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 11-game Main slate starting at 7:00 ET.
POINT GUARD
LaMelo Ball – Charlotte (vs. Minnesota) - FD: $7,700
Even if Devonte’ Graham returns to the court tonight, Ball should remain in the starting lineup and your lineups, given his FanDuel salary. He is far too close to my other PG favorite, De’Aaron Fox on the other sites, so I’m giving him this special blurb for FD only. In fact, my current FD lineup features both Ball and Fox. The Timberwolves play at the sixth-fastest pace while allowing the second-most overall fantasy points to opponents. This game features a high (227.5) point total and narrow margin favoring the Hornets. Ball is playing over 30 MPG, has a streak of double-digit scoring that dates back into January, and contributes meaningful peripherals every single night. His fantasy range of ~30-50 fantasy points should come in near the top in this plus matchup.
De’Aaron Fox – Sacramento (vs. Orlando) - DK: $9,000 / FD: $8,900 / Yahoo: $37
I know Fox can be polarizing; I’m a fan. He’s going to be facing a depleted Magic team ranking sixth in overall fantasy points allowed (fifth to PGs) and 20th in defensive efficiency on a back-to-back at home. That alone is enticing, but the Kings are hot, winning four of their last five games to some quality opponents. They are led by Fox, who is playing amazing ball right now, with an average of about 50 fantasy points per game and three double-doubles in the month of February. He should absolutely keep it going in this fantasy-friendly game (for both sides).
Also Consider: Russell Westbrook, Terry Rozier, Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, Payton Pritchard
SHOOTING GUARD
Tyrese Haliburton – Sacramento (vs. Orlando) - DK: $6,300 / FD: $6,700 / Yahoo: $21
As noted, this game is attractive for a number of reasons – the fast pace, loose defense, good positional matchups. One of those is definitely for Fox’s backcourt mates, Haliburton and Buddy Hield. You might let salary be your guide if you’re going to pick on the depleted Orlando defense – Hield is cheaper on Yahoo and FanDuel, while Haliburton is the bargain on DraftKings. Both have been playing well, with similar ranges. Back when these teams met in Orlando last month, it was Hield who made headlines with a 50-fantasy point effort, but since then, Haliburton has steadily been a 30-40-plus contributor to DFS lineups.
Also Consider: Zach LaVine, Lou Williams, Buddy Hield, Gary Trent, Dwayne Bacon, Terrence Ross
SMALL FORWARD
Kyle Anderson – Memphis (at LA Lakers) - DK: $6,000 / FD: $5,700 / Yahoo: $20
One of the themes I’m pursuing with my early lineups is security. It’s been a crazy week, with a lot more uncertainty headed our way as Friday goes on, I’m sure. Anderson is a rock in the SF swamp tonight. You can spend, or you can try to capitalize on some injury news, but if you’re looking to lock in a relatively sure 30 fantasy points, I’m loving Anderson. After a brief scoring slump, Anderson appears to have his confidence back as he is taking 13-14 shots from the field in each of his last three games, and shooting about 60 percent. He made a stunning six three-pointers in his last game too. The Lakers are never considered an easy matchup, as they rank No. 1 in defensive efficiency, but they do turn the ball over at a high rate. Anderson has put up decent numbers (in the 30-point range) against other good defensive teams like Phoenix and San Antonio, so I’m confident he can be a reliable and affordable SF play for us tonight.
Also Consider: Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James, Kenrich Williams, Rui Hachimura
POWER FORWARD
John Collins – Atlanta (vs. San Antonio) - DK: $7,700 / FD: $7,600 / Yahoo: $31
Collins is coming off another great game vs. Dallas, again scoring over 30 real points, but failing to double-double this time. Look for him to fill the stat sheet again tonight as he’s been playing over 35 MPG lately. The Spurs are an interesting matchup; they rank 11th in defensive efficiency but allow the 12th-most overall fantasy points to opponents. Collins hasn’t faced them yet this season, but he’s playing with confidence and I’m rostering him with confidence. His mid-range salary and stable floor-with-upside profile is perfect for the build I’m working on for this slate.
Also Consider: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Paul Millsap, Isaiah Stewart, Chuma Okeke
CENTER
Rudy Gobert – Utah (vs. Milwaukee) - DK: $7,500 / FD: $8,600 / Yahoo: $31
Is there a safer center option for the price (especially on DraftKings!!) than Gobert? Basically a lock for a double-double (and the DK bonus) and a player who will rarely hurt your lineups in cash games or tournaments, Gobert is an easy fit tonight. Clint Capela is coming off a horrible game, making him a potentially low-rostered GPP target, and I never have anything against Nikola Jokic except price – it’s a dream matchup for him if you’re not concerned about the Nuggets having a 40-point lead by halftime… I don’t trust Karl-Anthony Towns at his salary after just one game back, and I’m worried about Andre Drummond’s time share in Cleveland giving his high salary. To sum up, while there is plenty of reason to like Gobert on his own strengths, there is more reason to roster him because of the alternative weaknesses.
Also Consider: Clint Capela, Nikola Vucevic, Nikola Jokic, Tristan Thompson, Cody Zeller
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ADDITIONAL NOTES
Chuma Okeke (PF – ORL) has continued to ramp up his minutes, reaching 35 minutes Friday night. While there is some risk of him resting on the back-to-back if Orlando gets some of their injury-ridden roster back tonight, his salary is still too low to ignore if he’s playing ($10 Yahoo, $3800 DK, $4800 FD). He’s coming off his best scoring effort, making three of five three-pointers, while also still contributing five rebounds and five assists. It’s a great matchup for him, given the Kings rank 30th in defensive efficiency and first in overall fantasy points allowed.
Isaiah Stewart (PF/C – DET) is another frontcourt bargain you should have on your radar in case Mason Plumlee or even Blake Griffin is out tonight. Last night, with Plumlee getting the late scratch, Stewart went off with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and 2 steals in 31 minutes. The Pistons still lost big to Indiana, and should lose again tonight to Boston, but if Stewart gets those kind of minutes, he should be in your lineups ($3100 DK, $10 Yahoo, $3600 FanDuel).
Payton Pritchard (PG – BOS) should be a popular value guard tonight with Kemba Walker resting on the back-to-back. While this isn’t one of my favorite games to attack tonight, with both teams playing slow, Detroit is not a great defensive team (rank 25th in defensive efficiency). His salary is below $4,000 on both FD and DK, and he’s still $10 on Yahoo too. Last night, in the win over Toronto, Pritchard scored 20 real points with six made threes. He’s going to have a chance to exceed his production without Walker tonight.
