Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates a basket against the Phoenix Suns during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
While we only have four games on this night slate, it should be an interesting one. All four games sit within a six-point spread. That should make for a ton of close games which is fantasy goodness for us DFS players.
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Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 47.87 DK - 48.67
Irving hasn't found his way into our articles much this season because of injury but he's been way too good to be priced this cheaply. In fact, the All-Star is averaging 26.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.4 steals en route to 47. 2 DraftKings points per outing. If you look at every other player below $9,000, none of them average more than 37 fantasy points per game. That shows you just how much of a value Kyrie is right now and some tough matchups along with missed time have lowered his price tag to these intriguing numbers. Irving has actually played the Sixers, Lakers, Jazz and Bucks over the last four games and is still averaging 44 fantasy points per game in that span. Detroit is certainly not on those teams levels defensively, sitting 20th in defensive efficiency. In his first game against Detroit, Irving dropped 52.3 DK points, if you needed any more incentive.
Opponent - BKN
Proj Pts FD - 39.22 DK - 39.87
While Rose has been getting some slack for all of the All-Star votes he's been receiving, it's hard to argue with his recent numbers. Over his last nine games played, Rose is averaging 38 DraftKings points per game despite playing just 31 minutes per outing. That pairs nicely with the fact that he's been inserted into the starting lineup and Detroit is clearly realizing that this is their best playmaker right now. It's really no surprise that he's seen such an increase when you consider that Luke Kennard and Blake Griffin are both injured. That increase in role and production makes Rose a fantastic play against a Brooklyn, owning a 30th OPRK against PGs according to DraftKings.
Chris Paul remains a nice value in the $7,000-range against a putrid Minnesota defense.
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 38.22 DK - 39.71
Dinwiddie is certainly not the stud that we saw at the beginning of the season but he's still been too good to be priced this cheaply. We're talking about a guy who's averaging 37.2 DraftKings points per game for the season and has actually surpassed that average in three of his last four games. That tells us that he's finally comfortable playing with Irving and the price has dropped a bit too far for someone with this 37-point average. We love the matchup against the Pistons too, with this being a revenge game for Dinwiddie while Detroit ranks 20th in total defense. Don't be afraid to play Dinwiddie and Irving together either.
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 31.67 DK - 33.45
I haven't heard people talking about Schroder as Sixth Man of the Year but we need to start giving this dude some consideration. Despite struggling the first two months, Schroder actually has at least 24 DK points in 27 of his last 28 games while averaging 31 fantasy points per game in that span. The thing that's made him so valuable is his role, leading the team with a 26 percent usage rate while averaging 16.1 shot attempts per game in that stretch. All of that makes him hard to fade against a T'Wolves team who sits 25th in total defense.
If Furknan Korkmaz is starting for Josh Richardson, he'd be a great value with the way he's shooting right now.
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 51.22 DK - 54.14
While Philly's defense is obviously tough, it's hard to fade a guy like King James in a short four-game slate like this. The simple fact is, you need those raw points. There's no better bet to provide that than he, with James scoring at least 37.5 fantasy points in all 43 games played this season, averaging 55.6 DraftKings points per game. To show how dominant that is, 37 fantasy points is the average of the eighth-highest priced player on this slate. Blowout potential is not really a factor here either, with Los Angeles entering this matchup as a small favorite in what should be a competitive ballgame
Opponent - LAL
Proj Pts FD - 39.3 DK - 40.12
Opponent - LAL
Proj Pts FD - 27.26 DK - 25.04
If we expect this to be a close game, we have to like some of the Sixers as well. Let's start things off with Harris because he's the higher-priced guy. What we like about him is the fact that he leads the team with a 26 percent usage rate with Joel Embiid off the floor. That should only rise with Josh Richardson now sidelined too, putting Harris in line for about 40 minutes and 20 shots. The increase is usage has led to a higher floor, scoring at least 26 fantasy points in 10-straight games coming into this matchup.
Let's not overlook Thyubulle either. This talented defender has established himself as the starting small forward for this club, averaging 23 DraftKings points per game across 30 minutes of action over his last six outings. That's really all you can hope for from someone this cheap and it's scary to think how good he could be when you see that he's averaging just 6.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in that span. That tells us that his defensive numbers are carrying him and he could be an absolute monster if he just knocks some shots down or grabs a few extra rebounds.
If you're looking for someone cheaper, Joe Harris is sitting around $4,000 on both sites and is a decent bet for 30 minutes and double-digit shots.
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 36.5 DK - 33.34
This is all predicated on the status of Steven Adams but with the big Kiwi sitting out on Friday, we're going to assume that he's out again here. That should force Noel into the starting lineup which is the key for a guy like this. We're talking about a player who's averaging 21.3 DK points per game across 18.3 minutes. That's one of the best rates in the NBA and it tells us that we need to use him whenever we anticipate a minutes boost. That should certainly be the case here, with Noel playing 30 minutes against the Magic on Wednesday. If we get 30 minutes at this rate, we could be looking at 40 fantasy points. In his five starts this season, Noel hasn't scored fewer than 26 DK points in any of them. Not to mention, he gets to face a bad Minnesota defense who plays at the seventh-fastest pace in the NBA.
Opponent - CLE
Proj Pts FD - 31.07 DK - 30.85
Opponent - CLE
Proj Pts FD - 27.68 DK - 26.56
There are so many injuries in the Bulls frontcourt right now and it certainly puts all of these guys in play. This club is currently without Lauri Markkanen, Wendell Carter Jr and Daniel Gafford. That should force both of these guys into the starting lineup and it wouldn't be surprising to see them play 35 minutes apiece with so much depth in the training room.
Young is definitely the more established player and the better option of the two. In his only start earlier this season, Young collected 35 fantasy points in 35 minutes of action against the Pelicans. If you look at the seven games this season where Young played at least 28 minutes, he's averaging 29.9 DraftKings points per outing and looks well on his way to doing that on Friday. As for Kornet, he's scored at least 23 fantasy points in four of his last five games and could be looking at his highest minutes total of the season here. Not to mention, these guys get to face a Cleveland club who sits 29th in defensive efficiency.
Jarrett Allen would be a good play against the Pistons if DeAndre Jordan and Nicolas Claxton remain out. Kevin Love is also a nice value against the Bulls.
Opponent - OKC
Proj Pts FD - 53.32 DK - 56.5
It's pretty crazy that Towns is sitting at $10,000 or lower on both of these sites. We're talking about a dude who averaged 50.9 DK points per game across his first 23 outings before getting injured. While he did struggle in his first two games back, KAT has at least 50 fantasy points in his last three outings heading into this matchup. What's most important is that he's averaging 33 minutes and 22 shots a game in that span, obviously back to his full workload. While the Friday game isn't over yet, he has a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double through three quarters while taking 18 shots, further proving that he's ready to roll. We definitely aren't concerned facing an OKC team without Steven Adams either, who happens to own a 28th OPRK against opposing centers this season.
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 35.99 DK - 37.16
Thompson is a tough guy to trust for DFS purposes but this price tag is downright insulting. This guy has been playing at a $7,000-level all season long, averaging 32 DraftKings points per game. A 10-point dud against the Wizards on Wednesday is what's lowered that price but a $1,400 price drop is simply ridiculous. That alone makes him a nice value but the best part about using him here is the matchup. Not only is Chicago without most of their frontcourt, they also surrender the most fantasy points in the league to opposing centers. That's evident when you see that Thompson is averaging over 40 DK points per game in two meetings with the Bulls this season.
If JaVale McGee is out again, Dwight Howard is definitely in play after recording a double-double on Thursday.
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