Happy Friday NBA fans. I hope you all had a great work week, and a great NBA DFS Main Slate tonight. Now it is time to shift focus to the NBA DFS Showdown slate, and we have a great matchup. The New Orleans Pelicans travel to Denver to take on the two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets. Let's go ahead and dive into the details of this matchup.

Finding some of the NBA DFS top picks could be easier if you look at Fantasy Alarm’s NBA DFS Projections, powered by FanJections. Let’s dive into the complete breakdown for tonight’s showdown slate.

 

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Denver Nuggets

Total: 228.5

Spread: Denver Nuggets (-8.5)

New Orleans Pelicans Injuries:

Denver Nuggets Injuries:

NBA DFS Showdown CPT/MVP Top Plays

Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

Nikola Jokic is far more expensive than anyone else on the slate. He is one of few guys who can put 70-90 fantasy points on any night. It has been a long time since we have seen him get there. But the guy has still been great scoring over 50 fantasy points in three of his past five games and the last time these two teams matched up Jokic killed the Pelicans going for one of those ceiling games with 80 fantasy points. If you fade Jokic tonight, you may regret it.

Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets

The next best option for the captain spot tonight is Jamal Murray. He has just been so consistent as of late. He has scored over 40 fantasy points in eight of his last 10 games played. Murray continues to stay aggressive and is second on the team in usage rate with 28% just slightly behind Nikola Jokic. If you want to pay down at the captain spot tonight, Murry is a nice play against the Pelicans.

CJ McCollum, New Orleans Pelicans

If you are looking to go against the field and play someone at the captain spot from the Pelicans, I lean toward CJ. McCollum, Williamson, and Brandon Ingram are all questionable to play tonight but I feel he has the best chance to go out of them. He doesnt have quite the ceiling as the guys from the Nuggets. However, if he gets hot from the field he can go for 50 + fantasy points as he did earlier this week. McCollum is a solid pay-down option at the captain position.

NBA DFS Showdown Utility Top Plays

Jonas Valanciunas, New Orleans Pelicans

Even with getting his minutes poached by Larry Nance Valanciunas has still been producing at a very steady clip. He hasn't played over 30 minutes in seven straight games, but he has still scored at least 28 fantasy points in four of those seven games. His price is a bit high sitting at $7,600 on DraftKings, but I can see the Pelicans needing him extra tonight to match up with Nikola Jokic. The last time he played the Nuggets he finished with 39 fantasy points. I see him being a big factor tonight.

Aaron Gordon, Denver Nuggets

Playing Aaron Gordon in DFS has been a bit of a roller coaster as of late. In his last six games, he has scored over 30 fantasy points which you will gladly take. But in two out of the other three games he failed to score over 20 fantasy points just ravaging your lineup. I like the matchup for Gordon tonight as I do not expect Zion Williamson to play. In the last matchup against the Pelicans, he scored 29 fantasy points posting a 14-point eight-rebound night.

Trey Murphy, New Orleans Pelicans

Murphy has been dealing with injuries for most of the season. It looks like he is finally starting to get into a rhythm after going through a shooting slump. Over his last two games, he has played 24 minutes in each and scored 24 and 34 fantasy points. He has shot 10-20 from the field during that span and 7-17 from deep. We love that type of volume from deep for him. He won't hit 30 minutes tonight, but is still a solid play.

NBA DFS Showdown Utility Top Plays

Larry Nance, New Orleans Pelicans

I know I wrote above how I liked Valanciunas tonight but that doesnt mean we can't play Larry Nance. Nance is going to play around 20 minutes and get you around 20 fantasy points. He doesnt do much other than rebound, defend and rim-run, but what else do you need from your backup big? at $4,400 you can do much worse than Larry Nance.

Dyson Daniels, New Orleans Pelicans

With the Pelicans dealing with a multitude of injuries this season, Dyson Daniels has carved out a solid role off the bench. Like Larry Nance, he is going to play around 20-25 minutes, but he has a higher ceiling than Nance because he can score a bit. We saw him go for 30 fantasy points just a few games ago and his price is just at $4,000. If you are playing high-priced Jokic tonight, you most likely need to pay down for someone like Hawkins.

 

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