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

There's obviously a lot to like about Cade in this matchup against the lowly Dallas Mavericks this evening with Cunningham having a breakout season and coming off of a triple-double against the Heat where he knocked down the game winner. Detroit is a 9.5-point favorite so there is some blowout risk but Dallas is also rather “healthy” so if this game can stay competitive then the upside of him being the top scorer of the slate is in play.

Memphis is already down Ja Morant and now could also be without Desmond Bane after he showed up on the injury report this afternoon. Harden has been fantastic this season and he's averaging over 50 fantasy points for the last nine games. 

Nikola Jokic is already out for tonight's matchup and Jamal Murray is listed as questionable. Any time someone from the Nuggets starting lineup has been ruled out this season we've gone right to Westbrook and tonight will be no different. If Murray gets ruled out too then the upside is even greater.

With Murphy, Zion, Ingram and Murray off of the floor this season we see McCollum with a 36.4% usage rate while averaging 1.5 FP/Min.  The matchup against the Grizzlies is tough but he is more than likely going to lead the team in shot attempts and points scored.

Dinwiddie played 42 minutes against the Pacers the other day but they could have Brandon Williams back in their lineup today which may reduce the minutes ceiling but still would expect him to play in the mid-30s here where he has solid scoring potential.

Ja Morant is out and now Desmond Bane is questionable to play. The matchup against the Clippers is tough Pippen is averaging 1.17 FP/Min this season with both Morant and Bane off the floor. If Bane does play that number is still 1.14 FP/Min.

Great value on DraftKings today. The assist totals have been really strong for Paul and this matchup against the 76ers has a 235.5 total with the Spurs 5.5-point favorites. The scoring ceiling has dropped off but there is still low-end double-double upside here.

Will start and should play heavy minutes tonight against the Timberwolves with the Pelicans missing a ton of key players. Alvarado has a pretty high ceiling and if this game blows out likely gets extra run against the Timberwolves backup players.

If you watched the NBA DFS livestream then you saw us react in real time to the news that Baugh is not active for the Hornets tonight and Simpson is back from the GLeague. Our assumption is that Simpson gets the start here today and he's now the highest projected rostered point guard on the slate.

The Timberwolves are 14.5-point favorites here today against the Pelicans and while the blowout potential is real we also just saw Edwards drop 41 actual points in three quarters against the Jazz in a similar situation. Edwards just faced the Pelicans the other night and had 47 fantasy points. In tournaments I don't mind going back to the well.

Price keeps going up but the production is on point. Grimes is averaging 1.33 FP/Min with a 33.3% usage rate with Embiid, George and Maxey off of the floor this season. The Spurs have the worst team defense since Wembanyama went down. It all could add up to another 40-to-50+ fantasy point game from Grimes.

The Celtics are without Jaylen Brown tonight in a great matchup against the Utah Jazz. White is as solid as they come and while Boston is a big favorite, I'm not totally fading White in this spot.

Everyone on the Nuggets is in play tonight with Jokic out of the lineup and if Murray sits too then plays like Christian Braun are just that much better. Braun is averaging 0.97 FP/Min this season without Jokic and Murray off of the floor and he's likely locked in for 35+ minutes tonight in that scenario.

If Bane sits we could see Kennard start in his place here tonight and he would have some pretty solid upside due to his three-point shooting in this matchup. 

Very chalky play today but with Walker expected back in the 76ers lineup we project him to play 30+ minutes and be among the team's leading scorers along with Quentin Grimes in this matchup against his former team.

Another high upside offensive player for the Pelicans. Hawkins is a high volume shooter that when the three ball drops can put up points in a hurry. The shortened rotation for the Pelicans should give him a shot at 25+ minutes tonight at a really cheap price tag.

Leonard has been such a stud, finishing with at least 45 FP in four straight games and at least 40 fantasy points in five of the last six. Yes, the matchup against Jaren Jackson Jr. can be tough but JJJ has also been really foul happy of late as well. This is a good spot for Kawhi.

I really like this Spurs/76ers ,matchup today. The price points on the key contributors are all relatively reasonable and they all have a pretty good ceiling as well in a game with a 235.5 total.

I'd think we see Brown start today with Zion out of the lineup and this comes after he played 31 minutes off of the bench against the Timberwolves the other day which saw him finish with 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Brown can be a really productive player when the shot drops thanks to his ability to fill out the stat sheet.

Rinse and repeat analysis here. The Nuggets are all super interesting against the Trail Blazers with Jokic already ruled out and Jamal Murray potentially being out of the lineup here as well.

I hope you've been listening when Grande talks because he has been telling you to play Ryan Dunn for a few slates now and the man has not disappointed one bit. You can only play him on FanDuel tonight and that's actually the better spot given the extra points you get for blocks and steal. Dunn has played over 23 minutes in each of the last four games, averaging close to 15 points and five rebounds per contest with 2-3 blocks+steals added in.

Starting, playing a decent minutes in competitive games. I don't love the spot but if the minutes are going to be there then I won't completely ignore him given the cheap price tag.

I do find it really hard to pay up for Tatum today given the price tag and the fact that more often than not he hasn't been paying off the value that we need. That said, Utah is horrific and if Tatum feels like taking over this game instead of just being a facilitator then he could drop 50 actual points here and break the slate. If making multiple lineups he will make the player pool but if solo building I'm likely out.

Favorite play of the day and likely a very popular one. We know how bad the Wizards are defensively and we are getting prime production from Banchero. The price on FanDuel is way too cheap but I'm not avoiding him on DraftKings either where he has 60 fantasy point potential here in a big pace up spot.

Bridges was an absolute menace a few weeks ago when Ball was out of the lineup, leading the team in shots, grabbing double-digit rebounds and putting up 50+ fantasy points a game. That same scenario is in play tonight when it comes to the Hornets roster but the matchup against the Thunder is significantly tougher. I'd still bet on him leading the team in shots but there is some risk here that he just doesn't come through where the Hornets are 20.5-point underdogs. 

I've been Team Deni since the Blazers acquired him which is why it was so frustrating to see his inconsistent usage during the middle of the season. With all the injuries however we see Deni locked into 35+ minutes and he has dominated which includes two games of 60+ fantasy points over the last five.

Washington was really bad for two quarters and really good for two quarters the other night. For our sake, let's hope to see some more consistency because the ceiling is really high for PJ, even in a tough matchup against the Pistons.

This dude has been starting at center with Jokic out of the lineup the last two games he has feasted. First he dropped 38 actual points against the Warriors and then he followed up by scoring 26 points with 11 rebounds against the Lakers. He's going to be among the highest rostered players on the slate tonight.

Perfect spot for Olynyk to have a ceiling game. He can get hot from three-point range, fill the stat sheet and provide some defensive numbers as well. With all the players off the floor this season we see Olynyk averaging 1.02 FP/Min and if he plays 30+ minutes tonight that will be over 6x return.

Safe cash game play. Many are playing Ausar Thompson tonight after he saw 29 minutes the other day but Harris is locked into 35+ minutes and is pretty consistently coming through with 30+ fantasy points.

Another chalk play after starting and playing 38 minutes the other night. The 76ers are very shorthanded in their front court and this is a matchup that Sochan should have success against.

Cheaper play that will likely play 25-to-28 minutes tonight. He has a nice scoring ceiling and even pulled down double-digit rebounds the other night as well.

Center is tough today and nobody is really playing Porzingis but he is coming off of a ceiling game where he had 25 points and 13 rebounds. Yes, that game did not have Tatum or Brown but the Jazz should not be a tough matchup for him.

The man keeps getting it done, going for 55 fantasy points against the Cavaliers the other night after going for 50 FP against the Hornets the game before. The Grizzlies are a matchup that we saw him go for 42 FP in earlier this season.

I'm likely playing a center in this game tonight. Duren may not get more than 28 minutes of playing time but that should be more than enough for him to get us a double-double in this spot against the Dallas Mavericks.

Minutes may be more locked in tonight with Zion Williamson off of the floor. They need his size agaisnt the Timberwolves and he has some low-end double-double upside with some shot blocking potential.

Another double-double for Kai Jones. Even with him playing less minutes this go around, I'd expect to see him in that 25-to-30 minute range tonight and if he is going to be this active when on the floor then he should have little trouble paying off such a cheap price tag.

Impossible to ignore the ownership with 50% of the field plugging in Nurkic tonight with Mark Williams ruled out. If he starts an gets 20+ minutes he should easily pay off the price tag this evening.