This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
The NBA schedule is unusual this weekend, with only six games on Friday and five on Sunday, but an eight-game slate for Saturday night. With that in mind, I'll focus a bit more on Saturday, rather than totally emphasizing the Friday night games as I usually do.
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:
For Friday night, the two teams that require close watching are the Suns and Wizards, who just so happen to be playing each other at 7:00 p.m. EST.
With Markieff Morris (knee bruise) absent from Thursday's gae against the Pistons, both Jon Leuer ($4,100) and Mirza Teletovic ($3,400) topped 35 minutes and 25 DraftKings points, albeit in an overtime game. Alex Len ($3,800) only had 15.8 DK points in 14 minutes, but he did have 43 DK points over 35 minutes in the previous game; and that was with Morris in the lineup. If Morris and Tyson Chandler (hamstring) both sit again, all three of Leuer, Teletovic and Len will be excellent options. Given the favorable matchup with a similarly banged-up Washington frontcourt, it's fine to use two of them in the same tournament lineup.
On the other side, Marcin Gortat (personal) is out for the next two games, with Nene Hilario (calf) and Drew Gooden (calf) both looking shaky. Kris Humphries may suddenly be looking at 30-plus minutes, but I also think this game will feature a ton of small-ball lineups, which benefits guys like Jared Dudley ($3,800), Otto Porter ($5,300) and Phoenix's P.J. Tucker ($3,700).
The Saturday injury watch centers around Clippers guard J.J. Redick (ankle), who sprained his ankle in the first minute of Wednesday's game against the Pacers, with Chris Paul (ribs) already sidelined. Jamal Crawford (37 minutes), Austin Rivers (35) and Lance Stephenson (28) took on the vast majority of Paul and Redick's minutes, and Stephenson surprisingly had the best game. Regardless, Crawford will be an elite option if Redick joins Paul on the sideline Saturday against Orlando, whereas Stephenson and Rivers would only be second or third-tier plays.
That's about it for now, though I'm sure more relevant injury situations will crop up over the weekend. The following player picks are meant for the upcoming weekend (Friday-Sunday), with an emphasis on Friday and Saturday.
Point Guard
John Wall, WAS (Fri. vs. PHO, Sun. vs. DAL), $8,300
With Wall finally finding his stride in the wake of a major price drop, there's little question that he'll be one of the two or three most popular plays on the Friday slate. His price is typically up around $9,000, and while the Suns do have a strong defensive backcourt, the pace of Friday's game should more than make up for any efficiency issues. The Suns lead the NBA in pace and the Wizards rank third, with the possibility for an additional boost due to all of the frontcourt injuries on both sides. I'll happily plug Wall into every lineup and look for other ways to differentiate.
Kemba Walker, CHA (Fri. at CHI)
Walker has been playing around 40 minutes in tight games the past couple weeks, and he figures to take on some of the shots that Al Jefferson (calf) left behind. This isn't exactly news, but I do think a lot of people will overlook Walker because of his stinker against the Warriors in a blowout loss Wednesday night. He's still a nice bargain at his current price in the mid-$7,000s, even for a tough road matchup with the Bulls. Walker should be a very popular choice in the coming weeks, but that probably won't be the case Friday night.
Other options:Jeff Teague, ATL (Fri. vs. LAL), $6,700; Deron Williams, DAL (Fri. vs. HOU, Sun. at WAS), $6,600; Louis Williams, LAL (Fri. at ATL, Sun. at DET), $4,100
Shooting Guard
Jordan Clarkson, LAL (Fri. at ATL, Sun. at DET), $5,600
Clarkson was often limited to minutes in the mid or high-20s earlier this season when the Lakers were messing around with their rotation. Not to say that the messing around is complete, but it does seem Clarkson has rightfully solidified himself as a 35+ minute player. He played at least 36 minutes and scored at least 28.75 DraftKings points in each of his last four games, and it's fair to expect more of the same this weekend. Clarkson is a top option for both cash games and tournaments, with an additional boost if Kobe Bryant takes a night off to rest.
Other options:James Harden, HOU (Fri. at ATL, Sat. vs. SAC), $10,500; Eric Bledsoe, PHO (Fri. at WAS, Sun. at MEM), $8,200; Jamal Crawford, LAC (Sat. vs. ORL)
Small Forward
Mirza Teletovic, PHO (Fri. at WAS, Sun. at MEM), $3,600
With nothing else to like at the small forward position on Friday's slate, I'm kind of just hoping that Markieff Morris (bruised knee) will sit out one more game. If that happens, Teletovic and Jon Leuer ($4,100) are both excellent plays for any kind of contest, with Alex Len also a strong tournament option. If Morris does play, a whole lot of people will default to LeBron James, opting to find bargains at other positions. Even with LeBron in a good matchup against New Orleans, I'd rather use a superstar who doesn't have an astronomical ownership rate. That would leave me to scrape through the likes of Jared Dudley ($3,800 vs. PHO) and Thabo Sefolosha ($4,600 vs. LAL) at small forward, though it probably makes sense to just follow the crowd to LeBron in cash games and 50/50s.
Other options:Nicolas Batum, CHA (Sat. at CHI)
Power Forward
Kris Humphries, (Fri. vs. PHO, Sun. vs. DAL), $3,800
As previously discussed, the Washington frontcourt is dangerously thin, which should lead to a lot of small lineups and a troubling amount of Kris Humphries at center. I do think there's some chance the Wizards just go crazy-small with Jared Dudley at center for a decent portion of the game, but there's also a very real chance that Humphries pushes for 35 minutes. Given his strong rebounding and the likelihood that this will be a very fast-paced game, Humphries offers ridiculous upside at $3,800. Just make sure that Nene (calf) isn't playing, though it would also be nice if Drew Gooden (calf) missed another game.
Other options:Anthony Davis, NO (Fri. vs. CLE), $10,700; Jon Leuer, PHO (Fri. at WAS, Sun. at MEM), $4,100; DeMarcus Cousins, SAC (Sat. at HOU, Sun. at OKC); LaMarcus Aldridge, SA (Sat. vs. BOS); Andrew Nicholson, ORL (Sat. at LAC)
Center
Zaza Pachulia, DAL (Fri. vs. HOU, Sun. at WAS), $6,300
Finally given a starting center job with no real competition for playing time, Pachulia has emerged as an excellent option for both cash games and tournaments on an almost nightly basis. He consistently gets 28+ minutes in close games, often even ranging into the mid or high-30s. There was a recent 3.5-point dud against the Spurs, but he also has 40+ DraftKings points in four of his last seven games. I think he'll eventually settle in as a $6,500-$7,000 player.
Other options:Brook Lopez, BKN (Fri. at NY, Sun. vs. GS), $7,600; Al Horford, ATL (Fri. vs. LAL), $6,700; Clint Capela, HOU (Fri. at DAL), $5,800; Alex Len, PHO (Fri. at WAS, Sun. at MEM), $3,800
