This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Before we get to player recommendations that come with no strings attached, let's take a look at some of the unsettled injury situations (as of early Friday morning) that could lead to value:
If Anthony Davis (shoulder) misses another game, there's no denying that Ryan Anderson ($6,300) and Eric Gordon ($6,500) will be busy, though I'll probably stay away due to a dreadful matchup with the Spurs. Minutes and usage rate usually outweigh matchup concerns, but the Spurs rank 25th in pace (97.3) and second in defensive efficiency (94.1). They also rank fourth in offensive efficiency (104.6), so even on the Pelicans' home court, there is some potential for a blowout sans-Davis.
Should J.J. Redick (back) miss another game, Jamal Crawford ($5,000) will likely be ticketed for 35+ minutes again, though he's unlikely to turn in another massive-usage gem now that Chris Paul is back. Coming off a big return game and carrying a reduced price, Paul is arguably the better play, but Crawford is also a very strong option. If Redick ends up playing, Paul will be the only Clippers guard worth using.
Perhaps most important, I already like Jimmy Butler ($7,900) in a likely shootout with the Warriors, but I'll really love him if Derrick Rose (ankle) misses another game. As you probably know by now, Butler's usage jumps to superstar levels when Rose isn't on the court.
That's about it for now, though I'm sure more relevant injury situations will crop up by Friday night. The following player picks are meant for the upcoming weekend (Friday-Sunday), with an emphasis on Friday night's slate.
Point Guard
Ricky Rubio, MIN (Fri. vs. DET), $7,400
Rubio proved his health in his second game back from a hamstring injury, putting up eight points, 12 boards and 12 assists in 35 minutes during Wednesday's loss to the Magic. With Friday's slate lacking the usual plethora of obvious value plays at point guard, why not seek out players who will likely have modest ownership rates despite possessing excellent ceilings? Rubio, a nightly triple-double threat, obviously meets the criteria, averaging 1.15 DraftKings points per minute this season. Cheaper-than-usual Chris Paul probably ruined the ownership qualification with Thursday's big game, but Kyle Lowry and Reggie Jackson should still fit the bill. Of course, now that I've said all this, a bunch of teams will scratch their starting point guards, and we'll all end up using the same minimum-priced backups.
Other options:Russell Westbrook, OKC (Fri. vs. NY, Sun. vs. DAL), $12,300; Stephen Curry, GS (Fri. vs. CHI, Sun. at DEN), $10,800; Chris Paul, LAC (Fri. at POR, Sun. vs. TOR), $8,600; Kyle Lowry, TOR (Fri. at LAL, Sun. at LAC), $8,100; Reggie Jackson, DET (Fri. at MIN, Sat. vs. WAS), $7,700; Tony Parker, SA (Fri. at NO, Sat. vs. MEM), $4,600
Shooting Guard
Eric Bledsoe, PHO (Fri. at DEN, Sun. at NO), $8,400
Brandon Knight ($7,500) may have garnered the recent attention with his ridiculous triple-double, but Bledsoe is still the clear lead dog in an impressive Phoenix backcourt. It's a good thing the Suns have that backcourt, as the rest of their roster is pretty meh. Given that reality in combination with Friday's over/under (206), there's an excellent chance either Bledsoe or Knight will turn in a massive game. It won't even be surprising if both surpass value, but I ultimately think Bledsoe is the slightly better play at their respective price tags. Knight's price may be at an all-time high, whereas Bledsoe's is only a few hundred above where it typically stood last season. By the way, Sunday's matchup with New Orleans also looks quite hospitable.
Other options:Andrew Wiggins, MIN (Fri. vs. DET), $6,800; C.J. McCollum, POR (Fri. vs. LAC, Sun. at LAL), $6,500; Klay Thompson, GS (Fri. vs. CHI, Sun. at DEN), $6,300; Jamal Crawford, LAC (Fri. at POR, Sun. vs. TOR), $5,000; Rodney Hood, UTA (Fri. at DAL), $4,900
Small Forward
Carmelo Anthony, NY (Fri. at OKC, Sat. at HOU), $8,500
Even though he isn't drastically outperforming his price tag, at least not yet, I can't help but feel that Anthony is still too cheap. Playing 35+ minutes every single game for a semi-competent team, there's just no way he doesn't end up as a $9,000+ player for most of the season. Of course, even if I'm wrong, it doesn't really matter for Friday night. The Thunder seem to play at Russell Westbrook's preferred pace whenever Kevin Durant (hamstring) is sidelined, making their games ideal for DFS purposes, even with Westbrook hogging all the points on the other end. OKC also loses one of the league's most underrated defenders with Durant off the court, which is particularly relevant for Anthony, who also plays the 3 and 4. I'm thinking that Westbrook and Anthony combine for 65 real-life points and 115 DK points Friday night, with the potential for quite a bit more. This mini-game stack does somewhat hinge on Friday's news leading to some obvious bargain-bin options, as it isn't exactly easy to fit Russ and Melo into a decent lineup.
Jeff Green, MEM (Fri. vs. HOU, Sat. at SA), $3,900
Speaking of bargain bin, Green is one of my least favorite players in NBA DFS history, yet it's still hard to argue with a $3,900 price tag in the wake of three consecutive games with 30+ minutes and 27+ DK points. The first of those games seemingly played a big role in his changing fortunes, as he moved into the starting lineup for the past two contests, putting up 30 DK points over 35 minutes, followed by 33.75 DK points over 34 minutes. I'd settle for 26 in Friday's game, though there's obviously the upside for 30+. Of course, with Green involved, there's also some chance we get stuck with one of those eight-point, one-rebound, one-assist gems. It's a risk worth taking, at least for one more day. Count me out once his price goes beyond $4,300.
Other options:Danilo Gallinari, DEN (Fri. vs. PHO, Sun. vs. GS), $6,300; Al-Farouq Aminu, POR (Fri. vs. LAC, Sun. at LAL), $6,200
Power Forward
Ersan Ilyasova, DET (Fri. at MIN, Sat. vs. WAS), $4,000
Despite draining 45.5 percent of his three-point attempts, Ilyasova is off to a slow fantasy start in Detroit, with his scoring and rebounding averages down from last season, even though he's playing three more minutes per game. Sure, his decreased usage on offense is partially due to the change of scenery, but there's just no chance he finishes the season with a measly 0.72 DraftKings points per minute, which is where he's sitting through 11 games. Back in Milwaukee, the biggest problem was that he didn't play well enough from a real-life perspective (or stay healthy enough) to consistently lock down the kind of minutes that are needed for DFS. He was actually a pretty strong per-minute producer, with his double-double potential and three-point shooting combining to create a surprisingly high ceiling for such a flawed player. In any case, I love his ceiling at this price, especially after he played exactly 29 minutes in each of the last three games, with a pair of 20-point showings sandwiched around a dud. There are probably better options for cash games.
Other options:Blake Griffin, LAC (Fri. at POR, Sun. vs. TOR), $9,600; Markieff Morris, PHO (Fri. at DEN, Sun. at NO), $5,600; Amir Johnson, BOS (Fri. vs. BKN, Sun. at BKN), $4,400; JaMychal Green, MEM (Fri. vs. HOU, Sat. at SA), $3,100
Center
Jared Sullinger, BOS (Fri. vs. BKN, Sun. at BKN), $6,200
Much like Ilyasova but to an even greater extent, Sullinger has always been a strong per-minute producer, with the caveat that some combination of injuries, defensive flaws and angry coaches has conspired to limit his time on the court. I'm not saying he's totally immune to the whims of Brad Stevens, but Sullinger has now reached 24 minutes in five consecutive games, including two contests in which he topped 30. A home-and-away with the Nets shouldn't be too difficult, and he's already topped 39 DK points in three of his eight starts this season, with 29+ points in seven of those games.
Other options:DeAndre Jordan, LAC (Fri. at POR, Sun. vs. TOR), $7,500; Brook Lopez, BKN (Fri. at BOS, Sun. vs. BOS), $7,200; Marc Gasol, MEM (Fri. vs. HOU, Sat. at SA), $7,100; Jonas Valanciunas, TOR (Fri. at LAL, Sun. at LAC), $7,500; Zaza Pachulia, DAL (Fri. vs. UTA, Sun. at OKC), $5,500; Tyson Chandler, PHO (Fri. at DEN, Sun. at NO), $5,200; Roy Hibbert, LAL (Fri. vs. TOR, Sun. vs. POR), $4,800; Nikola Jokic, DEN (Fri. vs. PHO, Sun. vs. GS), $3,500
