This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
We've got another somewhat unusual NBA schedule this weekend, with nine games on Friday, 11 on Saturday and only two on Sunday.
As it just so happens, a bunch of the top value plays will be in action on Sunday's short slate, as the Lakers and Knicks have been giving a ton of run to guys like Langston Galloway, Jason Smith, Jordan Clarkson, and Wayne Ellington. Sunday's other game is between the Heat and Celtics, with the Heat likely to be missing both Dwyane Wade (hamstring) and Luol Deng (calf).
Speaking of which, Miami also has a game Friday night, facing the Mavericks at home in a 2011 NBA Finals rematch. Chris Bosh ($7700) and Mario Chalmers ($4800) will likely carry the offense, while Danny Granger ($3400), Norris Cole ($3000) and Shabazz Napier ($3000) are all viable punt plays. I like Granger best of the trio, due to the lack of attractive alternatives at his position, and the uncertainty regarding the division of playing time between Cole and Napier. I'll be avoiding Hassan Whiteside ($6400), who may finally meet his match in Tyson Chandler.
Friday's other huge injury situation is in Cleveland, where the likely absence of LeBron James (wrist-doubtful) sets up Kyrie Irving ($9000) for a big game against the Kings, following Wednesday's 55-point destruction of the Blazers. I'm also very high on J.R. Smith ($5000), who logged 38 minutes in Wednesday's game. Irving probably won't attempt 36 shots again, so Smith and Kevin Love ($8900) should be more involved. I still have a hard time rostering Love, but he's a nice GPP option against a Kings team that lacks any form of talent at power forward.
The other injuries I'm keeping an eye on are Anthony Davis' abductor strain and J.J. Redick's back spasms, with the Clippers set to face the Pelicans in New Orleans. Jamal Crawford ($5300) becomes a top option in the event Redick can't play, while Davis' absence would be an excellent development for the value of both Ryan Anderson ($5200) and Blake Griffin ($9600).
Looking to Saturday, Charlotte's Al Jefferson ($7100) should destroy the Denver frontcourt, and volume won't be an issue in Kemba Walker's absence. Brian Roberts ($4600) and Gerald Henderson ($4300) also benefit from Walker's injury, so I won't be shy about rostering a trio of Hornets, in a matchup with a team that's tied for fifth in pace (98.2).
Russell Westbrook ($10,400) gets a much more difficult matchup with the Grizzlies, but RWB is a strong choice in any matchup, so long as Kevin Durant (toe) misses another game. Even more appealing is Reggie Jackson ($4600), who has played 26 and 28 minutes in the last two games. Saturday's contest in Memphis does have some potential to be a blowout, and Jackson wouldn't necessarily come off the court in such a scenario.
Another guy I like is Milwaukee's John Henson ($4100), who figures to start against the Blazers, if Zaza Pachulia (calf) misses another game. Just make sure Pachulia's out, as Henson won't be a good option at that price off the bench.
Lastly, the Mavericks will likely light up the scoreboard in Orlando on Sunday, which means we could see some huge games out of Dallas players. The potential for a blowout is there, but guys like Ellis ($7200) and Chandler ($6300) could easily hit value in three quarters. If the Magic can actually put up a bunch of points of their own, things could get really interesting. I'm already eyeing an affordable Payton-Ellis-Chandler-Oladipo stack, with Rajon Rondo ($6700), Dirk Nowitzki ($6300) and Chandler Parsons ($5800) also strong options. Investing in DAL-ORL and Al Jefferson should create a tremendous ceiling for your lineup.
That's all I've got for now. Here are some of the top choices for the upcoming weekend (Fri.-Sun.) on DraftKings…
Point Guard
Damian Lillard, POR (Fri. at ATL, Sat. at MIL), $8800 – I comfortably prefer Kyrie Irving for cash games or 50/50s, but with the hoards likely to be all over Uncle Drew in the wake of a 55-point performance, the slumping Lillard will likely be underused Friday night. Dame's mini-slump has his price below $9000 for the first time in recent memory, and Friday's matchup sets up nicely for him. With the Hawks able to use both Paul Millsap and Al Horford on LaMarcus Aldridge, I expect Lillard to handle the bulk of the scoring load. It seems that either Lillard or Aldridge turns in a huge outing whenever the Blazers play a close game, so just hope that Portland can keep up with the red-hot Hawks. I'm not so keen on Lillard for Saturday against some tough Milwaukee defense, but he'll be a perfectly reasonable option, so long as the price stays this low. As for Irving, this wasn't meant to steer you away from him, as I absolutely love an Irving-Lillard pairing.
Other options:Kyrie Irving, CLE (Fri. vs. SAC, Sat. at MIN), $9000; Michael Carter-Williams, MIN (Fri. vs. MIN, Sat. at ATL) $8200; Jarrett Jack, BKN (Fri. vs. TOR), $6200; Mario Chalmers, MIA (Fri. vs. DAL, Sun. at BOS), $4800; Russell Westbrook, OKC (Sat. at MEM), $10,400; John Wall, WAS (Sat. vs. TOR), $8900; Elfrid Payton, ORL (Sat. vs. DAL), $5600; Brian Roberts, CHA (Sat. at DEN), $4600; Langston Galloway, NY (Sun. vs. LAL); Jordan Clarkson, LAL (Sun. at NY)
Shooting Guard
Kevin Martin, MIN (Fri. at PHI, Sat. vs. CLE), $4600 – This one is really pretty simple, as Martin is averaging 29.5 DraftKings points over 29.4 minutes this season, and he recorded 27.5 points over 29 minutes in his return from a wrist injury Friday against the Celtics. With another friendly matchup coming his way, Martin figures to provide approximately six-to-seven points for every $1000 of salary, with the potential to do way, way more. Accounting for price, he's the top play at any position Friday night. And, assuming his salary doesn't jump up too far, Martin should again be a strong choice Saturday.
Other options:Klay Thompson, GS (Fri. at UTA, Sat. vs. PHO), $8500; Monta Ellis, DAL (Fri. at MIA, Sat. at ORL), $7200; Jamal Crawford, LAC (Fri. at NO, Sat. at SA), $5300, $5200; J.R Smith, CLE (Fri. vs. SAC, Sat. at MIN), $5000, $5100; Rodney Stuckey, IND (Sat. vs. SAC), $5400; Gerald Henderson, CHA (Fri. at DEN), $4300; Manu Ginobili, SA (Sat. vs. LAC), $4600
Small Forward
Nicolas Batum, POR (Fri. at ATL, Sat. at MIL), $5200 – Batum has been one of the most frustrating commodities in DFS this season, and while I've luckily avoided him for most of the year, his price is now hard to pass up at a position that's utterly lacking in upside. Rudy Gay ($7700) is worth a look if DeMarcus Cousins can't go, but I'm otherwise seeing a bunch of players that are highly unlikely to provide more than five-to-six points per $1000 of Friday salary. Batum isn't a safe choice by any means, but he's averaging a respectable 26.1 DK points over 33.3 minutes in a down season, and he logged 38 minutes (with 29 points) in Wednesday's loss to the Cavs. I'd say that last year's 15-8-8-2-2 games are a pipe dream, but Batum did throw up 27-10-5 against the Suns last week, so maybe it's still possible. I also like that Batum probably won't be a popular choice Friday night, due to his tough matchup with Atlanta's DeMarre Carroll. For a player like Batum, who isn't dependent on points, I care far more about expected minutes and the expected pace of the game.
Other options:Chandler Parsons, DAL (Fri. at MIA, Sat. at ORL) $5800; Matt Barnes, LAC (Fri. at NO, Sat. at SA), $4900, $4800; Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, PHI (Fri. vs. MIN, Sat. at ATL), $4000; Danny Granger, MIA (Fri. vs. DAL, Sun. at BOS), $3400; Carmelo Anthony, NY (Sun. vs. LAL)
Power Forward
Thaddeus Young, MIN (Fri. at PHI, Sat. vs. CLE), $6600 – The last couple of weeks featured a plethora of bargains at power forward, but with the well starting to dry back up, I'm again willing to spend at the position. Not only does Young have a pair of favorable matchups coming his way, but he has played 40 or more minutes in three straight games, producing 45.5, 39 and 30.25 DK points. The recent return of Kevin Martin does cut into the field-goal attempts for everyone else, but Young still offers plenty of upside, thanks to the likelihood that he plays 35-plus minutes. I'm not a fan of the "facing his former team" angle, but the 76ers rank fifth in pace (98.2), just ahead of the Timberwolves (97.8). While the game won't necessarily be high scoring, rebounds should be aplenty. That means Gorgui Dieng and Nerlens Noel are both excellent options Friday night.
Other options:Blake Griffin, LAC (Fri. at NO, Sat. at SA), $9600, $9400; Ryan Anderson, NO (Fri. vs. LAC), $5200; Nerlens Noel, PHI (Fri. vs. MIN, Sat. at ATL) $5000; Dante Cunningham, NO (Fri. vs. LAC), $3000; John Henson, MIL (Sat. vs. POR), $4100; Jason Smith, NY (Sun. vs. LAL)
Center
Chris Bosh, MIA (Fri. vs. DAL, Sun. at BOS), $7700 – I absolutely love Bosh for Sunday, against a Boston team that ranks third in pace (99.0), with a defensively inept frontcourt. Friday is a bit trickier, as the absences of Dwyane Wade and Luol Deng will likely leave Bosh with a huge amount of offensive responsibility against the Mavs, but a blowout could ruin his night. That's the kind of risk that's entirely worth taking in GPPs, given that any scenario in which the Heat keep things close likely features a whole lot of Bosh. Much like an oversized, defensive-minded, pass-first point guard, Bosh pairs well with the Mavs' Monta Ellis ($7200), as both players should have big nights if the contest stays reasonably tight.
Other options:Gorgui Dieng, MIN (Fri. at PHI, Sat. vs. CLE), $7000; Hassan Whiteside, MIA (Fri. vs. DAL, Sun. at BOS), $6400; Brook Lopez, BKN (Fri. vs. TOR) $5800; Timofey Mozgov, DEN (Fri. vs. SAC, Sat. at MIN), $5200; Chris Kaman, POR (Fri. at ATL, Sat. at MIL), $4300; Al Jefferson, CHA (Sat. at DEN), $7100
