This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
The NBA seemingly likes to have a jam-packed schedule right after the All-Star break, starting with a rare 14-game slate Friday night. The downside is that we only get four Saturday contests, but a 10-game Sunday slate more than makes up for it.
Now that the NFL season is finished, Sunday becomes a huge day for the NBA, typically featuring a couple of prime matchups on ABC. Up to this point, NBA tournaments on Sunday have been the smallest of the week, as it seems that many people oddly prefer to play two or four-game NFL playoff slates. The contests should be far bigger this Sunday, perhaps even rivaling the Wednesday or Friday GPPs.
Before getting to player recommendations, let's take a look at some key injury and trade situations to monitor for what should be an awesome weekend of basketball (and DFS). The deadline may have been boring, but there were still a few transactions that could open up some minutes for young players.
Injuries and Trade Situations to Monitor
Markieff Morris will probably be available for Friday's game against his brother's team, but if not, Nene ($4,100) would offer nice value, coming off a showing of 29.8 DK points over 24 minutes in Thursday's difficult matchup with Utah. The Brazilian big man should get some touches in the paint one-on-one against 6-8 Anthony Tolliver and/or 6-8 Tobias Harris. If Morris does play, Marcin Gortat will be the only Washington big man worthy of consideration. Morris can be ignored for at least the next three slates, as he probably won't average much more than 20 DK points per game with his new team.
Al Jefferson (knee) is expected to return from a seven-week absence Friday in Milwaukee, yet the Charlotte frontcourt still has serious issues. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (shoulder) is done for the season, Spencer Hawes (back) isn't expected to play this weekend and Marvin Williams (neck) is considered questionable. Making matters worse, recent acquisition Courtney Lee won't be available, which may limit the team's ability to put a decent small lineup on the floor. Jeremy Lin ($4,900) is the obvious value play here, but Cody Zeller ($4,900) will be just as strong of an option if Williams can't suit up. Frank Kaminsky ($3,900) would be a reasonable punt play for GPPs in such a scenario, and Jeremy Lamb ($3,900) is also in play.
On the other side of the value-packed Charlotte-Milwaukee matchup, John Henson (back) is questionable and Jerryd Bayless (knee) seems unlikely to play. Greg Monroe has picked up a few extra minutes during Henson's absence, even approaching 35 a couple of times. That may not seem like a big deal, but Monroe averages 1.18 DK points per minute, which means any extra playing time could lead to a huge game. He also gets to face a banged up Charlotte frontcourt, plus he's slightly underpriced even before accounting for Henson's potential absence.
For a far less reliable option, O.J. Mayo ($4,200) should see an expanded workload due to Bayless' presumed absence, after logging just 18 and 20 minutes in his first two games (both starts) back from a hamstring injury. He fell short of double-digit DK points in both contests, but with a full week to rest after the All-Star break, Mayo could see a surprising amount of playing time Friday night. He probably shouldn't be starting at point guard (or shooting guard) in the NBA, but the Bucks are predictably souring on Michael Carter-Williams while becoming increasingly reliant on Khris Middleton, so it makes sense to have a point guard that at least needs to be covered more than 10 feet from the basket. While his numbers as a reserve are hideous, Mayo has at least been semi-respectable in his 14 starts this season, averaging 10.6 points, 3.8 assists, 3.1 boards, 1.7 steals, 0.2 blocks and 2.0 turnovers in 32.0 minutes.
Now it gets fun. With Chris Bosh (blood clot) out indefinitely and Hassan Whiteside suspended one game, the Miami frontcourt could be in for a beating Friday night in Atlanta. It's not clear how all the minutes will be divided, but we'll likely see plenty of Luol Deng at the four, even though he doesn't stand much of a chance down low against Paul Millsap ($7,800).
Al Horford ($6,700) also has a nice matchup and reasonable price tag, but the real value could lie with Miami, as Amare Stoudemire ($4,200) and Josh McRoberts ($3,000) will likely get extra run. Although Stoudemire seems to have a ceiling of around 25 minutes, the Heat may be desperate enough to push him closer to 30 tonight, given the team's reluctance to play Haslem or McRoberts. The safe and obvious play would be Stoudemire, but McRoberts is $1,200 cheaper and could conceivably get more minutes than Amare.
Further complicating things, Dwyane Wade (knee) will be a game-time decision, with an absence making Goran Dragic ($5,700) a strong play.
Point Guard
Jrue Holiday, NO (Fri. vs. PHI, Sun. at DET), $6,900
The Pelicans have the 12th-best record in the Western Conference and are six games behind the Rockets and Jazz for the No. 8 seed. ESPN's Basketball Power Index estimates that they have a 1.8 percent chance to make the playoffs, but with Utah now healthy and Dwight Howard still in Houston, anything over one percent seems generous. Given that Holiday suffered stress fractures in his right tibia in both 2013-14 and 2014-15, it would be wise to scale back his workload to it's early-season level in the low-to-mid 20s. Luckily for us, the Pelicans seem a bit panicky about taking a step backward in the rebuilding process, so they've actually upped Holiday's minutes in a desperate push for the playoffs. You may wonder why I'm criticizing the Pelicans instead of giving DFS advice, to which I would answer that a three-game streak of 45+ DK points speaks for itself. The combination of a hot streak, increased minutes and the 'revenge game' narrative will lead to high ownership, but this just isn't the spot for a fade. I'll probably have Holiday in the vast majority of my lineups both Friday and Sunday.
Archie Goodwin, PHO (Fri. vs. HOU, Sun. vs. SA), $6,400
I should probably mention that I'm a huge Archie Goodwin fan and perhaps a bit biased, as my lineups always seem to do well when I use him, even if he puts up a single-digit dud. That's obviously not a good reason to roster him, but the matchup and expected minutes load provide us with more than enough incentive. Prior to getting in foul trouble in Phoenix's final game before the All-Star break, Goodwin had a streak of five straight contests in which he logged 35+ minutes, including totals of 45 and 42 in non-overtime games. He may not be anything more than a decent bench guy in the long run, but with the Suns completely void of alternatives, Goodwin will be the primary ball-handler against a defensively inept Houston team. He also seems to get a few extra minutes when he plays well, making him an ideal GPP target Friday night. Archie is even worth a look for Sunday's matchup with San Antonio, as he typically stays on the floor after the outcome is a foregone conclusion.
Other options: Reggie Jackson, DET (Fri. vs. WAS, Sun. vs. NO), $6,500; Deron Williams, DAL (Fri. at ORL, Sun. vs. PHI), $5,900; Jeremy Lin, CHA (Fri. at MIL, Sun. at BKN), $4,900
Shooting guard
Evan Fournier, ORL (Fri. vs. DAL, Sun. vs. IND), $5,400
Fournier logged 42 or 43 minutes in each of his his last three contests and topped 30 DK points in four straight games heading into the All-Star break. His workload may be cut back eventually, but with Tobias Harris (ankle) shipped off to Milwaukee in a trade that didn't net the Magic another small forward, Fournier is the best bet to top 40 minutes out of any player on Friday's slate. Aaron Gordon playing the three shouldn't be an immediate concern, as Orlando badly needs Fournier's three-point range in order to space the floor for mediocre shooters Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo. By the way, Oladipo and Payton are also solid GPP plays, with Scott Skiles sometimes letting his starters play around 40 minutes in close games. A mini game stack is a nice idea for big tournaments, as Dallas also has some reasonably priced players for what's expected to be a tight contest (Orlando -1.5).
Other options: Nic Batum, CHA (Fri. at MIL, Sun. at BKN), $7,700; Victor Oladipo, ORL (Fri. vs. DAL, Sun. vs. IND), $6,400; Wesley Matthews, DAL (Fri. at ORL, Sun. vs. PHI), $4,400; Gary Harris, DEN (Fri. at SAC, Sun. vs. BOS), $4,300
Small Forward
Mirza Teletovic, PHO (Fri. vs. HOU, Sun. vs. SA), $4,000
Even if Jon Leuer gets the start, Teletovic should benefit from added playing time now that the Markieff Morris saga has mercifully ended. Both power forwards are reasonable options, but the Suns will probably prefer the sharpshooting Teletovic, who averages 17.1 DK points over 18.2 minutes, as opposed to the longer Leuer. The former Net makes for an ideal GPP play, as 63 percent of his field-goal attempts (both this season and for his career) have come from three-point range. Although the reliance on treys leads to a vast gap between his floor and ceiling, Teletovic partially makes up for it by posting solid rebounding numbers for a guy that lives outside the arc – 6.8 boards per 36 minutes for his career, 5.8 this season. Further adding to the appeal, many DFSers will be scared off if he doesn't get the start, even though he could still push for 30+ minutes and would likely have a high usage rate when playing with the other reserves. I'd even be comfortable using Teletovic in cash games, as he's highly unlikely to kill a lineup at this price and could easily drag an otherwise weak squad to victory if he has a good night from beyond the arc. He's my favorite GPP play on Friday's slate, but we'll want to see him get 25+ minutes before considering him for Sunday versus the Spurs.
Other options: K. Durant, OKC (Fri. vs. IND, Sun. vs. CLE), $10,300; Carmelo Anthony, NY (Fri. at BKN, Sat. at MIN), $8,600; Matt Barnes, MEM (Fri. vs. MIN, Sun. at TOR), $5,000; Tony Allen, MEM (Fri. vs. MIN, Sun. at TOR), $4,200
Power Forward
Zach Randolph, MEM (Fri. vs. MIN, Sun. at TOR), $7,100
This is way more than what we're used to paying for Randolph, who is nonetheless a good bet to out-produce his price tag in the absence of Marc Gasol (foot). As the team's only big man that has any kind of offensive talent, Randolph figures to both take on added minutes and get a bump in usage, with the combination more than making up for his skyrocketing price tag. Don't be fooled by his 27-minute showing right before the All-Star break – He didn't play at all in the fourth quarter of a blowout. Z-Bo should be around 35 minutes if Friday's game stays close, and he'll likely produce more than one DK point per minute from here on out.
Other options: DeMarcus Cousins, SAC (Fri. vs. DEN), $11,000; Thaddeus Young, BKN (Fri. vs. NY, Sun. vs. CHA), $6,700; Jabari Parker, MIL (Fri. vs. CHA, Sat. at ATL), $5,200; Amare Stoudemire/Josh McRoberts, MIA (Fri. at ATL), $4,200/$3,000
Center
Dwight Howard, HOU (Fri. at PHO), $7,400
Happy or not, Howard will continue to log heavy minutes for a Houston team that's fighting for one of the final two playoff spots in the West. He usually gets around 35 in close games if he avoids foul trouble, but J.B. Bickerstaff sometimes lets Howard go north of 40 even in non-overtime affairs. With Houston coming out of the All-Star break and not playing again until Tuesday, this is a prime candidate to be one of those 40-minute games. Even better, Howard is perfectly capable of providing an excellent return even if he doesn't get extra run, as he's averaging 36.4 DK points over 32.2 minutes per game -- both numbers are skewed downward by his early-season minutes limit. We should also get low ownership because the Suns have allowed the fewest DK points per game to centers, which seems like a huge fluke even when accounting for Tyson Chandler's strong work. The semi-unbelievable statistic is partially related to some unusual position eligibility on DraftKings, as evidenced by the fact that most websites (including Rotowire) have Phoenix ranked around sixth or seventh against centers. In any case, a fast-paced game should more than make up for the tough individual matchup, providing Howard with ample opportunity to pile up boards, blocks and even steals. Barring early foul trouble, I'll be very surprised if we get a repeat of his disappointing, 31 DK-point effort from Feb. 4 against this same Phoenix team. Chandler also makes for a nice GPP play, as he could see a few extra minutes in an effort to avoid a Howard-Alex Len matchup, assuming he avoids the foul trouble that plagued him in the Feb. 4 game.
Other options: Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN (Fri. at MEM, Sat. vs. NY), $8,500; Nikola Vucevic, ORL (Fri. vs. DAL, Sun. vs. IND), $7,300; Zaza Pachulia, DAL (Fri. at ORL, Sun. vs. PHI), $5,600; Andrew Bogut, GSW (Fri. at POR, Sat. at LAC), $4,400
