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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 two-game slate starting at 7:30 ET.
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POINT GUARD
Chris Paul – Phoenix (at Denver) - DK: $7,100 / FD: $8,200 / Yahoo: $28
Both games are expected to be moderately high scoring and close tonight, which should make for some fun Friday night viewing. The Suns, however, have won the first two games of this series in dominant fashion, thanks in great part to Chris Paul. He’s been the leader of this team all season, and continues to do exactly what his team needs despite playing through visible shoulder pain. He scores, he passes, he anticipates and steals, and does it mistake free. Trae Young at home is very tempting tonight as well, but Paul has been so good with his back-to-back double-doubles for significantly less of the salary cap that I have to prioritize him at PG tonight.
Also Consider: Trae Young, Cameron Payne
SHOOTING GUARD
Seth Curry – Philadelphia (at Atlanta) - DK: $5,300 / FD: $5,500 / Yahoo: $15
The focus in this Eastern Conference series has been on Joel Embiid giving it his all despite a torn meniscus, but Curry has been on fire, shooting nearly 50 percent from 3-point range in the post-season (10-of-15 vs. Atlanta). His volume is high given that he’s playing around 30 MPG and Philly is very willing to stick with the hot hand. Curry is unfortunately one of those pure shooting two-guards, so if he’s off, there’s really no floor to fall back on. See below for notes on some other options.
Also Consider: Devin Booker, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Torrey Craig
SMALL FORWARD
Kevin Huerter – Atlanta (vs. Philadelphia) - DK: $4,700 / FD: $5,300 (SG) / Yahoo: $15
I do think Michael Porter Jr., the highest priced SF option, will play again through his back soreness, and he was notably better at home than on the road during the regular season, a trend that also held vs. Portland in Round 1. However, the back is a wrinkle that may truly be affecting the quality of his game in this series. He’s a fine GPP play, but for much less salary, I’m taking Huerter for the greater security at a lower price point. The Hawks seem to have an endless supply of wing players, but it’s been Huerter getting heavy minutes in this matchup with Philadelphia. He’s responded with about 28 fantasy points per game, which is a nice return. He’s also contributing some peripheral stats that give me confidence in his floor value, not just his upside at home.
Also Consider: Michael Porter, Jr., Mikal Bridges, Danny Green
POWER FORWARD
Tobias Harris – Philadelphia (at Atlanta) - DK: $8,000 / FD: $8,800 / Yahoo: $35
I’m doing my real spending tonight in the 76ers’ frontcourt. When it comes to PF, there isn’t a lot of competition for Harris. He’s been the face of consistency this season and post-season, with a near guarantee of returning 40-50 fantasy points every night. Three of his last five games have been double-doubles, and he’s had multiple steals/blocks in the last three. On FanDuel, where you have to roster two PF, it’s not hard to fit both Harris and John Collins, who has found a degree of consistency himself.
Also Consider: John Collins, Jae Crowder
CENTER
Joel Embiid – Philadelphia (at Atlanta) - DK: $10,300 / FD: $11,000 / Yahoo: $47
Embiid or Nikola Jokic is the toughest question on the slate. Embiid has been about 15 fantasy points per game better than Jokic in Round 2, and is cheaper on DK and Yahoo. In fact, since coming back from the meniscus tear, Embiid’s seemingly better than ever. In the first two games, Embiid has scored 79 points, with 22 rebounds, six assists, four blocks and three steals. Jokic, meanwhile, has struggled to play his game vs. the Suns, by design no doubt, which has resulted in lower fantasy output, mainly in terms of scoring (46 total points and reduced assists). It’s possible this narrative gets flipped on its head as Embiid hits the road and Jokic takes home court. Basically, the answer at center is one of these two and you can’t really go wrong. Our NBA DFS Optimizer has Embiid projected slightly higher and therefore a better value (especially on Yahoo and DK).
Also Consider: Nikola Jokic, Deandre Ayton
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ADDITIONAL NOTES
John Collins (PF – ATL) has found a rhythm to his game, and while it’s not a dramatic, DFS tournament changing rhythm, he can be a useful play at F or as the second PF in your FanDuel lineups. Collins’ last five games have been decent, though foul trouble has remained an issue, as he fouled out after 34 minutes last game.
Torrey Craig (G/F – PHX) is one of, if not the, best bargain of the night. Checking in at $3600 (FD), $3100 (DK) and $10 (Yahoo), Craig is more than paying off his salary lately. He might make you a believer in revenge narratives given his 23 fantasy points per game vs. Denver so far in this series in just 15 MPG! He’s been all over the court, blocking shots, nabbing timely rebounds, and even making a few three-pointers. It’s hard to imagine the Suns not continuing to take advantage of his hustle off the bench.
Devin Booker (SG – PHX) is the luxury play you hope to be able to afford tonight. I’ve managed it on Yahoo, without much compromise, but the other sites are tricky. Booker is coming off a surprising double-double with a 10-rebound game, which is pretty rare for him. Still, he’s such a great shooter – his 47-point game is very fresh in our memory – the upside is undeniable. Since you’ll likely have to sacrifice some frontcourt talent to fit him and his high salary, I’m using him as a GPP-only play.
