This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
The NBA returns Friday night as the in-season tournament continues with nine games. There are a lot of big names on the injury report, so the player pool is a little thinner than one might expect. However, there is still a good balance of options in terms of salary cap, including some value plays that open up due to the aforementioned absences.
Presentation of the slate
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The spreads are truly all over the spectrum on Friday, with numbers as narrow as one and stretching as high as 12. That should help ensure a strong enough offering of competitive matchups where the biggest stars log full minutes .
The totals are also relatively encouraging from a DFS perspective, with one trio over 230 points and five others between 224.5 and 229.5. These high numbers imply that there should be a plentiful amount of strong individual performances helping us towards fantasy ends.
Injury situations to watch out for
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Anthony DavisALL (hip/groin): QUESTIONABLE
If Davis doesn’t play, Taurean Prince and Rui Hachimura could be direct beneficiaries, while D’Angelo Russell and LeBron James would also see big increases in usage.
Devin BookerPHO (calf): OUT
Grayson Allen should get another start in Booker’s continued absence while the rest of the starting five sees increased usage.
De’Aaron FoxBAG (ankle): OUT
With Fox still sidelined, Keon Ellis and Davion Mitchell could handle the majority of the point guard’s minutes.
Alperen SengunHOU (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If Sengun can’t go, Jock Landale could start at center.
Zion WilliamsonNOP (personal): QUESTIONABLE
If Williamson is sidelined, Larry Nance will likely be the biggest beneficiary.
Cam ThomasBKN (ankle): OUT
In Thomas’ absence, Lonnie Walker could receive a boost in minutes.
Terry RozierCHA (groin): OUT
Without Rozier, Bryce McGowens and Brandon Miller could see some additional minutes.
Ben SimmonsBKN (hip): OUT
In Simmons’ absence, Dennis Smith should start at point guard.
Other notable injuries:
Bradley BealPHO (return): LIKELY
Gordon HaywardCHA (inch): PROBABLE
Cameron JohnsonBKN (calf): PROBABLE
Herbert JonesNOP (lower leg): QUESTIONABLE
Derek animatedOD (disease): QUESTIONABLE
Nicholas ClaxtonBKN (ankle) OUT
Walker KesslerUTA (elbow): OUT
Xavier TillmanMEM (knee): OUT
Alex BurksDET (forearm): OUT
Elite players
We have six players with five-figure salaries who have a chance to play on Friday’s roster – Joel Embiid ($12,200), Luka Doncic ($12,000), Anthony Davis ($11,600), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($11,000), Jayson Tatum ($10,300) And Kevin Durant ($10,200).
Embiid followed his memorable 75.2 FD point total against the Wizards two games ago with a 27-point, 10-rebound double-double against the Celtics on Wednesday, and he faces a very favorable matchup against the Pistons.
Doncic took over 60 FD points against the Raptors last time out, and another similar outing could come against the Clippers in what should be a wire-to-wire affair despite a tough defensive matchup on paper.
Davis could be a risky play considering he exited early against the Heat on Monday due to hip spasms and then would have been available to face the Rockets the following night, but still hasn’t logged any minutes .
SGA scored between 49.6 and 66.4 FD points in his first two games after a one-game absence due to a knee injury, allaying any concerns about his health.
Tatum comes in with back-to-back 50-point FD performances and hasn’t been below 40.1 FD points this season, giving him an excellent floor.
Durant is averaging 46.6 FD points and is taking the floor again without Booker, which should ensure another night of heavy usage in a marquee game against the Lakers.
Expected chalk
Other likely chalk games include:
Domantas SabonisCASE ($9,900)
Sabonis rebounded from a snap against the Rockets to record 53.7 FD points on the Blazers on Wednesday. With Fox’s new release, the big man is expected to remain very popular.
LeBron JamesLAL ($9,800)
James could take the floor without Anthony Davis and is expected to be in many lineups as usual, regardless of his teammate’s availability.
Ball LaMeloCHA ($9,100)
Ball continues to fill up the stat sheet with regularity and has managed 64.5 and 46.3 FD points in his last two games.
Anthony EdwardsMINIMUM ($9,000)
Edwards has topped 50 FD points in each of his last two games and has another trio of points above 40, which should keep him popular with his salary.
Victor WembanyamaSAN ($8,500)
The rookie is already showing glimpses of his dominance and already has three outings of 50+ FD points, making him excellent value for money.
Key values
John CollinsUTA at MEM ($6,100)
Collins seems much more invested in his first season with the Jazz than at the end of his tenure with the Hawks. He’s averaging 28.3 FD points per game and has already compiled 3-for-30 points. Collins has his three-point shooting up to 37.5 percent and is facing a Grizzlies team that has allowed the third-highest rating offensive efficiency (30.8) and 40.0 percent three. -point shooting towards powerful attackers. Memphis is also giving up 46.7 FD points per game at four, and Collins should also have a solid chance to grab plenty of rebounds with teammate Walker Kessler still out with his elbow injury.
Monk MalikSAC vs. OKC ($5,900)
Monk has already put up impressive performances in his bench role, recording 28.1, 34.1 and 43.2 FD points in three of his last five appearances. The veteran guard has logged at least 24 minutes in four of the games during this sample and will face a Thunder team allowing the seventh-highest offensive efficiency rating for second unit players (47.4) and 48.1 for hundred shots in this division. OKC also allows 46.5 FD points to two guards, putting them in the bottom 10 in the league in this split.
Bismack BiyomboMEM vs. UTA ($5,200)
The Grizzlies had no choice but to give Biyombo an expanded opportunity with Xavier Tillman (knee) injured and Steven Adams (knee) already out for the season. The veteran big responded with 34.2 and 23 FD points over his last two games. Biyomobo logged a solid 26 and 30 minutes in those matchups, and now has a chance against a Jazz team that has given up 55.5 FD points per game to centers, as well as the 10th-best offensive efficiency rating for the position (36 ,2).
ALSO CONSIDER: Marcus SasserDET vs. PHI ($5,800); Grayson AllenPHO vs. LAL ($5,000)
The author(s) of this article may enter daily fantasy contests, including – but not limited to – games for which they have provided recommendations or advice in this article. When playing these games using their personal accounts, it is possible that they may use players in their lineups or other strategies different from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the opinions of RotoWire. Juan Carlos Blanco enters daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: jcblanco22, FanDuel: jc_blanco22, DraftPot: jc_blanco22, FantasyDraft: jc_blanco22, OwnThePlay: jcblanco22.