This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Ish Smith, DET at ORL ($4,700) – It appears the Reggie Jackson experiment is over as Smith started Wednesday at the Bulls, which appears to be a permanent move. Smith, despite being in early foul trouble, logged 25 minutes and parlayed that into 24.7 fantasy points (5.3X). He should see more minutes tonight and the matchup against Elfrid Payton is good with the Magic giving up the eighth most fantasy points to opposing point guards.
Patrick Beverley, HOU vs NO ($5,000) – Beverley has hit 4X value in 10 of his last 13 games and has hit over 5X seven times during that span. This is a solid matchup against the Pelicans, who have given up the fifth most fantasy points to opposing guards on the season. Beverley's defensive abilities don't make him scoring dependent, either, giving him a solid floor in this matchup tonight.
Gary Harris, DEN at IND ($6,300) - Harris is basically a must-play in cash games at this point given how consistent he's been. He's played at least 32 minutes in nine straight games and over that span, has scored at least 27.1 fantasy points in eight of those (18.1 was the other vs Avery Bradley, one of the best defenders in the league). The Pacers give up the 12th most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards, so while this isn't the greatest matchup, it isn't the worst, either.
Shabazz Muhammad, MIN at LAL ($4,000) – Ricky Rubio and KAT are both easily in play tonight given the matchup. That being said, there's secondary players like Shabazz who are clearly worth a look, too. The Lakers give up all kinds of fantasy points and Muhammad has scored 18.2, 23.8, 28.1 and 29.7 fantasy points over his last four games, showing both a floor and upside here in a great matchup.
Marquese Chriss, PHO at BOS ($5,000) – This pick will seem much better if T.J. Warren is once again ruled out, which will likely be the case. Chriss made 5X value before halftime Thursday in an expanded usage role and that should again be the case Friday, although the matchup won't be quite as good. This is six games in a row Chriss has hit over 5X value at his price, so he should be a cash game staple. The Celtics — over both their last five and 10 games — have given up the fifth most fantasy points to opposing power forwards.
Otto Porter, WAS vs BRO ($5,800) – This is the cheapest Porter has been in a while, which is a direct result of back-to-back subpar 20 fantasy-point outings. That being said, it's a great matchup at home against the Nets and thus is the perfect rebound spot. Before the last two outings, he had seven straight games of at least 23.6 fantasy points, with four of those featuring at least 33.5, showing his type of upside.
Robin Lopez, CHI vs PHI ($5,000) – Coming off his suspension, Lopez should be well-rested, and he's seen an uptick in usage and shooting with Dwyane Wade out. Lopez had averaged 12 shot attempts over his previous three games and was en route to his third straight game of over 30 minutes before the fighting ejection. This is as good a matchup as any for Lopez; the 76ers are giving up a crazy number – 62.8 fantasy points – to opposing centers over their last ten games.
Al Horford, BOS vs PHO ($6.800) – Over his last five games, he's scored at least 36.6 fantasy points and Boston is utilizing him more than at the beginning of the season. Brad Stevens has staggered him and Isiah Thomas in order to run the offense, making him even more valuable for fantasy purposes.
