FanDuel NBA Lineup Advice: Friday (12/6)

As we near the end of the week, Friday night possesses a nice 10-game slate that should offer plenty of variety among DFS players. The Washington Wizards and Denver Nuggets are the only two teams operating on a back-to-back. As per usual, tip-off locks at 7 p.m. EST.

Check out today’s NBA Shot from FanDuel

Point Guard

Spencer Dinwiddie (PG – BKN): $8,500 @ CHA
With starter Kyrie Irving nursing an injury, Dinwiddie becomes a premium player as opposed to a spotty 6^th-man. FanDuel has switched him from shooting guard to the point, now grouping him in this positional group. Dinwiddie gets an awesome matchup tonight against the Charlotte Hornets as they rank 26^th in defensive rating but only 25^th in pace. The Brooklyn Nets are implied to have a 110.75-point total, which is currently 4^th among teams playing tonight. With his recent performances, Dinwiddie has reached peak price, and deservingly so.

Kris Dunn (PG – CHI): $5,000 vs. GS
After starting out the season unhealthy, Dunn is finally beginning to see more playing time as he’s topped 24+ minutes in the past three games. Dunn has been inserted as a starter now for the Chicago Bulls and has yet to explode as he hasn’t reached value in three games straight, but his point totals are trending upwards and he gets the Golden State Warriors which are ranked 27^th in defensive rating and 19^th in pace. Finding exposure to the Bulls would be a wise move on tonight’s slate, simply due to the lack of defensive prowess from the Warriors.

Shooting Guard

Jimmy Butler (SG – MIA): $9,100 vs. WAS
Not only is Butler playing the best ball of his Miami Heat career, but the matchup is a brilliant one as the Washington Wizards rank 30^th in defensive rating and 1^st in pace. The Wizards are legitimately a dream matchup, in addition to Butler managing to score over 52 FanDuel points in his past two contests. The absence of Goran Dragic seems to have coincided with Butler’s strong performances, which is a positive as Dragic is not expected to play tonight. Fire up Butler and plenty of his teammates against the lowly Wizards.

Zach LaVine (SG – CHI): $8,400 vs. GS
Like Butler, LaVine has recently improved his point totals as he’s scored over 45 FanDuel points in three of his past six games. LaVine has seen his real-life scoring improve a vast amount after struggling in mid-November and now gets the 27^th-ranked defense in the Warriors. I would not be shocked to see LaVine score a ton of points tonight, but any time the Warriors play, there is potential for a blowout to occur.

Small Forward

Rudy Gay (SF – SA): $4,900 vs. SAC
Gay is probably a better play for cash games as his floor is high but his ceiling isn’t much higher, leaving you without the potential tournament-winning upside. Still, Gay has scored over 22 FanDuel points in three of his past four games and has recently been starting for the San Antonio Spurs. If Head Coach Gregg Popovich continues to let Gay start, he could reach value. The Sacramento Kings are also a decent matchup as they rank 19^th in defensive rating but only 29^th in pace.

Harrison Barnes (SF – SAC): $5,600 @ SA
The flip-side of this matchup is Barnes. His price tag has remained consistent all season, even though he’s been playing awesome ball lately. His most recent game was a bust as he scored only 19.3 points (as was the game prior to that one), but all four prior contests totaled over 27 FanDuel points. With the Kings suffering from so many injuries (De’Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley), there are plenty of opportunities to go around, and Barnes hasn’t been afraid to capitalize.

Power Forward

Rui Hachimura (PF – WAS): $5,800 @ MIA
The recent injuries suffered by nearly all of the Washington Wizards’ big men have afforded Hachimura plenty of opportunities. After an incredibly strong start to the season, Hachimura trailed off…. Until recently. With Hachimura and Davis Bertans being the main injury-free big men (Moe Wagner played last night too), plenty of rebounding and shooting opportunities are to be had. Hachimura put together a strong performance last night with his 39.4 FanDuel points, though it did come on the back of a 42-minute performance. In his past three games, Hachimura has played 38, 38, and 42 minutes.

Aaron Gordon (PF – ORL): $7,000 @ CLE
After returning from injury, Gordon’s playing time has leveled out at roughly 31 minutes per game in his past four games. Gordon is coming off a monster 47.2-point FanDuel performance, though it may have been an outlier as he scored 32 real-life points. The Cleveland Cavaliers are a weak defense that ranks 25^th in defensive rating, giving the Orlando Magic players some upside, though the game’s pace does not manufacture a positive game script.

Center

Brook Lopez (C – MIL): $5,600 vs. LAC
After missing two games of action, Lopez returned with a 22.2-point FanDuel performance on December 4^th. Make sure to pay attention to injury news, but Lopez should be able to go tonight with adequate rest. Lopez did only register 18 minutes of playing time in his latest contest, making a minute’s restriction something to absolutely take note of prior to tip-off. Still, the Los Angeles Clippers are great defensively, but not at the center position. Lopez could take advantage of a player like Ivica Zubac and the game does possess the highest implied total of the night.

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Sosa Kremenjas is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Sosa, check out his archive and follow him @QBsMVP.