing a very favorable matchup against the Cavaliers who have allowed increased production to SGs in points (+6.2%), rebounds (+5.7%) and assists (+7.7%). Sure, he might get his minutes cut a little bit if they get out to a big lead as Vegas suggests but how do you think they got that big lead to begin with?
Core Plays
Donovan Mitchell (PG/SG – UTH): $7,900 vs. LAL
I touched on the Jazz backcourt ailments in the intro. They will be without Ricky Rubio, Dante Exum and Raul Neto on Friday night. That should push Mitchell into logging heavy minutes running the show for the Jazz at PG. Heck, he might not come off the court. He also gets a huge usage increase of 9.1 percent with the group of players off the court on Friday. On top of all of that he gets a plus matchup against the Lakers in a pace up spot. If you only play one Jazz player, Mitchell is your man.
Domantas Sabonis (PF/C – IND): $7,500 @ NY
With Myles Turner already ruled out for Friday’s tilt with the Knicks in New York, Sabonis should continue to start and provide a high floor with some upside. Over his last four games, Sabonis has averaged 18.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. In two games versus the Knicks this season, he has put up 21.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game for 41.6 DraftKings points per game.
Tristan Thompson (C – CLE): $5,800 @ HOU
Thompson was a game-time decision for the Cavaliers last game, but he still played 29 minutes and put up double-digit rebounds for the fourth straight game. After a day off on Thursday, Thompson should see his minutes go back over 30 on Friday against the Rockets. He destroyed the Rockets earlier this season putting up 53 DK points while scoring 16 points and pulling down 20 rebounds. Thompson’s salary is still very reasonable since he returned from injury, but his production is closer to his pre-injury numbers which makes it a perfect time to buy. Also, with Larry Nance Jr. out there aren’t many big men on the Cavs roster to contend with for playing time and rebounds.
Malcolm Brogdon (PG/SG – MIL): $5,700 @ WAS
Brogdon is one of the most consistent players in the NBA night in and night out. He has scored between 25 and 38 DK points in nine of his last 10 games with just one 22.75 effort mixed in. The Bucks have a favorable game environment on Friday playing the Wizards on the road in a game with one of the highest Vegas totals on the slate. Brogdon also gets a small bump in rebounds and assists with the matchup and he is shooting lights out over the last two games making over 65 percent of his shots from the field.
Value Plays
Jae Crowder (SF/PF – UTH): $4,400 vs. LAL
The next Jazz player that piques my interest given his salary is Jae. He might not directly benefit from the absence of the trio of PGs but he should play big minutes against the Lakers helping defend their lengthy wing players like Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma. Crowder played 34 minutes in the last game and he is capable of stuffing the stat sheet in a variety of ways.
Maxi Kleber (PG/C – DAL): $3,600 @ MIN
It will be interesting to see how much playing time Kleber gets on Friday night. On one hand, he drew the start in the Mavericks last game with Dennis Smith Jr. out and Smith will miss his second straight game on Friday. However, Dirk Nowitzki is expected to return which could eat into the 34 minutes Kleber received in the last game. I’m comfortable giving him at least 24 minutes on Friday which should be enough for him to pay off his low salary against the Timberwolves.
Kyle Korver (SG/SF – UTH): $3,500 vs. LAL
The last Jazz player I’m recommending is Korver. He could see the biggest boost in minutes as a result of the injuries in the Jazz backcourt. He has played at least 24 minutes in the last two games and could see the number push up to 30 on Friday night. Points and three-pointers are the name of the game for Korver and the matchup with the Lakers should feed into those strength as the Lakers have allowed the fifth most points to SGs this season. Korver has also shot much better at home than on the road this season and the Jazz will be playing in Utah on Friday night.
Cory Joseph (PG – IND): $3,400 @ NY
Recommending Joseph is a little bit of a speculation play with Darren Collison considered questionable for Friday night against the Knicks. If Collison sits out, then Joseph should be in line for around 30 minutes in a favorable matchup against a Knicks team that has allowed increased production in rebounds (+5.9%) and assists (+14.6%) to PGs this season. Joseph has also had some success against the Knicks in their two meetings this year averaging 20.9 DK points with 6.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game.
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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.
