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 10-game Main slate starting at 7:00 ET.
POINT GUARD
Cole Anthony – Orlando (at Houston) - DK: $5,000 / FD: $5,000 / Yahoo: $14
Expect everyone to be on Anthony tonight, as a very cheap PG/G option for Orlando in the wake of Markelle Fultz’ season-ending knee injury. Anthony wasn’t amazing in relief of Fultz Wednesday night, but played 32 minutes. He gets a soft matchup with Houston, a Top 5 backcourt matchup for DFS, which should help his cause. With so many of the top point guards out or questionable tonight, and plenty of other places to spend, it makes sense to go with the crowd on Anthony tonight.
Also Consider: Kyle Lowry, Chris Paul, Elfrid Payton, Coby White
SHOOTING GUARD
Paul George – LA Clippers (at Golden State) - DK: $9,100 / FD: $8,800 / Yahoo: $39
The best DFS plays are those that exceed value at slightly under the radar usage. Bradley Beal was my guy Wednesday, and he exploded at just five percent rostership. I’m hoping that guy is George tonight. The matchup is good; this game is projected to be fairly close again, with a point total of 232.5. A couple days further removed from the ankle injury he was nursing should help him as he will look to make it two double-doubles in a row vs. the Warriors.
Also Consider: Bradley Beal, James Harden, Caris LeVert, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Haliburton (if De’Aaron Fox is out), Terrence Ross (if Evan Fournier is still out), Desmond Bane (for deep value)
SMALL FORWARD
Harrison Barnes – Sacramento (vs. Toronto) - DK: $6,000/ FD: $6,100 / Yahoo: $22
I’m nervous about LeBron James sitting this game out, and while I like Brandon Ingram a lot (see more below), I think it’s Barnes who strikes the right price/upside balance at the position tonight. Mikal Bridges is a safe play here if you need a solid floor for slightly less salary than Barnes, but he doesn’t offer a ton of upside. Barnes gets a terrific matchup with Toronto, who has struggled to contain opposing SFs since Kawhi Leonard left. He’s also known as a steady mid-range guy, but has exceeded 40 fantasy points twice already this season. Toronto is playing at a fast pace this year, and Vegas has this game with a 226.5 point total.
Also Consider: Brandon Ingram, Mikal Bridges, Joe Harris, LeBron James
POWER FORWARD
Zion Williamson – New Orleans (vs. Charlotte) - DK: $7,900 / FD: $7,800 / Yahoo: $35
Power forward is an interesting position tonight. You can definitely spend, but you can also save big with some pretty secure value options. My preference is to go in the middle. The Hornets allow the most fantasy points to opposing power forwards, and the fifth-most overall. They play at a fast pace, which benefits the Pelicans. Williamson has scored at least 20 real points in each of his last three games, and four of the last five. He’s playing a ton of minutes, and has boosted his normal near double-double stat lines with a bunch of steals as well as the occasional assist and block. He’s a high floor, 50-fantasy point ceiling play tonight, which is great for the price.
Also Consider: Royce O’Neale, Dario Saric, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis
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CENTER
Deandre Ayton - Phoenix (at Detroit) - DK: $7,600 / FD: $7,200 / Yahoo: $28
Much of the same kind of logic applies to Ayton as Williamson. You could surely stack the Pelicans frontcourt with Steven Adams or stick with a hot (but more pricey) Nikola Vucevic in a great matchup with Houston, but Ayton is a good bet for a fifth double-double tonight vs. a shorthanded Pistons team that gives up the eighth-most overall fantasy points this season. If he adds a couple blocks and a steal, he’s met value and more.
Also Consider: Nikola Vucevic, Steven Adams, Wendell Carter
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Kyle Lowry (PG – TOR) is my favorite among the more expensive PGs tonight. The Raptors are decent favorites on the road in Sacramento tonight, and Lowry gets the league-best PG matchup for fantasy. The Kings are possibly without De’Aaron Fox tonight, which might make things too easy for Lowry and the Raptors. I think this could be a more under the radar game to draw from tonight, and Lowry projects as an ideal building block for all kinds of lineups. If you’re in doubt, look what Coby White just did against Sacramento (it was 36 points, 7 assists and 3 rebounds).
Caris LeVert (G – BKN) will also be popular tonight given that Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant will both remain sidelined. His salary ($6800 FD, $7400 DK (PG/SF), $26 Yahoo (PG)) ranges across the sites, but he’s still a reasonable play everywhere. LeVert put up 60 fantasy points against Memphis on December 28, a game in which Irving and Durant were also out. Last night against Philadelphia, LeVert put up 50 fantasy points, with 22 points,10 assists and 7 rebounds. Use him in whatever slot you can!
Royce O’Neale (F – UTA) is not a guy I’m scrambling to get into my lineups, but he has ended up in a couple so far. Joe Ingles is questionable tonight with a new achilles soreness, but neither he nor Bojan Bogdanovich have been playing particularly well. If Ingles sits, I’ll feel a lot better about O’Neale, but considering his game logs I think he’s an okay salary saver regardless. He’s playing about 30 MPG, and that is pretty stable whether the game is close or a blowout in either direction. He’s a low-volume shooter, and his peripheral numbers are all over the place, but he does enough in enough categories to be averaging about 20 fantasy points per game. If he eeks out 25 fantasy points for the price, I’m happy tonight.
