This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
We've got a somewhat slow weekend coming up in the NBA, with Friday having just nine games for the first time I can remember this season.
While it certainly seems there are a lot of injuries around the league, I'm finding for a second straight weekend that there aren't a ton of obvious value plays on DraftKings. Of course, that isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it leads to greater roster diversity in large contests, not to mention a larger benefit if you do find the right sub-$4000 player.
The obvious injury situation to capitalize on is in Charlotte, where Al Jefferson (calf) and Cody Zeller (shoulder) have both been ruled out for Friday's game against the Bulls. Marvin Williams ($4000) and Bismack Biyombo ($3100) figure to start and log heavy minutes, making them two of the top options at their respective positions. Jason Maxiell ($3000) should see 20-plus minutes off the bench, but his per-minute production is poor enough that I'd rather look elsewhere.
The frontcourt injuries could also lead to some more playing time for Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who is coming off one of his best showings (42.8 DK points) of the season in Wednesday's win over the Kings. MKG is already consistently getting minutes in the 30s, and he could creep toward 40 if the Hornets are forced to go small. Despite what happened earlier this week, I'm still a bit hesitant to use MKG in GPPs, as he rarely performers far above expectations. He's actually a better target for cash games, which I definitely didn't expect to be the case this season.
My other top injury beneficiary for Friday is Gorgui Dieng, who may get the start in Oklahoma City over a hobbled Nikola Pekovic (ankle). It's a tough matchup with the Thunder, but Dieng will be a candidate for 35-plus minutes if Pekovic is held out completely. We recently saw the Sudanese center log 39 minutes in consecutive games while Pekovic was recovering from the still-troublesome ankle.
Also, David Lee ($3900) may turn into a fantastic option in Friday's game against the Nuggets, with Marreese Speights suspended and Andrew Bogut possibly being rested. Warriors coach Steve Kerr recently said he wants to rest some starters this weekend, but he didn't get into specifics.
Anyway, here are some of the top choices for the upcoming weekend (Fri.-Sun.) on DraftKings…
Point Guard
Kyle Lowry, TOR (Fri. vs. MIA) $7100 – In what may be a sign of semi-panic, the struggling Raptors are suddenly riding their star point guard harder than ever, with Lowry averaging 40.7 minutes over three games since returning from a three-game absence to "rest". While it's odd that Lowry needed a week off to rest but then immediately started getting more minutes, all we really care about are the fantasy implications. With Lowry averaging 37.7 DK points over 34.5 minutes this season, he makes for an excellent option Friday night, despite dealing with one of the league's stingiest matchups for any position. It does seem that the rest did some good, with Lowry coming off a 32-point (50.5 DK points) showing against the Spurs on Wednesday. He'll likely be overlooked because of the recent struggles, and his floor-ceiling combo is hard to beat. It also helps that Miami has played at a faster pace since the All-Star break, making the matchup a bit better than you might think.
Other options:Russell Westbrook, OKC (Fri. vs. MIN), $12,500; Jeff Teague, ATL (Fri. at PHO) $6700; Goran Dragic, MIA (Fri. at TOR), $6200; Aaron Brooks, CHI (Fri. at CHA), $5400 Isaiah Canaan, PHI (Fri. vs. SAC), $4600
Shooting Guard
Dwyane Wade, MIA (Fri. at TOR), $7200 – I like pairing Wade and Lowry, as both guards figure to be right in the middle of things, so long as the game stays competitive. Even with Goran Dragic in tow, Wade is a hard guy to pass up right now, coming off five consecutive games with 40-plus DK points. I wouldn't have guessed that I'd prefer Wade at $7200 to Dragic at $6200, but that will remain the case until the Slovenian guard proves he's moved past the back injury that recently cost him a couple of games. Of course, Dragic is still a reasonable option, as the Raptors' slide has coincided with their struggles defending opposing guards.
Other options:Eric Bledsoe, PHO (Fri. vs. ATL), $8100; Monta Ellis, DAL (Fri. vs. LAC), $7000; Kevin Martin, MIN (Fri. at OKC), $5900; Kyle Korver, ATL (Fri. at PHO), $5000; Will Barton, DEN (Fri. vs. GS), $4300
Small Forward
Rudy Gay, SAC (Fri. at PHI), $7600 – In addition to being terrible teams, the Kings and 76ers are both top-10 in pace since the All-Star break, with Sacramento notably ranking third at 100.2. I'm thus looking to load up on players from what should be a poorly-played, high-scoring game, and while you might look to get fancy with some of Sacramento's complementary pieces, I prefer to pay up for Gay and DeMarcus Cousins. It seems those two have carried the scoring burden more than ever of late, with Gay surprisingly outplaying his more talented teammate over the last few games. I'm not actually worried about DMC, and this is one of the rare occasions where it makes sense to use both of Sacramento's stars on one GPP team. That was actually a winning strategy last Friday, when Magic-Kings stacks dominated on DraftKings
Other options:Nicolas Batum, POR (Fri. vs. DET) $6700; Tobias Harris, ORL (Fri. at BOS), $6700; Chandler Parsons, DAL (Fri. vs. LAC), $5900; Matt Barnes, LAC (Fri. at DAL), $4700; T.J. Warren, PHO (Sat. vs. ATL), $3300
Power Forward
Nerlens Noel, PHI (Fri. vs. SAC), $6800 – The Philly side of Friday's potential shootout is a bit harder to predict, with Noel the only consistent performer on the Sixers' roster. I'm pretty content to look no further, as Nerlens has shown massive improvement during his rookie season, especially over the past few weeks. He has 34 or more DK points in seven consecutive games, and the 76ers are finally allowing his minutes to sometimes creep into the high-30s. The problem with Noel for much of the season was that he never got more than 32 or 33 minutes, even when playing very well in a tight game. He won't necessarily go above the low-30s on Friday, but at least the possibility now exists.
Other options:Pau Gasol, CHI (Fri. at CHA), $8900; Brandon Bass, BOS (Fri. vs. ORL), $5200; Marvin Williams, CHA (Fri. vs. CHI), $4000
Center
Bismack Biyombo, CHA (Fri. vs. CHI), $3100 – You won't be alone with this selection, as Biyombo is expected to replace Al Jefferson (knee) in the starting lineup, quite possibly playing upward of 30 minutes. The former top-10 pick is averaging 15.1 DK points over 17.2 minutes per game, making it fair to project him for around 25 points in Jefferson's absence. I'd be more hesitant if not for the fact that Cody Zeller (shoulder) is also sidelined, leaving the Hornets without much size to speak of. I'll go with Biyombo and the crowd on this one, looking to deviate elsewhere.
Other options:DeMarcus Cousins, SAC (Fri. at PHI), $9500; Hassan Whiteside, MIA (Fri. at TOR), $8500; Nikola Vucevic, ORL (Fri. at BOS), $8000; Enes Kanter, OKC (Fri. vs. MIN), $5800; Gorgui Dieng, MIN (Fri. at OKC), $5000
