DrafKings NBA Lineup Advice: Friday (2/21)

NBA action came back last night after a long all-star break, and now we lean into Friday night. There are nine games on the board here with, as per usual, some big-time injury situations. I am sure there will be some more injury news coming out throughout the day, so keep your ear to the ground on that front if you are playing tonight. For now, here are some plays that really stand out.

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Guards

D’Angelo Russell (PG – MIN): $8,600 vs. Celtics
The newest member of the Timberwolves really showed what he can do in their last game, as Russell scored 26 points and dished 11 assists while adding six rebounds, two steals, and a block as Karl-Anthony Towns sat out with an injury. Towns will remain out for the game tonight, which puts Russell in another really nice spot as the main cog in the offense. The Celtics are a tough defense to go against, as they shave off 8.5 fantasy points from their opponent’s averages, but that is an obstacle Russell can still clear at this price. He has as good a shot at 20+ field goal attempts, and with the peripheral stats he usually racks up, he has a great floor/ceiling combination in this one.

C.J. McCollum (PG/SG – POR): $6,600 vs. Pelicans
One of the two major pieces of injury news is that Damian Lillard is set to miss tonight’s game with a groin injury. Lillard has averaged 30 points and eight assists this year, so a ton of production opportunity opens up in his wake. The main beneficiary in this situation is McCollum, who goes from a .98 fantasy point per minute player with Dame on the floor to a 1.18 FPPM player with him off of it. In the 496 minutes McCollum has played without Lillard, he has a 34% usage rate. He is already a steady fantasy contributor and gets a huge boost to production in this situation, so for $6,600 you simply cannot fade him tonight.

Collin Sexton (PG/SG – CLE): $6,300 @ Wizards
The Cavs have the nut matchup against the Wizards tonight, and Sexton has been playing some really good basketball lately. Last game he hoisted 17 shots, scored 23 points, and added six assists. The Wizards give up an average salary return of 5.8x to point guards, so Sexton has every opportunity for a big game in this spot tonight. I do like him a bit more for tournaments than cash, just because there have been some pretty disastrous games for him when he isn’t making shots, but all-in-all this is an excellent night to have some Sexton exposure.

Marcus Smart (PG/SG – BOS): $5,900 @ Timberwolves
Another huge piece of injury news is that Kemba Walker will be sitting out tonight. This opens the door for Marcus Smart to play a healthy share of minutes at point guard. With Walker off the floor, Smart sees an increase of .16 fantasy points per minute to his normal rate. That puts him at a 1.06 FPPM player, and with 35 minutes against the Timberwolves and D’Angelo Russell defense, he should be able to approach 6x return here. He is a little pricier than normal just because of a few huge games he has had recently, so this is not an automatic play to me, but he is a very good option if he fits your lineup build.

Forwards / Centers

Andre Drummond (C – CLE): $9,100 @ Wizards
Drummond played an abbreviated 22 minutes in the Cavaliers last game, which helped his price drop to a ridiculous level here at $9,100. He had been his normal self until that point after the trade to the Cavs, so I do not see any reason to worry here. The biggest reason to play Drummond tonight is the matchup, as the Wizards have allowed a 5.8x return on average to big men this year. They add 14.9 fantasy points to their opponent’s team total, so this is as good a spot as you’ll find. Drummond is the top play on the board for me tonight.

Jayson Tatum (SF/PF – BOS): $7,800 @ Timberwolves
The Walker injury also helps Tatum’s production, as he becomes a 1.29 FPPM player with Walker off the floor, a boost of +0.12. He has played huge minutes this year, and has cleared the 35-minute mark in six straight games. Even with Walker playing, he has been shooting the ball 15+ times in nearly every game, with totals as high as 24 recently. Tatum is a multi-category contributor, taking on a team that has allowed a 5.9x return to wing players on average this year (although you should take this with a grain of salt considering the Timberwolves lineup tonight looks much different than it has all year). Tatum is a really strong cash and tournament play in this spot with his elevated role.

Carmelo Anthony (PF – POR): $5,300 vs. Pelicans
Melo played a huge 36 minutes in the Blazers last game, and now with Lillard out, there should be some more shot attempts for him tonight. He has not been shy even with Lillard active, averaging 13 shot attempts per game over his last ten. The price has also cratered after a ridiculous 1/15 shooting night in that last game (0/4 from three). I think we should be seeing a price tag closer to $6,500 here tonight, so you are getting a huge discount, and Anthony has big-time upside if the shots are falling.

Joe Ingles (SG/SF – UTA): $4,700 vs. Spurs
This is a bit of a weird recommendation, but the price is just not quite right for what Ingles has done this year. He has played 30+ minutes in five straight games, clearing 20 DraftKings points in all of those games despite shooting the ball terribly. He has made just 3 of his last 17 shot attempts. If everything stays the same, but he makes a few more shots, there is an easy 30 DraftKings points for Ingles tonight, and at $4,700 you are on your way to the bank in that situation.

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Jon Anderson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Jon, check out his archive and follow him@JonPgh.