NBA DFS Picks, Projections, Lineups, Injuries & More Today: Friday Playbook

No Luka Doncic for the next month+ will see the price or Kyrie Irving sharply increase but at least on DraftKings he is a tremendous value in one of the best game environments on the board. In a really tough matchup against the Timberwolves on Christmas we saw a vintage Irving performance as he finished with 50 fantasy points. He's very capable of taking over games when the team is his and that's what we got going on.

We talked a lot on the NBA DFS Show about how much we loved this matchup between the Cavs and Nuggets and especially from the Nuggets side of things because its rare that they are in a game that is expected to be competitive and therefore rare we get these guys maxing out their minutes. Tonight we could see that and Garland is coming off of two 40 fantasy point efforts while playing 33 and 26 minutes in those contests.

Opposite side of that matchup is Jamal Murray. It wasn't the best game for Murray the other night but that won't shy me away from putting him right back in tournament lineups. He has 50 FP upside and if this game lives up to the hype then we should see him show out.

We are already seeing Westbrook close games but we may see him play more rotational minutes tonight as well with the Nuggets missing Aaron Gordon from the lineup. While Payton Watson is the likely starter for the Nuggets it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to see a lineup that has Murray, Westbrook, Braun, Porter and Jokic on the floor together.

The more the Nets are missing players more and more likely this game ends up a blowout. Paul makes for a good cash game play today but I do worry about his minutes if this game isn't close.

No Steph Curry and Draymond Green listed as doubtful. This will be the first game where Schroder is on the Warriors and not having to share the floor with Curry. It hasn't been a great fit so far for Schroder in Golden State but the ball should be in his hands tonight and some more shots going his way.

The last two games were not good for Dinwiddie but we've seen him be VERY productive when Luka has been out of the lineup this season. There's a good chance he still finds himself coming off the bench and that will make him a tournament only play. IF he starts I'd have a lot more confidence in him in all formats.

Shake should be getting the starting nod tonight with Ben Simmons ruled out. Getting the update that Cam Johnson may also not play tonight only helps the potential for Milton to take more shots. I don't see this game being all too competitive but the lack of bodies should lock Milton into 30+ minutes regardless of the outcome.

Dunn is getting some ownership love as he continues to play mid-20's minutes as part of the Clippers guard rotation. He may even get extended run here today with Kevin Porter Jr. is unable to go as he is currently listed as questionable with an illness.

One of my favorite plays of the day. This price on DraftKings is too cheap when Mitchell is in line to play 35 minutes. The Nuggets have not been a good defensive team and we are looking at competitive game with a high total.

Without Devin Booker on the floor we've seen Beal put up some big time performances of late, looking a lot more like the player we saw on the Wizards for all those seasons. We shouldn't hesitate to go back to him tonight in this matchup against the Mavericks.

The Clippers are four point home favorites tonight against a Warriors team without Steph Curry and likely Draymond Green. If this one does stay competitive then we know Powell is playing 35+ minutes and going to score close to 30 actual points which has been the trend the last four games.

Another player on the Mavericks who stands to benefit from Luka Doncic being off of the floor. More shot attempts to go around and more opportunities to fill up the stat sheet for Klay here this evening. 

He's too cheap across all platforms and that's why the ownership loves him today. I'm putting him in the playbook for those two reasons but, much like Chris Paul, I don't really know how competitive this game is going to be with all the players the Nets are missing tonight.

Yes, Max Strus being back cuts into some of the upside with LeVert but the team is still without Isaac Okoro and LeVert is still going to see 25ish minutes off of the Cavs bench. He is an absolute bucket who has put up some strong fantasy numbers in games where he saw low-20s minutes.

As the price goes up the appeal wears off a bit but we can't argue with minutes and his role in the starting lineup. Again, I liked him a lot more when he was $3,300 and not $4,300.

Opened the day as the highest rostered player on the slate. He's since dropped down a few slots but many are still expected to gravitate towards Podziemski here today. Pod is a guy who fills the stat sheet but does nothing exceptionally well. His best asset tonight is the price and a perceived minutes bump.

Sports Illustrated named Jaylen Brown their NBA Player of the Year. Take that for what it is but Brown continues to be a really strong option when he is priced like he is tonight, especially on DraftKings when he's under $8,000. The Celtics have both Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis as questionable tonight and if Porzingis especially ends up sitting out then Brown is quite the tourney play.

Memphis is blowing out everyone but the Pelicans are also just playing their guys.  Murphy could get 35 minutes tonight in a game they lose by 20 where he is getting us buckets against the Grizzlies backups.

Always a tournament play. Nobody is on the Knicks tonight and it makes sense given the matchup against Orlando who just played a game last night that finished 89-88. The slow pace and low game total lack appeal but if this game ends up a bit more exciting then Hart could be flirting with a triple-double.

Dillon Brooks is already ruled out which should lock Thompson into the starting lineup here tonight. Thompson has been elite over the last two games where Brooks was out. Now, the one change tonight is the expected return of Tari Eason. Eason is a very high usage rate player and could take away some the production from Thompson when he subs into the game but that really won't take me off of Thompson even in a tougher matchup against the Timberwolves.

Another high ownership play tonight. Wiggins has popped for 40+ fantasy points a handful of times over the last month and that was while playing with Curry. When Curry was out of the lineup earlier this season we really saw some big performances from Wiggins and he will be in line to take more shots and control the game bit more here tonight.

He popped the other night against the Timberwolves and was the likely reason that Spencer Dinwiddie didn't get much floor time. If Grimes starts here then I'll have some interest but if he is coming off the bench he will be hard to trust at his price tag.

We've highlighted da Silva for a few slates now and every time we go back and look at what he did we find ourselves wishing we put him in our lineups. He's a bit more expensive now than he was then and this game environment is nothing special but as we say on the NBA DFS Show, this is a shot makers game and right now da Silva is not only taking a lot of shots but he is making them as well.

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OK, I had to make sure I get your attention on this play.  It's not a secret that myself and Grande are big Cam Whitmore guys. We were telling you all to play him last year and he helped us win some money and he's helped us win some money the last two nights as well.

NOW the reason for the warning is simply due to the fact that Tari Eason is expected to play tonight. I've talked on the NBA DFS Show that I think Jae'Sean Tate ends up getting cut with Eason back but Whitmore could very easily be the one who ends up missing out.  It's also VERY important to note that Whitmore essentially played 16 straight minutes the last two games due to blowouts, entering at the end of the third quarter and playing the entire fourth. If this game against the Timberwolves in more competitive, it seems unlikely he's getting 12 minutes of fourth quarter playing time.

Santi Aldama and Marcus Smart are both out of the lineup tonight. This is also a back-to-back for Memphis and they have been blowing everyone out. I think LaRavia is set for 25 or so minutes tonight and he's been pretty productive in that role over the last few games.

If Cam Johnson ends up being ruled out we expect Martin to be the guy to pick up the offensive slack. He's a true GPP play with a low floor so take caution.

He's on the cover of the NBA DFS Playbook and the NBA DFS Live show today. We've talked a lot about Tatum's elite ceiling which has been on display over the last two games. His rebounding has been out of this world and if Kristaps Porzingis sits out tonight he could be among the top overall scorers on the slate.

Pivoting off of Tatum and down to Kevin Durant is the more popular play here today. The Tatum love is no disrespect to Durant either. He's been elite with Devin Booker off of the floor is this is a really good matchup for him as well.

Another appealing piece in this game agaisnt the Nuggets. Mobley is coming off of back-to-back 50 fantasy points games.  He is an elite all around player that just happens to be stuck on a really good team. If he was on a team where he was the focal point we'd honestly be looking at numbers similar to what Karl Anthony Towns is giving us on a nightly basis with shot blocking upside.

Always a tournament player and if Dereck Lively ends up sitting out that will help Washington as well with his rebound opportunities. It was Luka Doncic being out of the lineup earlier this month that set Washington off for some slate winning performances.

We have to assume Kuminga starts tonight with Draymond Green unlikely to play. We've gotten some 40+ fantasy point games of late when Kerr has been willing to extend Kuminga and I'd envision him being rather popular tonight if in the starting lineup.

Good value play. He's starting next to Nic Claxton and making plays on both ends of the floor. Again, this isn't my most favorite matchup on the board to target but the Nets do have some intriguing value options. 

Maybe I shouldn't have been so surprised with all the value on the board today to see that Jokic is the top spend up play on the slate from an ownership stand point. We did talk this through pretty extensively on the NBA DFS Show and thought that maybe more would be playing Wembanyama given his recent production and cheaper price tag compared to Jokic but I think ultimately the game against the Cavaliers is a more appealing matchup and thus people are playing the Joker.

With Jokic getting the ownership love that means we have some real tournament leverage tonight with Victor Wembanyama. The defensive stats are ridiculous and the offensive game is really starting to come around, especially from three-point range. Few teams in the NBA have anyone who can stop Wemby and the shorthanded Nets are not one of them.  

Towns popped for a 20/20 game the last time he faced the Magic. It's not that he can't go for 60 fantasy points tonight but this is just a game environment that is not fun and getting overlooked because of it. You can use Towns in all formats tonight though because I do think he has a good game. 

Zubac has been unreal this season, especially of late, averaging almost 50 fantasy points a game over his last four. In two games against the Warriors this season he has also throttled them, averaging 15.5 points, 17.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists an 3 combined blocks+steals.

Turner is coming off of a really good game that he had actually briefly left.  The Pacers are without Andrew Nehmbard today and the Celtics might be without Kristaps Porzingis. The Pacers need Turner to get going on offense if they look to pull off of the road upset against the Celtics.

Edey is currently projected to be the highest rostered player on the slate. He has been dominant of late and even got checked back into last nights game when the Grizzlies were up 30. The only turd in the punch bowl here is the fact that Jay Huff had been out of the lineup the last few nights and now has been upgraded to questionable. Having any sort of potential for minutes to be stolen here would be unfortunate.

Figured he would be way more owned than we currently have him projected but TJD has been starting and he has been really good. Maybe some are thinking that Kevon Looney gets the start given the matchup against Zubac? We won't know until late tonight so build in contingencies if you are playing TJD.