This article is part of our FantasyAces NBA series.
Friday presents the storm after the calm in the NBA, following Thursday's odd one-game slate. There are 13 games Friday, with some premier matchups making up an excellent slate on FantasyAces. Be sure to sign up and get your lineups in for Friday's slate of games.
RotoWire will break down a few value plays, some players who are currently trending up and others who are trending down for the given slate.
On FantasyAces there is value to be had, which will allow you to spend on top-tier players to round out your lineup.
Keep an eye on the inactives throughout the day to stay up to date with the latest changes in the NBA.
Without further ado, here's Friday's NBA breakdown for games on FantasyAces.
Value Plays
Guard
Jeremy Lin, LAL, $4,200 - Lin was promoted to the starting lineup earlier this week, which has resulted in nearly 30 minutes of run each of the past three games. While not quite "Linsanity" numbers, he has been an insane value on FantasyAces in those three contests. Target value on Aces is 6x a player's salary, which would be 25.2 fantasy points in Lin's case.
In the last three games, Lin has scored 29.25, 30, and 42.25 fantasy points, respectively. Lin has averaged 23 points, six assists, and three rebounds per game in this stretch and has exceeded value in all three games.
With Lin starting for the foreseeable future, his value is worth much more than $4,200, so be sure to take advantage of his low price on Friday before it begins to rise on FantasyAces.
Forward
Elijah Millsap, UTA $3,800 - Millsap's value is based on if he is a starter, which is up in the air with Gordon Hayward (collarbone) being probable for Friday's contest. As a starter this season, Millsap is averaging just shy of 20 fantasy points per game. At his price, value can be reached at 22.8 fantasy points, so Millsap will need to make one more shot than average to reach value.
When Hayward starts and Millsap is also in the starting lineup, he averages just below 24 fantasy points per game, which would exceed value at his current price. Most players will stay away from Millsap if Hayward returns to the lineup, but Millsap's value as a starter has actually been higher with Hayward in the game. Take advantage of the situation at hand and play Millsap as one of your forwards should he start alongside Hayward.
Center
Ryan Kelly, LAL, $3,300 - It's rare to find a value on FantasyAces for a price so close to the minimum, as the prices are updated on a daily basis. Kelly's price is far too low, and it will definitely rise soon. At just $3,300, value can be attained at 19.8 fantasy points. Since Kelly was named the starter for the Lakers two games ago, he has shattered that mark with two performances of 28 and 31.25 fantasy points, respectively.
Kelly's production on a per-minute basis this season hasn't been all that great, as he is averaging just 0.5 fantasy points per minute. But in games where he has started, that number jumps up to over 0.6 fantasy points per minute. While this might not seem like much, at 30 minutes per game (what starters normally play) that is an additional three fantasy points, which is huge for a player at Kelly's salary.
Kelly has played six games this season in which he has eclipsed 25 minutes. In those six contests, he's averaging 12 points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal, for an average of over 25 fantasy points. This is the best benchmark for his recent success and why he is an excellent value as a starter. Be sure to take advantage of the lowest-priced value play on FantasyAces tonight in Kelly if he is named the starter again for the Lakers.
Trending Up
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, DET, $4,000 - Caldwell-Pope has been on fire of late, reaching value in four of the last five games. In his last two games, he has scored at least 38.5 fantasy points, making for an excellent tournament play at his current price. As a streaky shooter with little production in other categories, KCP is not safe for cash games, but with his recent binge in fantasy points, he will be one of the higher volume cheap players on FantasyAces for Friday's slate.
Jordan Clarkson, LAL, $4,250 - Clarkson has scored over 84 total fantasy points in the last two games with Lin as his backcourt teammate. He has reached value in four of his last five games, and he has averaged close to six assists and five rebounds per game in the last five contests. Clarkson and Lin are a nice stack for those looking to go cheap at guard on FantasyAces, as the two have scored nearly 140 fantasy points combined in the last two games.
Trending Down
Josh Smith, HOU, $4,400 - With the return of Dwight Howard to the starting lineup and the imminent return of Terrence Jones (ribs), someone in the big man rotation is going to be the odd man out for the Rockets. With Donatas Motiejunas (back) and Jones currently ailing, Smith may still see decent run this weekend, but his his minutes are likely to decrease sometime soon.
