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NBA GPP Pivots: Friday

D'Angelo Russell

D’Angelo Russell

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to the NBA GPP Pivots article, where we’ll be looking to uncover some sneaky-good DFS plays away from the popular selections. These recommendations are usually risk/reward commodities meant to be used in large-field tournaments. Typically, blending these low-owned hidden gems with well-aligned staples contributes to a viable GPP strategy.

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 will be looking at Friday’s 11-game main slate starting at 7:00 ET.

POINT GUARD

Trae Young - Atlanta (at Denver)

There are 11 games on tonight’s slate, so you don’t have to get too sneaky in tournaments. I’m thinking Trae Young could slip through the proverbial cracks despite his robust fantasy profile. The matchup isn’t bad either, as Young will play a competitive game against a Denver team that ranks 22nd in defensive efficiency to point guards. Most people will look towards Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and others at point guard - but don’t forget about Trae’s 50+ FP upside.

SHOOTING GUARD

D’Angelo Russell - Minnesota (at LA Lakers)

This is the ultimate leverage play of the night. Russell has been up and down this season, but he has 50+ FP upside in his back pocket - as he proved earlier this week at Memphis. I like the fact that Russell is seeing more looks off the ball, which gives him a chance to revert to the pure scoring form from earlier in his career. Teammate Anthony Edwards broke out with 48 points on Wednesday, and he’ll be a popular DFS play tonight. However, Russell could take over this game, as the Lakers currently rank dead last in defensive efficiency to point guards.

SMALL FORWARD

Kevin Porter Jr. - Houston (vs. Portland)

If you read this article frequently, then you already know the deal with Porter. A young player on a subpar team that risks blowouts every night doesn’t lend itself to consistency. However, Porter is underpriced due to a few duds this season. Now he’s facing a Portland team that ranks bottom-ten in defensive efficiency. As long as the Rockets keep things somewhat competitive, Porter should see enough usage to finish in the 30-40 FP range.

POWER FORWARD

Jaren Jackson Jr. - Memphis (vs. Phoenix)

Jackson is another guy who seems perpetually underpriced, especially on FanDuel. He has notched 38+ fantasy points in two of his last four games, and I like his chances to surpass that threshold again tonight. This is a nice matchup between two teams who rank top ten in pace, and the Suns currently stand 24th in defensive efficiency to power forwards.

CENTER

Richaun Holmes - Sacramento (at Oklahoma City)

Holmes has a wide range of fantasy outcomes, but there’s still legitimate 40+ FP upside in the right matchup. If he doesn’t show out tonight, then we might have to forget about Holmes as a DFS option altogether. The matchup looks great at Oklahoma City, who ranks dead last in defensive efficiency to centers. Most people will be afraid of Holmes’ recent game log, but this is an excellent spot for him to bounce back.

ALSO CONSIDER

Darius Garland (PG - CLE) is someone to keep an eye on with Collin Sexton still out. Ricky Rubio has been soaking up most of the numbers with Sexton sidelined, but there’s an opportunity for Garland to step up if he feels like it.

Aaron Gordon (PF - DEN) has to break out at some point, right? He’s dirt-cheap while seeing 33-36 minutes per contest. That hasn’t translated to fantasy success recently, but perhaps Gordon can break through against an Atlanta team that ranks 20th in defensive efficiency to power forwards.

Drew Eubanks (C - SA) and Jusuf Nurkic (C - POR) are a couple of other centers that are on my tournament shortlist. Eubanks is a value option who is filling in for Poeltl. Nurkic could flex his patented upside against the Rockets, assuming this one stays semi-competitive.