This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Point Guard
D'Angelo Russell, LAL, $5,100 - Ramon Sessions ($4,100) would be an excellent play here if John Wall was to miss his second game in a row but Russell would be a good backup play if Wall is a go. The price here has gotten too low for a player of Russell's talent playing minutes in the mid-30s and the matchup with Toney Douglas is one he should be able to take advantage of. Considering his price was almost $7,000 a little over a month ago and the guaranteed minutes, there's a nice floor of at least 20 fantasy points for Russell tonight.
Tim Frazier, NO, $6,600 - A lot of teams have to wonder what their scouts missed with Frazier who has looked at least like a competent NBA backup if not starter over the last couple of weeks. Frazier has both started and come off the bench but has logged at least 34 minutes in each of his last three games. Tonight's matchup is very favorable, as the Lakers have given up the most fantasy points to opposing point guards on the season. He's averaged 16.3 points, 9.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 2.7 steals over his last three games and has hit at least 33 fantasy points in each of his last four contests.
Shooting Guard
Jeremy Lin, CHA, $4,500 - Lin has alternated games of 14.5, 35.3, 14.1 and 25.8 fantasy points over his last four and would benefit if Nicolas Batum sits out another game tonight. The matchup doesn't get much better than the Nets these days and even if Batum plays Lin should still get minutes in the mid-20s in what is expected to be a blowout. Lin was producing even before the Batum injury and has at least 25 fantasy points in five of his last eight games.
Jamal Crawford, LAC, $4,600 - The Clippers will be resting four players Friday night but Crawford won't be one of them. He's already penciled into the starting lineup and the last time this happened a week ago Crawford went for 32 points, seven assists, two steals and a block. Obviously that type of production will be difficult to duplicate (especially against Utah) but he will play enough minutes and have a high enough user percentage that he should easily make value.
Small Forward
Axel Toupane, DEN, $3,500 - Who? Toupane is a 23-year-old player out of France who signed a multi-year deal with the Nuggets and is getting an extended look as the season winds down. He has played professionally in France prior to signing in the NBA last July and has been steadily receiving around 20-25 minutes per game as of late. He has scored 17.4 and 16.6 fantasy points over his last two contests and it wouldn't be surprising if he faces a San Antonio team resting their players after playing last night. He's not the safest cash game option but makes for an interesting GPP play considering the minimum price.
Luke Babbitt, NO, $5,400 - It really doesn't matter if Babbitt is starting or coming off the bench, he's pretty much been locked into over 30 minutes per game as of late. He's averaging 18.7 points per game over his last four and taken at least 13 shots in each of those games. The Pelicans don't have much to play for and even if this home game against the Lakers turns into a blowout Babbitt should still see plenty of playing time.
Power Forward
Andrew Nicholson, ORL, $4,300 - Nicholson has quietly carved out a significant role with the Magic's second team and has become a more valuable fantasy asset than Jason Smith. It's likely that Friday night Nikola Vucevic returns to the starting lineup and it's also likely Nicholson earns the start with Aaron Gordon (concussion) already ruled out. Nicholson has scored double-digit points in seven straight games and is averaging over five rebounds over that span as well. Even if he doesn't start there's a good chance he eclipses the usual 20 minutes per game he's been playing.
Thomas Robinson, BRO, $6,600 - As the saying goes, if it isn't broke don't try to fix it. If the Nets were on their way to the playoffs and coming off a "successful" season, it would be tough to criticize their usage of Robinson up until the last few weeks. However, given the state the team is in and their 21-57 record it's a little puzzling why Robinson hasn't been playing more. He's recorded five straight double-doubles and hasn't even averaged over 30 minutes during that span of games. In addition, Charlotte has been a favorable matchup all season for opposing power forwards.
Center
Cole Aldrich, LAC, $3,700 - Along with CP3, DeAndre Jordan has already been ruled out tonight as the Clippers get ready for the playoffs. Enter Aldrich who will likely fill into his spot in the starting lineup and get 25-plus minutes. Since the calendar turned to 2016 there has been three times Jordan has sat out: 1/13, 1/16 and 3/31. Aldrich's averages for those three games were 14.6 points, nine rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.7 steals. The opportunity is there for him to hit 8X his price tag and possibly more.
