This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We're back up to 11 games Friday night, but at this stage, there's only a handful of postseason spots left to be decided. Several of the teams with something still left to play for – the Lakers, Mavericks and Warriors – will be in action, helping us narrow our focus to some plays that should be reliable in terms of player workloads.
Slate Overview
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Despite the fact there are multiple teams that are expected to rest front-line players Friday, we only have one double-digit favorite as of early morning, while six games have lines of 6.5 points or less on FanDuel Sportsbook.
In terms of projected totals, of the six games that are on the board in that regard as of early Friday, five have figures of 226.5 points or higher.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Joel Embiid, PHI (rest): OUT
In Embiid's absence, Paul Reed should draw a start at center, while the rest of the starting five should see elevated usage.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL (rest): OUT
In Antetokounmpo's absence, Jae Crowder is likely to draw a start at power forward, while the rest of the starting five should see a big bump in usage.
Anthony Davis, LAL (foot): QUESTIONABLE
If Davis doesn't suit up, Wenyen Gabriel and Mo Bamba could be in line to handle most center minutes and the rest of the starting five would be slated for elevated usage.
LeBron James, LAL (foot): QUESTIONABLE
If James were to sit out, Lonnie Walker and Troy Brown would likely handle the majority of small forward minutes while the rest of the starting five saw elevated usage as well.
Domantas Sabonis, SAC (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If Sabonis can't suit up, Alex Len and Chimezie Metu would likely draw the majority of center minutes.
De'Aaron Fox, SAC (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If Fox doesn't play, Davion Mitchell (knee) is likely to draw a start at point guard if he can overcome his questionable designation.
Paolo Banchero, ORL (back): OUT
In Banchero's absence, Chuma Okeke and Bol Bol could be primary beneficiaries.
Other notable injuries:
Tyrese Haliburton, IND (ankle): OUT
Kristaps Porzingis, WAS (illness): OUT
Bradley Beal, WAS (knee): OUT
Kyle Kuzma, WAS (ankle): OUT
Jalen Brunson, NYK (hand): OUT
Zion Williamson, NOP (illness): OUT
Terry Rozier, CHA (foot): OUT
Jrue Holiday, MIL (rest): OUT
Brook Lopez, MIL (rest): OUT
Khris Middleton, MIL (knee): OUT
DeMar DeRozan, CHI (rest): QUESTIONABLE
Zach LaVine, CHI (rest): QUESTIONABLE
Luka Doncic, DAL (injury management): PROBABLE
Kyrie Irving, DAL (injury management): PROBABLE
D'Angelo Russell, LAL (ankle): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have seven players with five-figure salaries that have a chance to play on Friday's slate – Luka Doncic ($11,800), Anthony Davis ($11,600), Jayson Tatum ($11,200), LeBron James ($10,600), Stephen Curry ($10,200), Domantas Sabonis ($10,100) and Jimmy Butler ($10,000).
Doncic is expected to play through his probable designation as the Mavericks continue to fight for the final play-in spot, and he's coming off having scored 52 FD points against the Kings on Wednesday.
If Davis plays through his questionable tag, he'll look to get back over the 50 FD-point mark after eclipsing it in four straight games prior to his tally of 42.7 FD points against the Clippers on Wednesday.
Tatum is off the injury report after missing Wednesday's game with a hip injury, but it remains to be seen how many minutes he'll log with the Celtics' postseason spot sewn up.
James has scored 53 and 53.1 FD points in his last two games while playing through his foot soreness, and if he's back on the floor Friday, he should be in for a solid minutes load given the Lakers still have a chance to get into the top 6.
Curry just racked up 52 FD points on Tuesday against the Thunder and should be well-rested for a game the Warriors will want to win to ensure their hold on the No. 6 seed.
Even if Sabonis clears his questionable tag, he may well be in for a minutes limit given the Kings' locked-in playoff position.
Butler has scored over 58 FD points in two of the last three games and the Heat are still in contention for the No. 6 seed, he should be in for a full workload.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Brandon Ingram, NOP ($9,900)
Ingram has scored over 50 FD points in three of his past four games and the Pelicans still have a chance to get into the top 6 in the West, factors that should make him very popular Friday.
James Harden, PHI ($9,500)
Harden should be a popular name with Embiid already ruled out, but he could also be subject to a minutes limit.
CJ McCollum, NOP ($8,200)
McCollum, like Ingram, should be in plenty of lineups based on both his body of work and the fact the Pelicans are still incentivized.
Spencer Dinwiddie, BKN ($8,200)
Dinwiddie has scored 35.8 to 45.6 FD points in his last five games, and he should be in plenty of lineups with the Nets still playing for final positioning.
Bobby Portis, MIL ($7,400)
Portis should be very popular at his salary given the Bucks will be without multiple starters, including Brook Lopez, who Portis should draw the start at center for.
Key Values
Jabari Smith, HOU at CHA ($6,800)
Smith just scored 39.1 FD points against the Nuggets on Tuesday, and he now checks in with two days worth of rest for a highly favorable matchup against the Hornets' porous and short-handed frontcourt. The dynamic rookie is averaging 33.7 FD points over his last 15 games overall, a span during which he's averaging an impressive 16.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists per contest and in which he's scored over 39 FD points on four occasions. Then, the Hornets check in allowing the ninth-highest offensive efficiency rating to power forwards (27.2), along with the sixth-most FD points per game to the position in the last seven games (51.4).
Svi Mykhailiuk, CHA vs. HOU ($6,200)
Mykailiuk should be in for another starting assignment Friday with the Hornets down Kelly Oubre (shoulder), and he checks in averaging 30.7 FD points per contest in the last seven games, six of those starts. Mykhailiuk has shot a stellar 49.4 percent, including 43.2 percent from behind the arc, in that stretch, and he's eclipsed 40 FD points on two occasions in the sample. He now gets a shot at a Rockets squad allowing the eighth-highest offensive efficiency rating to shooting guards (24.5), as well as the fourth-most FD points per game to two-guards and the third-highest three-point shooting percentage overall (37.5).
Jordan Goodwin, WAS vs. MIA ($6,000)
The Wizards have essentially shut down their big names for the season, so Goodwin, who's drawn back-to-back starts, is likely to once again fill in at shooting guard for Bradley Beal (knee). Goodwin has eclipsed 30 FD points in three straight overall, and he's posted tallies of 32.3 and 35.4 FD points in pair of runs with the first unit. The second-year guard has shown some nice upside for his salary by eclipsing 28 FD points on 12 occasions overall, and the Heat come in yielding over 44 FD points per game to two-guards in the last seven contests.
ALSO CONSIDER: Tim Hardaway, DAL vs. CHI ($5,800); James Wiseman, DET at IND ($5,700); Johnny Davis, WAS vs. MIA ($5,500); Paul Reed, PHI at ATL ($5,200); Jae Crowder, MIL vs. MEM ($5,200)
