Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic shoots free throws during an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers in Dallas, Thursday, April 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
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Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 55.69 DK - 61.61
I don’t like the matchup against Philly at all, but it’s hard to fade Luka at this point with the kind of numbers he’s putting up. He’s coming off a 40 point, 10 assist game that saw him run 43 minutes in all in the overtime loss to the Thunder. And he’s now scored 30 or more points in each of the last three games. With Kristaps Porzingis banged up, Luka’s usage does tick up a bit and we are seeing some of the results. Again, the 76ers aren’t a good DFS matchup at all, running a slow pace and playing above-average defense, but I still like Luka as a clear pay-up on this Friday slate.
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 33.18 DK - 34.67
It looks like Brandon Goodwin will get the start once again for the Cavaliers with Darius Garland still on the shelf. Goodwin played 32 minutes last time around in this role, though Cleveland did end up losing to the Rockets on the road. He had a balanced line with seven points, eight assists, and seven rebounds. That was more than enough to play as a value on these price points. This matchup against Charlotte isn’t quite as choice as the Rockets, but they still run a very fast pace, second quickest in the league. That should provide Goodwin enough volume as long as the minutes stay in line with last game.
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 38.22 DK - 42.08
With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the shelf, much more of the offensive load falls on Josh Giddey’s shoulders, and that’s a good thing for us when trying to round out DFS lineups. I think the DraftKings’ price is a little steep here, but the FanDuel salary looks just right. Over the last two games with SGA out, Giddey is averaging 14 points, 9.5 rebounds, and seven assists in all. A key to his DFS production and safety is how balanced he looks across the box score. And there’s real upside when the stats all tend to pile on. You have to like the matchup here against Portland who run a league-average pace and are 28th in defensive efficiency.
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 42.14 DK - 43.47
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 34.23 DK - 35.35
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 28.55 DK - 30.42
While they aren’t all shooting guards, it’s easy to just pile them all in together here. This is the situation we really need to keep an eye on for this evening and it is around Dejounte Murray who was injured with a left wrist sprain and didn’t play on Thursday. His sitting opened up significantly more minutes and opportunity for the rest of these guys despite the Spurs losing the Heat. But this matchup against the Rockets is just so good that having Murray sit again would maybe make all three locks in cash games. The Rockets allow the most fantasy points to opponents this season in the NBA and it isn’t particularly that close. The difference between them and the next team (the Kings) is the same as the difference between number two and number 16. That’s just how bad the Rockets are. Keep an eye on this situation as we head into lock.
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 32.67 DK - 35.6
Along with Giddey, Lu Dort has been around to pick up some of the offensive slack with SGA on the shelf. He’s played 40+ minutes in two of the last three games and is averaging 25 points, seven rebounds, and three assists in that stretch while also racking up steals in a couple of them as well. He’s a pretty high player in this role as long as the Thunder can keep the game close. The price has come up some on Dort in the short-term, but it’s not enough to line up with the new opportunity in the offense. He makes for a strong cash play against Portland.
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 28.99 DK - 31.2
We got point-Cedi for one game and he dished out all of the assists, but then the Cavaliers decided to put Brandon Goodwin in the starting lineup at the one and that was the end of Osman’s offense-leading role. But Osman did stick in the starting lineup last time out and ended up running 35 minutes in total. He could be looking at another healthy dose of minutes in this game against the wing-heavy Charlotte Hornets. He wasn’t as dynamic from a fantasy perspective last game, but I still like the opportunity and he offers a way to save on this slate in order to get up to some of the superstars.
Opponent - NO
Proj Pts FD - 61.78 DK - 66.19
It might come down to having to choose between Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic on this slate, and that’s going to be a tough one. Jokic sat out last game, but he’s back for this one and should continue the fantasy dominance he’s been up to most of this season. He’s triple-doubled in six of his last ten games and came only an assist or two away in those other four games. It’s just been a remarkable run for the guy who puts up eye-popping stats nearly every night. This one against the Pelicans should be no different considering the Pelicans are among the worst teams in the entire league on defense.
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 32.41 DK - 33.35
It looks like Thaddeus Young will draw another start at center for the Spurs on Friday after filling in for the injured Jakob Poeltl on Thursday against the Miami Heat. Young will get a considerably better matchup this time around against the Rockets and it’s kind of silly that the price didn’t move at all on him game-over-game. He’s coming at the minimum on both sites and should once again be one of the highest-owned players on the slate. On Thursday he put up seven points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and a couple of blocks in his 24 minutes. Considering the pace the Rockets play and their inability to play any defense, this is a perfect matchup for Young even if he runs only mid-20s minutes once again.
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 28.64 DK - 30.02
Bazley is projected to start here for the Thunder and could have a bigger opportunity with more minutes and shots now that SGA is out of the lineup. Last game, an overtime win over Dallas, Bazley played 36 minutes off the bench and ended up with 13 points and 11 rebounds. He took 12 shots, the fourth-most on the team and could see similar usage in this one. The price is low enough to take the risk on Bazley understanding that his production can come and go.
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