This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Black Friday isn't necessarily the worst thing in the world, but most of us would probably prefer to work off our hangovers (food or otherwise) from the comfort of a bed or couch. Call it sloth or gluttony, maybe some combination of both, but it won't stop me from participating in this odd American phenomenon.
Much to my delight, I can save some money without actually changing my Friday routine, thanks to DraftKings' Black Friday sale. Entry fees for four of the biggest GPPs have been reduced, while the prize pools and contest sizes remain the same.
Between the DraftKings sale, leftovers, and the continued existence of Amazon.com, I'm feeling pretty fantastic about my day-after plans. As a bonus, there's an early Bulls-Celtics game, along with a slew of college football and basketball contests.
Adding to the fun, this will undoubtedly be an interesting NBA weekend, with the Russell Westbrook and David West both returning from long-term injuries, while Carmelo Anthony and Joakim Noah hope to make it back from more recent ailments.
While I'm probably not going to roster any of those four guys, there are still plenty of opportunities to make the most of injury situations.
The Rockets are the most obvious example, with Dwight Howard, Terrence Jones and Patrick Beverley all sidelined. In addition to freeing up minutes for Donatas Motiejunas, Isaiah Canaan, Tarik Black and Kostas Papanikolaou, the injuries will put even more responsibility on the shoulders of James Harden and Trevor Ariza.
The disastrous Hornets are also hampered by a slew of injuries, but with mostly just their wing players affected. Throw in the ongoing Lance Stephenson saga, and guys like Brian Roberts and Gerald Henderson become much more interesting. Roberts heads into Friday averaging 29.5 minutes over his last two games, as Charlotte has made heavy use of two-point guard lineups. I'm guessing that Golden State's Splash Brothers will enjoy playing this team Friday night.
Anyway, here are some of the top choices for the upcoming weekend (Fri.-Sun.) on DraftKings…
Point Guard
Devin Harris, DAL (Fri. at TOR, Sat. at PHI), $4000 – With Jameer Nelson and Raymond Felton both sidelined for Wednesday's game against the Knicks, Harris unsurprisingly logged 40 minutes, albeit in an overtime contest. Despite shooting just 2-of-10 from the field, he scrapped his way to 29.5 DraftKings points, providing an excellent return on the same price tag he'll carry Friday. Even in a tricky matchup, Harris is one of the night's better value plays. It also helps that he's not some scrub who will disappear when other guys get healthy. Harris has been a key piece in the Dallas rotation since last season, and would you look at that, he gets to face the 76ers on Saturday. Assuming Nelson and Felton miss another game, Harris will be a strong option for Saturday, even if his price rises from $4000.
Other options:Steph Curry, GS (Fri. vs. CHA, Sun. at DET), $9500; D.J. Augustin, DET (Fri. vs. MIL, Sun. vs. GS), $4400
Shooting Guard
James Harden, HOU (Fri. at LAC, Sat. at MIL), $10,400 – As mentioned above, the Rockets are playing without three starters, which should lead to a temporary rise in Harden's usage rate. Of course, he already figured to rank among the league leaders, having finished 12th last season, and he's currently sitting in second. True to expectations, Harden recorded 52, 61.5 and 57.25 DraftKings points over his last three games (entering Friday) while averaging 23.7 field-goal attempts per contest. Saturday's matchup is better than Friday's, but Harden should be so busy that it won't really matter. I like him a lot for both nights.
Other options:Kobe Bryant, LAL (Fri. vs. MIN, Sun. vs. TOR), $9200; Kyle Korver, ATL (Fri. vs. NO, Sat. vs. CHA), $5400; Nick Young, LAL (Fri. vs. MIN, Sun. vs. TOR), $4100
Small Forward
Donatas Motiejunas, HOU (Fri. at LAC, Sat. at MIL), $4400 – I've never been a fan of the actual player, but there's something to be said for playing a ton of minutes, which Motiejunas is suddenly forced to do. With a slew of key Rockets banged up, the Lithuanian forward logged 38, 32 and 37 minutes in his last three games, heading into Friday's contest. While I wouldn't expect the world here, it isn't exactly hard to squeak out 25-30 DraftKings points when you're getting about 35 minutes of run. Motiejunas has actually done better than that of late, producing 31.5, 27 and 39 DK points in those last three games.
Other options:Tobias Harris, ORL (Fri. at IND, Sun. at PHO), $7000; Josh Smith, DET (Fri. vs. MIL, Sun. vs. GS), $6600; Andrew Wiggins, MIN, (Fri. at LAL, Sun. at POR), $5000; DeMarre Carroll, ATL (Fri. vs. NO, Sat. vs. CHA), $4900
Power Forward
Markieff Morris, PHO (Fri. at DEN, Sun. vs. ORL), $6700 – I generally don't like the power forward options for this weekend, but Morris is a huge exception. He's averaging just shy of five DraftKings points per $1000 of Friday salary, after shredding the Nuggets for 52 DK points on Wednesday. Denver has been the league's friendliest team to opposing power forwards, and Morris gets to face them again Friday night. Then, he gets an Orlando team that's done well to limit power forwards, but are we really buying into that at this point in the season? The Magic are a lousy team that can't play defense, and they mostly deploy Channing Frye at power forward. It's nothing against Frye, but Morris has the quickness to stick with his former teammate, not to mention the strength to overpower him.
Other options:Dirk Nowitzki, DAL (Fri. at TOR, Sat. at PHI), $6800; Cody Zeller, CHA (Fri. vs. GS, Sat. at ATL), $7800
Center
Omer Asik, NO (Fri. at ATL), $4300 – I love the center options, especially for Friday, and Asik is narrowly the best of the bunch. His price is down because he recently missed more than a week of action with a back injury, and then returned Tuesday with a 13.75-point DraftKings dud. However, he logged 26 minutes in the contest, and made it through the game without any issues. He should be back for another 25+ minutes Friday night, and he's averaging 25.7 DK points over 27.1 minutes this season. That's about six points per $1000 of salary.
Other options:Tyson Chandler, DAL (Fri. at TOR, Sat. at PHI), $6000; Larry Sanders, MIL (Fri. at DET, Sat. vs. HOU), $4100
