This article aims to highlight some of the best NBA DFS Plays at every position for your cash game lineups. Keep in mind that the following player write-ups were constructed earlier in the day, and sometimes injury/rest situations can alter the fantasy landscape. Monitoring our NBA News & Headlines Feed throughout the day will keep you in the loop while giving you the subsequent DFS consequences of each information piece.
We’ll take a look at Friday’s 7-game main slate starting at 8:00 ET.
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POINT GUARD
Michael Carter-Williams – Orlando (at San Antonio) - DK: $6,300 / FD: $4,900 / Yahoo: $17
DraftKings is the only site that has MCW’s salary right, and although it’s high, it’s still fair given what he’s been doing recently. He’s averaging about 35 fantasy points per game in his last three, playing right around 31-32 MPG. The Magic are likely to be short-handed again tonight, and Carter-Williams has been thriving in a higher usage role. He contributes in multiple categories every night, and should continue to reach value in a plus matchup with a Spurs team that will also be experimenting with new rotations.
Also Consider: Dejounte Murray, Mike Conley
Bargain options: Shake Milton, Sterling Brown (if John Wall is out), Goran Dragic
SHOOTING GUARD
Donovan Mitchell – Utah (vs. Houston) - DK: $8,800 / FD: $10,500 / Yahoo: $37
Utah is a massive 15-point favorite over the Rockets tonight, which could make spending on Mitchell a little scary. However, his game logs aren’t terribly affected by blowout wins and I view him as a very safe path to 45-plus fantasy points tonight. If the Jazz do go up big early, Mitchell will almost certainly have had a big role in getting them there. The Rockets are one of the best fantasy matchups in the league, giving up the second-most fantasy points to opposing two-guards, and fifth-most overall. They play at the fourth-fastest pace, and rank dead last in rebounding (which is why Rudy Gobert is also in consideration tonight). Mitchell is significantly cheaper than Zach LaVine, and is the safer play tonight.
Also Consider: Zach LaVine, Collin Sexton, Victor Oladipo
Bargain Options: Dwayne Bacon, Patty Mills, Lonnie Walker IV
SMALL FORWARD
Michael Porter Jr. – Denver (at Memphis) - DK: $7,400 / FD: $6,700 / Yahoo: $27
Denver is likely to be without a few forwards tonight, including Paul Millsap and JaMychal Green, which should give Porter enough run to meet value and then some. Since failing to score a point against the Celtics a month ago, Porter has scored double-digit points in every game while adding in a block or steal or two just about every night. This game has one of the higher point totals tonight (227.5) and the Nuggets are narrowly favored over Memphis, the team that gives up the most fantasy points to opposing small forwards. It’s a nice pace bump for Denver as well.
Also Consider: LeBron James, Jimmy Butler, Kyle Anderson
Bargain Options: Justise Winslow, Danny Green, Kevin Porter, Larry Nance, Keldon Johnson
POWER FORWARD
Thaddeus Young – Chicago (vs. Miami) - DK: $5,700 / FD: $6,600 / Yahoo: $23
I’m not as keen to spend heavily here, given the difficult matchup for Domantas Sabonis with the league’s best defensive team, and the price of Zion Williamson. Both could be fine, and the Pelicans especially should bounce back tonight, but Young has been producing consistently high quality fantasy numbers for far less of the cap. Tonight he gets a tough on-paper matchup with the Heat, but Miami will be without Bam Adebayo in the frontcourt, improving things for Young considerably. Miami turns the ball over at the highest rate in the league, which bodes well for Young to up his stat line with a few steals tonight (he recently had a game with five steals against Denver). Even with Lauri Markkanen back, Young has produced highly efficient numbers. I like his salary best on DK tonight, but he’s a good way to fill this slot on all three sites.
Also Consider: Zion Williamson, Tobias Harris
Bargain options: Rudy Gay, Lauri Markkanen, Moritz Wagner, Jae’Sean Tate
CENTER
Joel Embiid – Philadelphia (at Washington) - DK: $10,700 / FD: $10,700 / Yahoo: $52
This is my splurge tonight. Ben Simmons remains out, while Embiid is likely returning from a seven-day contract-tracing absence that forced him to miss the All Star Game. I expect Embiid to be great most nights as he is on an MVP pace through the first half of the season, but against the league’s worst frontcourt defense, he should be stellar. Remember what Jonas Valanciunas did to them Wednesday night, for reference. In fact, Embiid is averaging about 60 fantasy points per game in two meetings with the Wizards earlier this year. This game carries the highest over/under of the night (236.5 points), with the 76ers five-point favorites. All signs point to a huge effort from Embiid here, providing he tests negative again and returns to the court as expected.
Also Consider: Nikola Jokic, Rudy Gobert, Nikola Vucevic
Bargain Options: Kelly Olynyk, Jakob Poeltl
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ADDITIONAL NOTES
Keldon Johnson (SF – SAS) The Spurs were frustrating, to say the least, Wednesday night when we had only two games and no choice but to utilize them. I think for multiple reasons, including that one, that they will go under-rostered tonight. Johnson is one I like to improve upon his mediocre play tonight in a plus matchup with the Magic, who rank sixth in overall fantasy points allowed. Johnson is one of the younger players that the Spurs seem to want to highlight in the second half of the season, and his minutes are likely to be boosted as a result of DeMar DeRozan missing tonight’s contest.
Kelly Olynyk (C – MIA) will be super popular, but don’t miss out on him in a great matchup with the Bulls’ frontcourt and no Adebayo in the game tonight. He’s been on fire, with 45 and 38 fantasy points in his last two games, before and after the ASB. At just $5700 (DK), $4500 (FD) and $14 (Yahoo), he’s an affordable C, PF, or utility play on all three sites.
Dwayne Bacon (SG – ORL) is another way to save, on another guy that is likely to be rostered at a high rate tonight. Coming off a fantastic effort Thursday against the Heat, Bacon is still at or near minimum salary everywhere. His appeal dims if the Magic get some of their injured players back tonight, but that seems unlikely at the time of this writing.
